Emergency Department - Advanced Clinical Practitioner (Band 8a)

Job responsibilities

The Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) will use specialist knowledge and skills to provide healthcare independently to patients. The ACP is accountable for the total episode of care for patients with undifferentiated and undiagnosed needs.

The post holder will act as a role model, delivering advanced practice and promoting clinical effectiveness in care. He/she will be required to work autonomously in delivering independent assessment, clinical examination, diagnosis, clinical decision making and planning of care and treatment, diagnosis, prescribing, health promotion and safe discharge of patients.

The post holder will work closely with all members of the multidisciplinary team and will play an integral role in the operational/strategic development of the service.

The post holder will promote and facilitate evidence based practice, clinical audit and research within the Trust.

The job holder will work as an autonomous practitioner within a defined clinical area, delivering all aspects of management and care to a wide range of patients with varying needs.

Clinical practice

Practice as an autonomous professional in a self-directed manner, with confidence, authority, and expertise to independently assess, diagnose, plan, implement and evaluate treatments and interventions for patients presenting to the clinical specialty with undiagnosed or undifferentiated presentations.

Clinical assessment and examination as indicated by the patients condition; autonomously analysing complex clinical signs and investigation results to consider differential diagnoses and diagnose conditions, initiating treatment as required.

Perform clinical procedures appropriate to the history and clinical examination of the patient, including further invasive testing and treatments requiring highly developed skills and precision.

Request pathological and radiological investigations (in accordance with IR(ME)R regulations) and make clinical decisions based upon the results.

Interpret and analyse highly complex clinical and non-clinical facts to form accurate diagnoses, prognoses for a wide range of conditions, to recommend / deliver the best course of intervention.

Autonomously formulates appropriate management plans for patients, formulates clinical decisions and often complex treatment plans to manage acute illness and injury, with including referral, admission or discharge.

Initiate pharmacological intervention, using non-medical prescribing or patient group directives and administer medications as prescribed by others in accordance with the Trust policies

Prioritises health problems and intervenes appropriately in complex, urgent and emergency situations.

Manage clinical events involving patients, often requiring unpredictable and high levels of physical / mental effort according to the patients dependency and clinical need.

Have direct responsibility for a patient caseload, ensuring an accurate plan of care which reflects the assessment undertaken and incorporates the issues and recommendations made.

Have a health promotion and prevention approach and comprehensively assess patients for risk factors and early signs of illness.

Provide specialist advice and support to patients, their families and other healthcare professionals following assessment, diagnosis, and treatment.

Plan, manage and complete episodes of care, working in partnership with others and delegating and referring as appropriate to optimise health outcomes and resource use, as well as providing direct support to patients and clients.

Organise complex activities or programmes for patients, drawing on an appropriate range of multi-disciplinary and inter-professional resources in practice.

Supervise and where necessary, work in collaboration with nursing, medical and AHP team members, demonstrating expert clinical practice to the ward team.

Be included on medical rota as required by service needs and the clinical role.

Maintain a high standard of patient focused care in accordance with Trust guidelines and policies.

Actively involve service users in providing feedback of their experience of the current service and suggestions for improvements.

Discharge patients safely within their sphere of competence, seeking consultant supervision where appropriate.

Identify and implement systems to demonstrate and promote the contribution and impact of advanced level practice to the healthcare team and the wider health and social care sector.

Provide consultancy services to own area and to other professions on therapeutic interventions, practice, and service development.

Be resilient and determined and demonstrate leadership in contexts that may be unfamiliar, complex, and unpredictable.

Engage stakeholders and use high-level negotiating and influencing skills to develop and improve practice.

Work across professional, organisational and system boundaries and proactively develop and sustain new partnerships and networks to influence and improve health, outcomes, and healthcare delivery systems.

Contribute positively to the leadership within the care group acting as an effective role model.

Manages conflicting views and liaises between groups where there may be conflict.

Supports staff development to maximise potential, encouraging everyone to learn from each other and from external good practice.

Actively contributes and provides leadership with service development plans within the directorate.

Education and Research

Takes responsibility for their own learning and performance including the participation in clinical supervision and maintaining an awareness of relevant research evidence.

Acts as a constant source of clinical and theoretical knowledge for all grades and disciplines of staff as well as patients and their relatives, providing support and clinical advice in specialist areas, based on evidenced based research.

Be involved proactively in developing strategies and undertaking activities that monitor and improve the quality of healthcare and the effectiveness of their own and others practice.

Strive constantly to improve practice and health outcomes so that they are consistent with or better than national and international standards through initiating, facilitating and leading change at individual team, organisational and system levels.

Continually evaluate and audit own practice and that of others at individual and systems levels, selecting and applying valid and reliable approaches and methods which are appropriate to needs and context, and acting on the findings.

