GPwER in Headaches: Sponsorship Available

Job summary

This post will work alongside the existing Neurology team to enhance the outpatient capacity of the service, specific focus on headaches. The postholder will work with commissioners and primary care locally to support development of innovative for managing patients present with headaches.

Main duties of the job

The successful applicant will work alongside the Neurology Team to deliver outpatient-based headache services at Torbay Hospital and some community hospitals, including:

Assessing new referrals into the headache service

Providing advice and guidance to GPs

Reviewing and diagnosis of new patients

Follow up of existing patients

Prescribing appropriate medications

Provision of Botox and GONI

Supervision of Headache Specialist Nurses

The post holder will be proactive in ensuring that all patients receive rapid assessment, treatment and clinical decision making, whilst ensuring safe, quality care is delivered and sustained.

The job will involve proactively liaising with clinicians, nurses and managers within and outside the Department to address any issues arising that may the affect the service.

We would encourage the successful applicant to develop GPwER competencies and practice with the RCGP approved competency framework.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Full registration and licence to practice with the GMC
• MRCGP or equivalent
• On the GP Performers’ list and up-to-date with annual appraisal requirements and revalidation

Desirable

• Membership of British Association for the Study of Headaches (BASH)
• Competency in Botox and/or GONI injection tecchnique

Knowledge

Essential

• Experience in managing patients with migraine
• Wide experience of working effectively in an integrated way with multi-disciplinary teams
• Demonstrates the under-pinning subject-specific competencies, ie knowledge, skills and behaviours relevant to the role, setting and scope
• Capacity to apply sound clinical knowledge and judgement in management of headaches

Skills

Essential

• Manages the difficulties of dealing with complexity and uncertainty in the care of patients, employing expertise and clinical decision-making skills of a senior and independent/autonomous practitioner
• Ability to demonstrate familiarity and understanding of NHS structures, including awareness of national strategic plans and constraints.
• Awareness of their leadership responsibilities as a clinician and demonstrates appropriate leadership behaviour, managing situations that are unfamiliar, complex or unpredictable and seeking to build collaboration with and confidence in others.
• Communicates effectively and is able to share decision-making with patients, relatives and other professions. Treats patients as individuals, promoting a person-centred approach to their care, including self-management.
• Demonstrates awareness of good decision-making. Aware of own limitations. Track record of engaging in clinical governance: reporting errors, learning from errors.
• Evidence of interest and experience in teaching including GPs and other health care professionals.
• Demonstrates willingness to teach and supervise trainee roles including doctors and nurses
• Evidence of active participation in audit.

Desirable

• Demonstrates understanding of the principles of research
• Service design and review experience
• Knowledge of quality improvement methodologies

Closing Date: 29 November 2026