Advance Nurse Practitioner (ANP)

Job responsibilities

• To act as an autonomous Practitioner working independently and in conjunction with other health care professionals to assess, diagnose and treat patients attending the Practice, initiating referrals as appropriate.
• Triage and treat patients, assessing their needs and making referrals as necessary to other members of the primary and secondary health care teams.
• Initiates the process of diagnosis with patients suspected to have a chronic disease e.g. Diabetes, COPD, Asthma & IHD etc. referring to other clinical staff
• Request diagnostic investigations and interpret within agreed protocols e.g. x-ray & bloods and initiate urgent referrals.
• Undertake home visits on behalf of the GP practice as directed in line with relevant clinical guidelines.
• Undertakes Clinical Practice at an advanced level using expert knowledge and clinical skills to deliver holistic care to people accessing primary health care services.
• Request diagnostic investigations and interpret within agreed protocols e.g. x-ray, blood tests, scans, etc.
• Makes critical judgements of the highest order to satisfy the expectations and demands of the job e.g. first contact with patients presenting acutely and managing their care.
• Making recommendation for/or prescribing and reviewing medication that is appropriate to patient needs and in accordance with latest evidence-based practice, national and practice protocols and within the scope of qualified practice
• Works within professional guidelines and codes of conduct.
• Develop a leadership role within the practice.
• Introduce and lead on new developments for health improvement and outcomes.
• Critically evaluate and review innovations and developments that are relevant to the area of work.
• Leading on meetings with other clinicians and attending individual and joint PCN meetings, PMs and adhoc meetings as required.
• • Promote effective communication and relationships within the nursing team
  • Communicate effectively with other team members, including the Community team, Social Services and Voluntary Organisations staffs as required.
  • Communicate effectively with patients and carers
  • Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly
  • Work collaboratively with colleagues within and external to the practice

  • To provide a high standard of professional conduct and providing care at all times in accordance to Professional Code of Conduct.

    Ensure all records are accurate, complete and permanent in line with practice / PCN policy and clinical guidance.

    Be accountable for all decisions made and care provided to patients.

    Be aware of personal limitations in knowledge and practice and seek appropriate advice from medical colleagues.

    Monitor effectiveness of own clinical practice through audit and peer review.

    Participate in continuing professional development opportunities to ensure that up-to-date evidence based knowledge and competence in aspects of the role is maintained.

    Work collaboratively with all colleagues within and outside of the practice.

  • To take responsibility for own developmental learning and performance. To identify with the support of management appropriate areas of personal development

  • To undertake training as required including mandatory and statutory training, core skills training and on-going developmental training. Assess own preferred learning methods and to adapt learning as required.

    All staff have a responsibility to participate in the practices appraisal scheme.

    To actively participate in on-going one to one meetings with management to review development and performance.

    To attend and participate in clinical, educational and developmental meetings. To strive to maintain quality within the practice.

    To alert management and other team members to issues of quality and risk.

    To assess own performance and take accountability for own actions.

    To contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and teams performance and making suggestions to improve and enhance activities.

    To work effectively with individuals in external agencies to meet patient needs.

    Ensure personal up to date validation.

    To effectively prioritise, organise and manage own time, workload and resources.

    • ACP must ensure that they are familiar with the signs and symptoms of abuse and know what to do if any such concerns are raised.
    • Staff are expected to know about and how to follow safeguarding children and safeguarding adult policies.
    • All employees working in at the practice have a contractual right and a duty to raise genuine concerns they have with us about malpractice, patient safety, financial impropriety or any other serious risks they consider to be in the public interest. We have practice policies in place that emphasise that it is safe and acceptable for staff to raise concerns.
    • • The ACP must endorse confidentiality in their role. In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately
      • In the performance of the duties outlined in this job description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the practice as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential
      • Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data.
      • Work safely at all times in accordance with Legislative requirements and Practice Policy and Procedures.
      • Have knowledge of and act at all times within the boundaries of health & safety legislation and the data protection act.
      • Using personal security systems within the workplace according to Practice guidelines
      • Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks
      • Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills
      • Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards
      • Reporting potential risks identified
      • Ensure safe management and disposal of sharps and clinical waste
      • Follow spillage control procedures and management
      • ACP is expected to comply with the Practices Infection Prevention & Control policies and conduct themselves in such a manner as to minimise the risk of causing healthcare associated infections.

