ACP/Specialist Paramedic/Nurse Practitioner

Job description

Job responsibilities

• The post holder is expected to see patients autonomously providing both face- to- face appointments, home visits and telephone consultations for patients within the Practice and within the patients residence and demonstrate the use of critical thinking in the clinical decision-making process.
• The post-holder will operate within their own sphere of competence and agreed acceptable limits of practice to provide expert professional clinical advice to patients, carers and colleagues, ensuring clinical safety and excellence.
• The Practitioner will need to prioritize and triage the needs of patients, accordingly, making any necessary referrals for investigations in the appropriate manner.
• The post-holder will use skills, knowledge and competencies as a qualified Practitioner in order to be responsible and accountable for managing patient caseloads for treatments, referral, admission and discharging patients as appropriate.
• The post-holder will work collaboratively with the general practice team to meet the needs of patients, supporting the delivery of policy and procedures. Promoting self-care, in order that patients are empowered to manage their own healthcare needs. Support from the supervising doctor will be available if needed.

Clinical Practice

• Assess, diagnose, plan, implement care for patients presenting with an undifferentiated diagnosis.
• Clinically examine and assess patient needs from a physiological and psychological perspective and plan clinical care accordingly.
• Diagnose and manage both acute and chronic conditions, integrating both drug- and non-drug-based treatment methods into a management plan.
• Provide specific evidence based practical skills and knowledge in the following:

Coughs, colds and flu

Sore throats

Earache

Skin rashes

Diarrhoea / vomiting

Soft tissue and ligament injuries

Wound toileting and closure

Abdominal pain

Urine infection / vaginal discharges

Sexual health assessments and investigations

Emergency contraception

• Prescribe and review medication for therapeutic effectiveness, appropriate to patient needs, within the post holders knowledge and skills and in accordance with National and Local Guidelines.
• Prevent inappropriate hospital admissions or attendances to the emergency department by providing/co-coordinating the provision of specialist care by other agencies for the patient in the most appropriate and agreed environment.
• Demonstrate the ability to work independently and perform comprehensive patient assessments based upon the patients clinical record and physical examination.
• Work with patients in order to support compliance with and adherence to prescribed treatments. Provide information and advice on prescribed or over-the-counter medication on medication regimens, side-effects and interactions.
• Prioritize health problems and intervene appropriately to assist the patient in complex, urgent or emergency situations, including initiation of effective emergency care.
• Support patients to adopt health promotion strategies that promote healthy lifestyles, and apply principles of self-care. Support and manage health needs of men and women presenting for family planning or sexual health consultations.
• Liaise with patients, carers and colleagues to assess the safety of a patients home environment, acting quickly to protect patients and staff from potential risk.
• Participate in audits and inspections as appropriate.
• Work closely with the doctors and managers / admin in the setting up and/or improving of practice systems for monitoring/measuring performance against Clinical Governance and Quality Indicator targets.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Hold a relevant Bachelors degree in a training programme approved by the College of Paramedics or Nursing & Midwifery Council.
• Registration with the relevant professional body e.g. Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) or Nursing & Midwifery Council.
• Hold a full UK driving license.

Desirable

• Hold or working towards a non-medical prescribing qualification.
• Hold or working towards masters level capability as a Clinical Practitioner

Experience

Essential

• Experience in managing a designated caseload using theoretical and practical experience, completing assessments, planning, implementing interventions, and evaluating outcomes aligned to care plans.
• Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision.
• Exercise a critical understanding of personal scope of practice and to identify when a patient needs referring on.
• Through patient assessment and working in partnership with patients and their carers, make decisions about the best pathways of care, informed by the urgency and severity of patient need, patient acuity and dependency, and the most appropriate deployment of resources.
• Manage risk in unpredictable, uncertain situations to uphold patient safety, including by referring on to other primary care team members and to specialist services.
• Able to follow legal, ethical, professional and organisational policies / procedures and codes of conduct.
• Involves patients in decision making and supporting adherence as per NICE guidance.
• Able to write comprehensive clinical notes and use clinical coding.

Desirable

• Experience of working in primary care.

Attributes

Essential

• Contribute to the development of primary care teams, including through contributing to others learning.
• Demonstrate excellent interpersonal and communication skills, to build effective relationships with colleagues and patients.
• Able to co-ordinate and prioritise workloads.
• Strong leadership qualities.

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

Minerva Primary Care Network

Address

Newbridge Surgery

129 Newbridge Hill

Bath

BA1 3PT

Employer's website

https://minervapcn.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)