Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP)

Job responsibilities

• Work autonomously as an advanced practitioner within the specialty, managing a caseload of patients delivering individualised direct patient care.
• Direct responsibility for assessment, examination, investigation, and diagnosis of patients within their area of work.
• The ACP will be responsible for the provision of effective, efficient and appropriate high quality care and act at all times in accordance within the relevant professions Code of Conduct within their level of competence and agreed protocols.
• Appropriately treat patients, resulting in the safe management and appropriate referral or discharge of patients with undifferentiated and undiagnosed presentations.
• Receive referrals via a variety of sources, including engagement with East of England Ambulance Service to identify patients suitable for management within community setting. Manage own caseload and clinical priorities according to agreed protocols and working practices.
• Undertake a variety of clinical skills and provide treatment / advice as per speciality and scope of practice. Using agreed protocols of clinical practice and professional guidelines. This service may be provided within primary, community or home care settings.
• Within scope of practice and clinical competence request and / or undertake diagnostic procedures and clinical investigations related to plans of care.
• Utilise scope of practice to undertake Non-Medical Prescribing role and provide advice on medicine management issues associated with the patient specialty group. Work within ECCH policy for Medicines Management.
• Utilise advanced knowledge and skills relating to the speciality to provide specialist advice to other members of the multidisciplinary team based on patient assessment.
• Provide a seamless, high quality service from referral through to assessment, diagnosis, treatment and review, referring to other specialists as required. Provide guidance to staff, patients and their families and carers on pathway navigation.
• Lead in the development and updating of referral guidelines and policies for the service.
• Use highly developed communication skills to effectively communicate with colleagues, patients and their relatives / carers, making reports and liaising as required with medical staff and other members of the multidisciplinary team both verbally and in writing.
• Use professional judgement to act as an advocate for patients to ensure a patient focused approach to the delivery of care. Support and enable patients and carers to make informed decisions relating to their treatment and management. Escalate any concerns via the nursing / professional structures as required.
• Work towards safe and timely discharge and / or transfer of care of patients from or between hospitals and services and healthcare professionals, ensuring barriers to discharge / transfer are identified and acted upon appropriately.
• Report and raise concerns related to Safeguarding, accessing advice and support as required. Be conversant with ECCH policies for safeguarding including the assessment of mental capacity, and consideration of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS) and the application of the principles of Prevent (counter terrorism awareness).
• Undertake training to develop further advanced clinical practice roles required by the service to provide a high standard of patient care.
• Provide highly visible and accessible professional leadership and demonstrate expert knowledge and standards of clinical practice.
• Promote team working, build rapport and collaborative working practices with multidisciplinary team. Liaise with inter-hospital departments and personnel across organisational and professional groups. Ensuring effective communication and interpersonal skills with other disciplines and organisations.
• Lead and support the development of the role according to changing patients needs, service requirements and evidence base practice.
• Utilise the highest level of interpersonal and communication skills when dealing with complex, sensitive or emergency situations, utilise persuasion, motivation and coaching to facilitate best patient outcomes, supporting patients to overcome barriers to communication where necessary.
• Lead and actively participate in service/ departmental projects, quality initiatives and statutory accreditation processes. This will include the setting and monitoring of clinical standards of care.
• Lead in the recruitment and selection of staff.
• Act as an expert educational resource for clinical staff, patients, and carers by providing formal and informal education. Promote and develop a positive learning environment throughout the organisation.
• Recognise the limits of own professional practice and competence, undertake further training and academic qualifications as required to maintain own specialist knowledge.
• Participate and where required lead or assist in research projects as required, disseminating and ensuring utilisation of research results to change practice.
• Participate and where required lead audit projects as required by the specialty, involving collating, analysing and reporting on results of the audit process.
• Collate, analyse and present reports on varying aspects of the speciality activity as required by directorate or divisional team.
• Support the maintenance of KPIs 2-hour response CQC compliance and local and national clinical governance initiatives in close collaboration with the directorate senior nursing, medical and management and in collaboration with clinical governance teams.
• Maintain improvements in patient safety by supporting implementation of patient safety initiatives, prompt and appropriate response to complaints resolution and escalation where appropriate
• Participating in creating a healthy working environment complying with risk assessment / management in relation to health care.
• Contributing to the operational and financial management of ECCH to achieve cost improvement plans. Actively participating in the development of services to combine the achievement of high quality patient care and effective resource allocation / utilisation.
• All roles within East Coast Community Healthcare CIC (ECCH) require staff to demonstrate our Values and Signature Behaviours in the care and service they provide to patients, service users, stakeholders and colleagues. All members of staff should consider these as an essential part of their job role.
• Our Values outline the core behaviours that we can all achieve and are summarised as an acronym within the word CARE. These stand for: Compassion, Action, Respect and Everyone.
• Underpinning our Values are our Signature Behaviours which highlight by taking the right actions we continue to build a strong culture. Our four Signature Behaviours are: Compassion - We Listen, We Learn, We Lead| Action - My Accountability, My Responsibility | Respect - Respect Our Resources: People, Time and Money | Everyone - Work Together, Achieve Together.

Personal Attributes

Essential

• Awareness and understanding of the NHS issues relevant to advanced clinical practice
• Understanding of the Clinical Governance Framework
• Aware of the political and organisational drivers that impact on the service
• Must hold full and valid driving license and have access to a vehicle
• Ability to be creative innovative and adaptable
• Organised and motivated
• Positive role model
• Flexibility to work outside core hours in order to meet service needs
• Ability to embrace our Culture, Values and Signature Behaviours:
• (Compassion - We Listen, We Learn, We Lead| Action - My Accountability, My Responsibility | Respect - Respect Our Resources: People, Time and Money | Everyone - Work Together, Achieve Together)
• Willingness and ability to work across different sites and travel to alternative sites and across the community as required

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered First Level Nurse/Therapist/Pharmacist/Paramedic
• Degree in Healthcare
• Masters in Advanced Clinical Practice (or working towards)
• Independent Prescriber (or working towards) where professional governing body supports non-medical prescribing

Desirable

• Long term conditions qualification
• Mentoring/leadership qualification

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• Ability to work autonomously and manage own workload
• Management of patients with complex needs
• Clinical examination skills
• Accountability of own role and other roles in an ACP-led service
• Management and Leadership skills / effective change agent
• Evidence of advanced clinical practice
• Awareness of the need to focus on continuous quality improvement
• Excellent written and Verbal communication skills using the English language
• Ability to communicate with patients and families with regard to diagnosis, treatment and care planning
• Negotiation and conflict management skills
• Good IT skills

Experience

Essential

• Significant experience at senior level, Band 7 or above
• Evidence of teaching in a variety of environments
• Experience of working to protocols and guidelines
• Evidence of on-going personal and professional development
• Previous experience of developing clinical guidelines and clinical care pathways
• Experience of clinical audit
• Evidence of successful management of change management

Desirable

• Previous experience in an ACP role

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).