  • • ACP should be aware of the principles of risk management and adopt appropriate practice to reduce the risk to themselves and others.
    • To identify any risks involved in their work activities and undertake them in a way that manages the risks
    • The post holder must comply at all times with the Health and Safety policies, in particular by following agreed safe working procedures and reporting clinical incidents using the practices Significant Event Reporting systems.
    • ACP will be trained in and expected to use the personal security systems available within the practice

    The ACP will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:

    • Deliver a high standard of care
    • Treat people as individuals and uphold their dignity
    • Treat people with kindness, respect and compassion and avoid making assumptions and recognise diversity and individual choice
    • Respect and uphold peoples human rights by listening to patients and respond to their preferences and concerns. Also work in partnership with patients to make sure you deliver care effectively by recognising and respecting the contribution that people can make to their own health and wellbeing
    • Optimise patients experience by communicating effectively with patients and carers by recognising peoples needs for alternative methods of communication such as using an interpreting service, written information, sign language
    • Maintain accurate contemporaneous record keeping
    • All staff must ensure that when accessing data relating to patients, the information obtained and used is registered appropriately under the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 GDPR) and Data Protection Act (2018).
    • All information held centrally by the practice relating to the patients health, medical treatment, personal details and registration details remains confidential to the practice and patient.
    • • All requests for medical information about a patient from external organisations and patients family members are legitimate, comply with Access to Medical Records and other legislation and have the written consent of the patient and practice.

Experience

Essential

• Minimum of 2 years knowledge of primary care
• Advanced clinical practice skills
• Management of patients with long-term conditions
• Management of patients with complex needs
• Practitioner-led management of minor illness and minor ailments
• Independent Prescribing
• Experience of working with a multi-disciplinary team
• Experience of implementing protocols and clinical guidelines
• Experience of managing complex and changing conditions in patients.
• Experience of developing services
• Ability to support patients to change lifestyle

Desirable

• Motivational interviewing
• Worked within teaching /training environment
• Managing change

Physical Requirements

Essential

• Able to travel to patient homes within Practice Boundry, if needed.
• Ability to adapt to working in patients homes.
• Personal physical contact with patients
• Safe handling of patients and equipment
• Exposure to unpleasant conditions e.g. patient bodily fluids
• Ability to work within a busy environment
• Able to work flexible hours.

Qualifications

Essential

• MSC in Advanced Practice and registered as a non-medical prescriber with the relevant regulator
• RGN/RN or other Allied Professional
• Evidence of appropriate continuing professional development and education to maintain up to date knowledge

Desirable

• ENB 998 Teaching and assessing in clinical practice (or equivalent e.g. mentorship)

Skills, Abilities & Knowledge

Essential

• Experience of managing chronic disease clinics
• Awareness of the structure and working of a GP Surgery
• Ability to be an effective leader
• Effective time management skills
• Good communication skills
• Ability to analyse and understand information arising from patient assessments.
• Advanced assessment skills.
• Awareness of the content and application of professional conduct
• Ability to assess and manage patients risk effectively and safely
• Management of patients with complex needs
• Ability to remain calm and professional in an emergency
• Ability to work both autonomously and as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Knowledge of issues surrounding accountability, Patient Group Directions and associated policy
• Ability to electronically maintain accurate and or written records
• Understanding of primary care infection control
• Understanding of safeguarding principles
• Understanding of evidence-based practice
• Recognises and understands the important of chronic disease management and rehabilitation in the community
• Understanding of clinical governance
• Ability to work within a confidentiality policy Undertaken clinical audit
• Understanding of local & national health policy Understanding and an ability to work within an equal opportunities policy
• Well developed IT experience / computer skills

Desirable

• Willingness to participate in clinical supervision and performance review
• Willingness to undertake training at a higher level if necessary
• Work within a multicultural environment
• Awareness of clinical governance issues in primary care

Motivation & Personal Characteristics

Essential

• Ability to work autonomously
• Ability to work effectively with other members of the team and other partners and agencies.
• Commitment to on-going personal and professional development
• Maintaining good medical practice and further developing competence and performance.
• To keep up to date and adhere to current legislation and codes of practice related to your practice
• Committed to own personal and professional development
• Commitment to working in the NHS and improving the care given to patients and the health outcomes for deprived or traditionally hard to reach members of the local community.
• Enthusiasm and common-sense
• Self-motivated
• Self-directed practitioner with an ability to organise and prioritise workload
• Ability to work flexibly to meet service needs
• Commitment to provide effective and high-quality service
• Ability to work in a multi-professional team and across boundaries and develop good working relationships with team members
• Values and respects the different cultures and beliefs of patients and colleagues.

Desirable

• Ability to be self-directed and self-motivated
• Innovator

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).