Advanced Clinical Practitioner

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Description

Job Summary

The Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) will use specialist knowledge and skills to provide healthcare autonomously to our practice population.

The ACP is accountable for independent clinical assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with undifferentiated conditions. Our reception team is experienced in signposting patients to the most appropriate clinician

In addition to this the ACP is also responsible for appropriately referring patients to relevant colleagues or specialities for any necessary follow-up, inpatient or outpatient review and/or investigations.

The post holder will be a registered healthcare professional and hold an MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice or equivalent at MSc level. They will be an independent Non-Medical Prescriber registered with their relevant professional body.

The ACP will work autonomously in making decisions based on assessment, diagnosis and interpretation of test results and will initiate, evaluate and modify a range of interventions which may include prescribing medicines, therapies, lifestyle advice and care.

Primary Responsibilities

The following are the core responsibilities of the Advanced Clinical Practitioner.

There may be, on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks; this will be dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels:

Provide planned or unplanned care to patients as required, in accordance with clinically based evidence and NICE guidance

• Act on professional judgement about when to seek help, demonstrating critical reflection on own practice, self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and openness to change
• Maintain accurate and contemporaneous patient notes
• Undertake home visits to patients if required
• Diagnose and manage both acute and chronic conditions, integrating both drug and non-drug-based treatment methods into a management plan
• Initiate and interpret tests and investigations as appropriate
• Prescribe (where appropriately accredited) and review medication for therapeutic effectiveness, appropriate to patient needs and in accordance with evidence-based practice and national and practice protocols, and within scope of practice
• Liaise with external services/agencies to ensure that the patient is supported appropriately
• Work with patients to support compliance with and adherence to prescribed treatments
• Assess, identify and refer patients presenting with mental health needs
• Support patients to adopt health promotion strategies that promote healthy lifestyles, and apply principles of self-care
• Ensure a high standard of clinical practice is maintained by ensuring care is based on current best practice, embarking upon further training if required and continuing to update clinical knowledge
• Participate in enhanced access provision

Secondary Responsibilities

In addition to the primary responsibilities, the ACP may be requested to:

• Support the practice audit programme, undertaking audits when necessary
• Support junior members of the team, providing guidance when necessary
• Participate in local initiatives to enhance service delivery and patient care
• Support and participate in shared learning across the practice
• Continually review clinical practices, responding to National policies and initiatives where appropriate
• Participate in the review of significant and near-miss events, applying a structured approach
• Take personal responsibility for own learning and development, achieving all targets set in own Personal Development Plan (PDP)

Confidentiality:

• 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.

Health & Safety:

The post-holder will implement and lead on a full range of promotion and management their own and others health and safety and infection control as defined in the practice Health & Safety Policy and the practice Infection Control policy and published procedures. This will include (but will not be limited to):

• 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
• Actively reporting of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised
• Responsible for correct hand hygiene
• Keeping own work areas and general / patient areas generally clean, assisting in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness consistent with the scope of the job holder's role
• Undertaking periodic infection control training

Equality and Diversity:

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

• Acting in a way that recognizes the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation
• Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues
• Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

Personal/Professional Development:

The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, such training to include:

• Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development
• Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.

Quality:

The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practice, and will:

• Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk
• Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision
• Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance
• Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients' needs
• Effectively manage your own time, workload and resources.

Communication:

The post-holder should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

• Communicate effectively with other team members
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers
• Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.

Contribution to the Implementation of Services:

The post-holder will:

• Apply practice policies, standards and guidance
• Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work
• Participate in audit where appropriate.

Policy and Service Development Implementation:

• Comply with practice policies and procedures as defined within the staff handbook and the practice policy library

Responsibilities for Financial and Physical Resourses:

• Undertake to manage the private fees process for patients, being aware of the procedure to follow
• Liaising with IT support services relevant to post and equipment used to instigate repair

Responsibilities for Human Resources:

• Assist with training new staff as required
• Provide annual leave / sickness cover as necessary
• Attend all mandatory training sessions and undertake any additional training required to fulfill the requirement of the role

Freedom to Act:

• Follow standard operating procedures and guidelines
• This job description contains the principal duties of the post and a range of other duties is implicit in these. The duties may be amended from time to time to reflect any changes in the needs of the service in discussion with the post holder.

Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults:

• To ensure awareness and be alert to, the signs and symptoms of abuse in children through regular participation in mandatory and refresher child protection training.
• To be familiar with all relevant Safeguarding Children and Young People, policies and procedures and contact points, taking the appropriate action when there is knowledge or suspicion of a child who has been subject to abuse.
• To be familiar with all relevant Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults, policies and procedures and contact points, taking the appropriate action when there is knowledge or suspicion of a vulnerable adult who has been subject to abuse.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Qualified Healthcare Professional
• PGDip or Master's degree level in relevant area of expertise
• Qualified independent prescriber - V300
• Registered on their appropriate professional register

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner
• Experience of dealing with a range of clinical conditions
• Understand the importance of evidence-based practice
• Broad knowledge of clinical governance
• Ability to record accurate clinical notes
• Ability to work within own scope of practice and understand when to refer to GPs
• Knowledge of health promotion strategies
• Polite and confident, flexible and cooperative
• Motivated, forward thinker
• High levels of integrity and loyalty
• Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations as well as ability to work under pressure/in stressful situations
• Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
• Clear, polite telephone manner
• Competent in the use of Office and Outlook
• Effective time management
• Ability to work as a team member and autonomously
• Problem solving & analytical skills
• Ability to follow clinical policy and procedure
• Understanding of clinical risk management
• Enhanced Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check
• Occupational health clearance
• Access to own transport and ability to travel across locality on a regular basis
• Flexibility to work outside core office hours

Desirable

• Experience of prescribing
• Experience of working in a primary care environment
• Awareness of issues within the wider health arena
• Experience of using SystmOne
• Understanding of the audit process

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Ayton & Snainton Medical Practice

Address

53 Pickering Road

West Ayton

Scarborough

North Yorkshire

YO13 9JF

Employer's website

https://ayton-snainton.co.uk (Opens in a new tab)