Responsible for the generation and collation of reports on own practice and that of the team on service delivery and local and national targets. Support monthly reporting to the Directorate Management and Clinical Governance Teams.

Continually assess and monitor risk in own and others practice and challenge others about wider risk factors.

Contribute to and at times lead the development of multidisciplinary research and clinical audit in acute and urgent care

Critically appraise and synthesise the outcomes of relevant research, evaluations and audits and apply the information when seeking to improve practice.

Participate in and contribute to any regional and national research to evaluate the effectiveness of care strategies related to the patient experience within urgent and acute care.

Plans, delivers, and implements programmes of education and training for trainee / apprentice ACPs, nurses, medical and other disciplines and continues to be involved in their ongoing support

Communication

Communicates effectively with patients and carers; sometimes recognising the need for alternative methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding, cultural background and preferred ways of communicating.

Communicates with enthusiasm and conviction, motivating, inspiring and encouraging.

Utilises and demonstrates sensitive communication styles to ensure patients are fully informed and consent to treatment.

Communicate effectively about complex, sensitive and protentional distressing information with patients, relatives and /or carers.

Communicate clearly and effectively with colleagues: often receiving or giving complicated plans or information of a sensitive nature.

Maintains responsibility for the delivery of a detailed, accurate and potentially complex clinical handover to colleagues in other specialities and / or general practice. Able to produce detailed and accurate written information within the medical notes regarding all clinical assessments, investigations completed and requested, and treatments administered.

Right Care Values

We live our right care values through our behaviours and the way we work, and this is an integral part of everyones role in the trust.

• Commitment to Quality of care
• Compassion
• Working Together for Patients
• Improving Lives
• Everyone Counts
• Respect and Dignity

General - Other Trust staff duties and responsibilities

Professional Registration/Codes of Conduct

Be aware of and comply with the relevant codes of conduct and practice set up by your professional regulatory body and maintain up to date professional registration appropriate to the post. Any breach of these codes may lead to action by the Trust independent of any taken by the regulatory or professional body.

For further information and full details of the job role please see the attached job description and person specification.

Knowledge

Essential

• Significant knowledge, experience, and competence in Emergency Medicine
• Documented evidence of completion of advanced practice competencies and a defined range of specialty competencies
• Experience of leading individuals and teams
• High standard of oral and written communication skills and confidence to discuss patient management with other members of the MDT
• High level of capability using outcome measures and audit
• Confidence and ability to accurately assess and manage complex patient presentations to a high professional standard
• Ability to critique own practice
• Excellent liaison and negotiation skills
• In-depth knowledge of issues and developments in specialty-specific area of practice

Desirable

• Significant ACP experience
• Root Cause Analysis training
• RCEM credentialed

Skills

Essential

• Advanced practice common competencies (RCEM)
• Advanced diagnostic and clinical reasoning skills
• Interpreting investigations (bloods)
• Proven leadership skills
• Presentation skills
• Research and audit skills
• Self-motivated and able to work independently and autonomously both within the Trust and with partner organisations.
• Evidence of continued professional development
• Excellent communication skills

Desirable

• Competence in venepuncture, cannulation and arterial stabs.
• Minor illness / injury modules
• Plain film / Red dot interpretation
• RCEM Credentialed

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered with relevant professional body
• MSc in Advanced Practice or equivalent
• Life Support qualification (Trauma / ALS)
• Relevant teaching qualification / evidenced experience
• Independent non-medical prescribing

Desirable

• Significant ACP experience of working within emergency Department
• ALS Qualification / Teaching

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working as a qualified ACP within Acute / Emergency medicine or clinical specialty
• Proven track record in Acute Care setting
• Ability to work with and motivate nurses and medical staff
• Evidence of managing complex patients in stressful and emotional situations where life-changing events are being communicated and clinically managed.
• Experience of designing and delivering training and education for health care professionals
• Direct supervision of junior staff
• Supervision and appraisal of staff and students
• Evidence of lead for or contribution to audit programs within practice
• Evidence of continuous professional development and the practical application of new skills to the workplace
• Experience of delivering training and education for health care professionals
• Cultural awareness

Desirable

• Significant post registration experience.
• Significant experience working at ACP level
• Experience working within acute medicine / urgent care.
• ALS trained / instructor
• RCEM credentialed

Personal Attributes

Essential

• Capable of lateral and critical thinking
• Committed to an open culture of learning and continuous improvement, based on best practice
• Motivated and able to inspire others
• Committed to team working, respecting and considering the skills of others, using a flexible and co-operative working style
• Shows compassion and empathy

Desirable

• Managerial /leadership experience

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

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