Job Advert
Salaried GP in Prison Healthcare
HMP Edinburgh & Addiewell
Reference: CG2584
NHS Lothian is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best.
To this end, NHS Lothian welcomes applications from all sections of society.
Applications are welcome for the above Permanent, part time (18 hours per week) post based in HMP Edinburgh & Addiewell.
HMP Edinburgh is operated by Scottish Prison Service (SPS) and has an average daily prison population of 900 prisoners, which since July 2011 has included up to 114 women offenders. HMP Addiewell is a private prison operated by Sodexo Justice Services (SJS) on behalf of SPS, with a population of 796 prisoners all of whom are male
Typically, a prison receives un-convicted (remand), short-term prisoner/patients and long-term prisoner/patients and occasionally young offenders and specific category prisoner/patients. At any one time a minority of prisoner/patients will be on remand, un-sentenced or awaiting sentencing or deportation with a majority serving a sentence.
Most prisoner/patients have had little or no regular contact with comprehensive health services before entering prison and their lifestyles are more likely to have put them at risk of ill health. Nationally, the evidence of health inequalities amongst prisoner/patients is strong. Prisoner/patients have poorer physical and mental health than the general population, with mental illness, self-harm and suicide risk, drug dependency and communicable diseases being the most dominant problems.
In delivering healthcare to prisoner/patients, the post holder will work within a multi-disciplinary team including nurses, physiotherapist, dentists, pharmacists, prison officers, social workers and other professionals. They will also be expected to work closely with any health in-reach services such as infectious disease specialists, forensic psychiatrists, optician and podiatrist.
The GP will be responsible for meeting the medical needs of the patients of the practice by providing best practice in clinical care and management, to include:-
- The diagnosis, management and treatment of acute and chronic conditions by means of appropriate diagnostic skills and including any necessary investigations, at a level of competence appropriate to a General Medical Practitioner. This will include work undertaken in routine surgeries and constructive joint working with other disciplines.
- Timely assessment of newly arrived prisoner/patients as required through NHS’s memorandum of understanding with the Scottish Prison Service.
- Timely assessment of prisoner/patients to determine fitness for cellular confinement with respect to adjudication.
- Timely assessment of prisoner/patients recognised to be at risk of self harm. To help identify and care for prisoner/patients at risk of suicide or self-harm, the Scottish Prison Service uses a suicide risk management and care-planning system called ACT2Care. The postholder will be required to sign off and contribute to documentation. Training will be provided on this process.
- Arranging appropriate provision for continuity of care for prisoners to include:
- To make appropriate and timely referrals to other health and social care services both within and outwith the Prison.
- To support the development of an effective multi-disciplinary team including contributing to the development of health promotion services.
- To attend multi-disciplinary team meetings where treatment and care programmes are discussed.
- To arrange/liaise with through care and after care services as required allowing for good transition of prisoners/patients back into the community.
More detailed departmental and specialty information can be found in the job description available via email address / link below.
For an informal discussion please contact:
Dr Angela Maxwell, Lead GP HMPs Edinburgh and Addiewell
Tel: 0131 444 3144 or 01506 874500 extension 3804 or 07923099927.
Email: angela.maxwell@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
If viewing from an external site, please visit https://apply.jobs.scot.nhs.uk for a job pack detailing the minimum requirements for this post and details of how to apply.
We cannot accept CV’s as a form of application and only a completed online application form will be accepted. Personal information will not be sent with the application for short listing. The application form will be identified by the candidate number only to ensure that all applicants are treated equally.
Closing Date: 03/02/2023
***PLEASE NOTE: We cannot accept late applications so please ensure your application is submitted early***