Job summary
Same Day Emergency Care/Acute Medicine. Advanced Clinical Practitioner Band 8a
Exciting opportunities are being developed to work within the developing Same Day Emergency Care Unit (SDEC) at Dorset County Hospital. Due to expansion of of ACP workforce, we would like to invite Advanced Clinical Practitioners who are keen to support the medical team with emergency work to avoid admission to hospital for patients.
In addition, we are looking for enthusiastic ACPs who are organised and can use their own initiative whilst being flexible to frequently changing situations, to work with and support the Registered Nurses/Paramedics and Healthcare Assistants in SDEC where you will be supporting the Acute Physicians in admission avoidance of emergency attendances.
This is a permanent position and would require communication with a range of health professionals in relation to patient admission and discharge.
There will be an expectation of the applicants to possess excellent communication skills to support the working of the team with internal and external agencies and, fellow professionals to support safe, effective patient discharges from hospital and assistance with patient flow by avoiding hospital admission.
The service is operates 7 days a week.
Main duties of the job
The ACP has a key working relationship with all members of nursing, midwifery, AHP, medical staff and members of the multidisciplinary team involved in the care of patients.
The ACP is an experienced senior Nurse/Midwife/AHP who has successfully completed formal education at master's level on a recognised ACP programme.
The ACP bridges the professional and clinical boundaries between nursing/midwifery/AHP and medical care often enabling them to take on the role and responsibilities formerly undertaken by medical practitioners. The ACP practices both autonomously and in partnership with the multidisciplinary team under the clinical supervision provided by a Consultant and/or Team Leader.
The post holder will use collaborative and independent judgement to assess, investigate, diagnose, plan, implement, manage and evaluate clinical nursing/midwifery/AHP and medical care and management of patients. The ACP will take a lead in the on-going assessment, investigations, procedures, treatment and management of patients in their speciality area.
About us
Benefits of working in Dorset include the idyllic countryside, with our areas of outstanding beauty and stunning Jurassic coastline. You will be close to our beautiful beaches and able to enjoy all outdoor activities which are enjoyed in this beautiful County.
We are currently developing an expansion of our Emergency Department as part of the Government's New Hospital Programme and in 2025/26. We are also planning to introduce a digital technology service.
DELIVERING COMPASSIONATE AND SAFE HEALTHCARE.
In 2015 we reviewed our People Strategy and set out a three-year strategic plan to continue to make DCH a great place to work. The first step in our People Strategy was to agree our Trust values. Underpinning each of our values is a set of behaviours that we all sign up to - The DCH Way, that's what we all expect to see in each other and the way that we pledge to behave as we go about our work within the Trust. As work continues, we will see our values becoming part of everything that we do, including recruitment, appraisal, Trust induction and leadership.
If you are currently in the NMC UK registration process, and have completed your ILETS and CBT please contact our recruitment team (recruitment.dchft.nhs.uk) rather than completing an application.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Deliver and participate in the clinical care of patients attending the Trust.
- Prioritises health needs and intervenes appropriately.
- To be professionally and legally accountable for all work undertaken. To practice at an advanced level of professional autonomy and accountability that is within the Trusts policies and that of their professional regulatory body.
- Provide a level of advanced and comprehensive clinical skills, assessment based on a specialist body of knowledge and advanced clinical reasoning skills evidenced at academic level 7.
- To appropriately assess, examine, investigate, diagnose and treat patients, resulting in the safe and appropriate management of patients with undifferentiated, differentiated and complex presentations.
- Ensure patients are informed and consent is gained prior to treatment, investigation and management, as appropriate.
- Take responsibility for the management of patients within own caseload and supervision/development of junior members of the multi-professional team.
- Is able to identify the need for appropriate diagnostic tests and interpret the results.
- To identify and intervene proactively where circumstances contribute to an unsafe environment for patients, staff or relatives and escalate these to the Departmental Risk Lead and/or Consultant Leads for Clinical Governance
- To share knowledge and expertise, acting as an expert resource to others across primary and secondary care, as appropriate.
- Contribute to the development and improvement of systems and processes that facilitate patient flow.
- To improve the quality of the patient experience by identifying and meeting the individual clinical needs of patients, including issues pertaining to child protection and vulnerable adults.
- For those who complete the independent prescribing qualification during their pathway (relevant to role and discipline) the post holder is able to prescribe / de-prescribe medicines for patients as per the legal requirements for their professional regulatory body, National Prescribing Centre and national guidelines and in accordance with the Trusts non-medical prescribing policy and Trust formulary.
- Ability to adapt specialist clinical knowledge and skills to different clinical settings and influence service delivery and patient care.
- To provide specialist advice on patient care to the healthcare team, taking into account all aspects of clinical governance and act as a specialist resource within the Trust.
- Initiates prescribed treatment and medication (where appropriate)
- Screening of patients for the early signs of disease and risk factors
- Responsible for rapidly and continuously evaluating the patients condition and response to therapeutic interventions and treatment modalities, and modifies the plan of care for optimal patient centred outcomes
- Responsible for both initiating and then terminating an episode of care by either referring on to another agency or by autonomously discharging the patient
- Provides highly specialised clinical advice regarding care.
- Contribute to the review and development of clinical patient pathways to ensure a standardised approach to care.
- Actively implement effective systems and processes for infection prevention and control management and relevant audit within their clinical area.
- Demonstrate dexterity and expertise in physical skills e.g. cannulation, suturing, endoscopy
- Educates patients, relatives and staff as necessary.
- Ensures patients views are taken into account in the decision-making process.
- Participates in meeting and promoting the health education needs of patients and carers.
- Promotes health through co-ordinated activities and programmes with patients, colleagues and carers where appropriate.
- To maintain up to date patient records in accordance with Trust policy, including the use of the Electronic Patient Records system
Person Specification
Education, qualifications & Training
Essential
- Registered Nurse/AHP
- Masters Level Degree Qualification or Equivalent Experience
- Evidence of CPD and advanced skills in various areas
- Evidence of investigation training
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Experienced registrant working at a senior level
- Track record of successful clinical practice and clinical supervision of nursing practice
- Experience of implementing service change/reconfiguration and modernising services
- Knowledge of the performance management agenda and Quality improvement tools and techniques
- Comprehensive understanding of local and national policy
- Broad clinical experience
- Developing policies and strategies
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Can demonstrate effective communication style
- Can demonstrate highly developed verbal and non-verbal communication skills
- Can demonstrate a high level of organisational skills and ability
- Can demonstrate project management skills
- Advanced presentation skills
- Actively listens and engages
- Exercise judgement involving highly complex facts or situations, which require analysis, interpretation and comparison of a range of options
- Ability to work in a complex environment
- Display strong collaborative leadership qualities
- Results driven/outcome focused
- System and process orientated
- Adopts a lateral thinking approach to problem solving
- Open and honest
- Reliable and trustworthy
- Emotional intelligence
- Demonstrates personal resilience
- Recognise limitations
- Enthusiastic and self motivated
- Strong influencing, persuasion and negotiating skills
- Strong Team Player
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.
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 .
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 .
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website .
Employer details
Employer name
Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Dorset County Hospital
Williams Avenue
Dorchester
DT12JY