Virtual Wards GP

This service is a collaboration between Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust (SCFT) and the Sussex Federations: Brighton & Hove Federation (BandHF), Alliance for Better Care (ABC) and South Downs Health & Care (SDHC). The Federations will be delivering the GP-led aspect of the Virtual Ward at a place-level to match SCFTs Urgent Community Response service across Sussex. SCFT provides the service in West Sussex, Brighton and Hove and the High Weald, Lewes and Havens area of East Sussex.B&HF are the lead contractor for the GP Service delivery and have sub-contracted to ABC for delivery within the federations geographical areas of Mid Sussex (including Crawley, Horsham, East Grinstead, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill and surrounding villages), Worthing and Chichester.

The UCR Hub Based GP will work within their assigned place based SCFT UCR base. We are recruiting for three separate places of Mid Sussex, Worthing and Chichester, with a GP required for each place. The GP will present within the allocated UCR base working face to face with the SCFT MDT delivering GVW (including supervision of ACPs and team development). Patient visits may be required. (Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning)

GPs will need to meet regularly with other VW GPs across the SCFT footprint for shared training and supervision. Some of this can be done remotely, but this role will require some travel across Sussex.

Hours of Work: 9am to 1pm

Chichester: Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Crawley: Monday

Since 2022, SCFT have delivered Virtual Wards (Hospital at Home) in line with the NHS Englands national definition that a virtual ward is a safe and efficient alternative to NHS bedded care that support patients who would otherwise be in hospital to receive the acute care and treatment they need in their own home.

As of August 2024, SCFT re-modelled the Virtual Ward delivery and mobilised General Virtual Wards within Urgent Community Response (UCR), which supports Sussex patients within its catchment area with a higher level of acuity to be safely managed at home/chosen place of residence. This could be patients on either an admission avoidance pathway or early supported discharge pathway, where the alternative would be NHS bedded care.

The Virtual Ward activity is now prioritising admission avoidance whilst still delivering early supported discharge for patients from the Acute hospitals. It is delivered 365 days per year, 8am 8pm. UCR teams within the SCFT footprint provide urgent support to help prevent unnecessary hospital admissions and ultimately keeping patients safely at the place they call home. There is a consistent service across Sussex and is made up of multi-disciplinary teams including General Practitioners, Nurses, Pharmacists, Therapists and Carers, ensuring they can meet a range of needs quickly offering the best level of support to patients., Alliance for Better Care (ABC) is a GP Federation uniting 77 NHS GP member practices across 98 sites within 24 Primary Care Networks in Sussex and Surrey. We support our Primary Care colleagues - and their patients - to transform how healthcare is delivered in their communities.

We work closely with GP Practices, PCNs, Hospitals, Community Organisations, and the Third Sector. These vital partnerships enable us to deliver a truly integrated approach that offers the support andexpertiseneeded to effectively serve our populations.