Advanced Clinical Practitioner

Job responsibilities

Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust plan to integrate and form a new organisation on the 1st April 2026. As such, if your start date is on or after 1st April 2026, you will be employed by the newly formed organisation. Should you join Bridgewater prior to this date, your employment will automatically transfer into the new organisation. We are confident that this transition will provide new opportunities and a continued commitment to excellence in patient care.

Job Purpose:

To act as a positive role model through the provision of effective clinical leadership and demonstration of competent, accountable autonomous clinical practice.

The post holder will use advanced clinical skills to lead and support the team in the assessment, planning, delivery and evaluating of patient centred care.

The post holder will work in partnership and promote a culture of collaboration across the wider health and social health economy to optimise patient flow and facilitate the delivery of efficient, effective co-ordinated and timely high-quality care to all patients.

Duties and Responsibilities:

To ensure that the highest standards of care are provided and monitored across the borough

Act as a credible role model that will involve a clinical commitment working a variety of shifts inclusive of weekends as the service requires working a minimum of 80/20 clinical/management time

To ensure professional advice is provided to all nursing, therapy, and support staff

Facilitate and support effective working relationships with the multi-disciplinary team to enhance the care and management of patients.

Develop, implement, and monitor evidence-based practice e.g. recognition and management of the deteriorating patient/ sepsis management. Utilise advanced clinical skills and competency to deliver high quality and responsive patient care.

Lead on the development of clinical guidelines, policies, and clinical audit as part of the quality improvement methodology

Support staff in identifying, applying, and disseminating research findings related to specialist and fundamental nursing practice.

Develops clinical skills and continues to develop further clinical skills in extended scope practice in response to best practice

Engages and actively involves the individual and, if appropriate, their family/carer, in the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of programmes of treatment and/or care by using person-centred techniques to promote a culture of self-care, involvement and empowerment

Prioritises their own workload within agreed objectives whilst delegating to other members of the team as appropriate

Provides and receives complex, sensitive, or contentious information where motivational, persuasive, empathetic, negotiating and reassurance skills are required whilst demonstrating an understanding of barriers to communication

Approaches each individual with care, compassion and sensitivity ensuring that these values are reflected in all aspects of the role including the management of compliments, concerns and complaints

Acts as a source of information and support for nursing team, allied healthcare professionals, and other agencies across the broad health and social care context

To work in partnership with the adult community team to comply and monitor the Infection Prevention and Control requirements for the service

Provide leadership and be a role model for all staff in prevention and control of infection, undertaking audits and ensuring high standards are maintained at all times.

Leadership

Work in partnership with the Operational Manager to ensure compliance with CQC fundamental standards and completion of SAF. In the absence of the operational Manager, the post holder will ensure that there is oversight of any issues impacting on patient safety and escalate to the risk management team and Director of Nursing, Associate Director.

Act as a role model to provide a leadership style which is underpinned by strongly held values around equality, diversity and openness; effectively builds and maintains relationships with direct reports, management team and other key individuals across the organisation.

Ensures the effective and efficient use of resources (e.g. staff, supplies within their own sphere of responsibility) working with clinical manager to agree service budgets

Demonstrates leadership and innovation in contexts which are unfamiliar, complex, and unpredictable that require solving problems involving many complex interacting factors.

Ability to delegate, organise and prioritise to ensure the safe delivery of the service including the management of referrals admissions and discharges utilising locally agreed pathways. Making judgements in complex situations as required.

By actively participating or leading multi-disciplinary or multi-agency work streams, the post holder will identify, propose and develop clinical policies and/or service developments which have impact on other disciplines, services or agencies.

Demonstrates resilience when responding to challenge, change and complex or difficult situations

Demonstrates clinical leadership, initiative and creativity in developing a broad range of projects or plans and inspiring others to be positive in their contribution to continuous improvement and innovation, including adjusting plans where necessary

Clearly articulates the expected clinical standards of the service, monitors and identifies where standards are not met and takes action to address these holding people to account where necessary in line with Trust policies.

Takes responsibility for their own and others health and safety in the working environment.

Ability to represent the service at relevant local or regional clinical forum

Provides direct line management for a defined team of staff, including performing appraisal, personal development reviews and the application of staff management procedures

To lead in the development of workforce strategy and plans by regularly undertaking skill mix reviews to ensure that the clinical resource is maximised to best effect.

Ensure adequate planning of the staffing model, rota and skill mix meeting service requirements, escalating any staffing issues to Operational Manager/Head of Service as required

Ensure that there are effective systems and processes in place for the management of sickness and absence and bank and agency utilisation in all areas of responsibility.

Ensure there is effective and appropriate utilisation of HR staff management policies and maintain and achieve approach to recruitment and retention in collaboration with operational manager.

The post holder will utilise data and data tools (including databases) to produce appropriate monitoring reports on both patient care and service outcomes and produce appropriate communication for patients.

Please see attached full Job Description.

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse/AHP
• First level degree or equivalent
• Clinical Masters Degree or working towards. (Msc Advanced Clinical Practice (ACP))
• Evidence of a post registration/qualification in advanced practice i.e. clinical diagnostics / assessment
• V300 Non-medical prescribing qualification

Relationships

Essential

• If you are related to a director or have a relationship with a director or employee of an appointing organisation, please state the relationship.

Job Specific Requirements

Essential

• The ability to travel independently across the Trust
• The ability to work flexibly in accordance with service needs

Experience

Essential

• Management/Clinical Leadership experience
• Experience of working with patients with acute presentations of minor illness/injuries
• Experience of successful multi agency working across Health and Social care
• Evidence of influencing, motivating, and negotiating with others to achieve change in relation to care
• Experience of initiating and implementing clinical care/protocols

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• Understanding of the principles of complex patient management
• Awareness of complex health management
• Awareness of current national and local agenda in health and social care
• Understanding of how other agencies work (i.e. housing, social services, the independent sector etc)
• Evidence of being able to communicate complex information and advice on healthcare to patients/carers and colleagues
• Ability to work under pressure and manage a diverse work load
• Proficient IT skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills; including negotiation, influencing and presentation
• Risk assessment and management skills
• Report writing skills; Ability to undertake risk reports e.g. 72-hour reviews and Root Cause Analysis reports
• Ability to understand and analyse complex data
• Self-management and motivation skills
• Confidence to challenge traditional practice and persistence to address difficult issues
• Networking knowledge and understanding of local services
• Knowledge of the NHS Long-Term Plan and how it impacts on care delivery.
• Able to demonstrate knowledge of the focus on a primary/community care led NHS.
• Awareness of factors which contribute to good health and the importance of promoting these in line with organisational public health policy

Desirable

• Palliative/end of life care skills
• Research skills

Employment Restrictions

Essential

• This is an internal only vacancy for staff employed at Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, please confirm that you are currently employed by one of these Trusts.

Sponsorship

Essential

• Do you have the right to stay and work in the UK without sponsorship (share-codes will be checked if applicable).

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).