Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP)

NHS Jobs; Nottingham; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

The Advanced Clinical Practitioner role within NHS urgent care services involves autonomous telephone and face-to-face patient assessments, with a mix of remote and on-site work. You will diagnose, treat, discharge or refer undifferentiated urgent care cases, ensuring safe decisions, governance compliance and patient-centred care across NEMS services.

You will lead on clinical practice, supervision and continuous service improvement, while maintaining professional standards, information

Responsibilities

• Autonomous telephone and face-to-face assessment of patients with urgent care needs
• Safe clinical decision-making, including treatment, discharge, referral, transfer and safety-netting
• Recognition and escalation of serious illness, clinical risk and safeguarding concerns
• Clinical leadership, supervision and support for the wider team
• Participation in governance, audit, learning and service improvement activity

Job description

The Advanced Clinical Practitioner will provide autonomous clinical care across NEMS urgent care services. The role is designed to provide a true mix of telephone and face-to-face consultations, supporting patients across Integrated Urgent Care Services, urgent treatment centres and other agreed service models. The post holder will be an experienced registered clinician, able to assess, diagnose, treat, refer and discharge patients with undifferentiated urgent care presentations. They will work within their professional registration, agreed scope of practice, NEMS policies and local clinical pathways. Telephone consultations will usually be undertaken within Integrated Urgent Care Services. Following induction, and where agreed by the service, some telephone consultation work may be undertaken remotely from home, provided that the post holder is meeting agreed KPIs, quality standards, governance requirements and information governance expectations. Face-to-face work will include assessment and management of patients presenting to NEMS urgent treatment services. The post holder will be expected to recognise serious illness, clinical deterioration, safeguarding concerns, mental health risk and presentations requiring escalation or transfer to another service. The post holder will work flexibly across NEMS sites and services in line with service need. They will also support clinical supervision, learning, audit, incident review and service improvement, ensuring that care remains safe, effective, patient centred and financially sustainable. The post holder will have responsibility for the following areas:

• Autonomous telephone and face-to-face assessment of patients with urgent care needs
• Safe clinical decision-making, including treatment, discharge, referral, transfer and safety-netting
• Recognition and escalation of serious illness, clinical risk and safeguarding concerns
• Clinical leadership, supervision and support for the wider team
• Participation in governance, audit, learning and service improvement activity

Clinical Practice and Service Delivery

Work as an autonomous Advanced Clinical Practitioner across NEMS urgent care services, providing both telephone and face-to-face consultations. Assess, examine, diagnose, treat and safely discharge or refer patients with undifferentiated urgent care presentations. Make safe decisions around admission, transfer, referral, follow-up and safety-netting, working within professional competence and agreed local pathways. Recognise and act on serious illness, clinical deterioration, safeguarding concerns, mental health risk and presentations that require escalation to another service. Request and interpret appropriate investigations, including blood tests, urine tests, ECGs and imaging, in line with local policy, competence and relevant regulations. Prescribe, review and advise on medicines where qualified to do so, or use agreed local medicines mechanisms within scope. Maintain clear, accurate and timely clinical records, including assessment findings, clinical reasoning, advice given, decisions made and onward plans.

Telephone Consultations

Undertake telephone consultations within Integrated Urgent Care Services, using safe clinical assessment, decision-making and documentation. Recognise the limitations of remote assessment and arrange face-to-face review, ED attendance, ambulance response or other escalation where clinically required. Provide clear advice and safety-netting to patients and carers, ensuring that the plan is understood and documented. Undertake remote work from home where agreed after induction, provided that performance, KPIs, quality standards and information governance requirements are being met.

Face-to-Face Urgent Care

Undertake face-to-face consultations across NEMS urgent care services, including assessment of minor illness, minor injury and other appropriate urgent care presentations. Carry out clinical procedures where trained, competent and required for patient care. Provide safe clinical handover to ED, specialties, GPs, community services or other colleagues where ongoing care is required. Support patient flow, streaming and redirection decisions where this forms part of the service model.

Clinical Leadership and Team Working

Act as a senior clinical presence on shift, supporting colleagues and contributing to the safe running of the service. Provide advice, supervision and support to trainee ACPs, UCPs, nurses, AHPs, UCAs and non-registered staff. Support induction, training, clinical supervision and competency development across the wider team. Escalate clinical or operational concerns early, particularly where patient safety, staffing, flow or professional practice may be affected. Address unsafe practice or poor behaviour in a professional and proportionate way, escalating concerns where required.

Governance, Quality and Service Improvement

Contribute to a culture where incidents, complaints, audit, feedback and day-to-day operational learning are used to improve care. Take part in incident reviews, significant event analysis, complaint responses and shared learning activity where required. Support audit, quality improvement and service evaluation work across NEMS urgent care services. Contribute to the development and review of clinical guidelines, SOPs, pathways and local standards, ensuring they are practical, evidence-based and relevant to the way services are delivered. Use available data, feedback and clinical experience to support improvements in patient flow, clinical quality, productivity and patient experience.

Education and Professional Development

Maintain professional registration, mandatory training, clinical supervision, CPD and revalidation requirements. Maintain an up-to-date portfolio showing competence, scope of practice, reflective learning and prescribing practice where applicable. Share learning with colleagues through teaching, case discussion, supervision, peer review and practical shift-based support. Support students, trainees and developing practitioners in a safe and constructive way, recognising their competence and learning needs.

Professional Responsibilities

Work within relevant NMC, HCPC or equivalent code of conduct NEMS policies and agreed scope of practice. Communicate clearly with patients, carers and colleagues, particularly where information is complex, sensitive or distressing. Involve patients in decisions about their care and ensure that consent, capacity and best-interest issues are considered and documented appropriately. Maintain confidentiality and information governance standards at all times. Work flexibly across NEMS sites and services where reasonably required, in line with service need, competence and contractual arrangements. Undertake any other reasonable duties requested by a manager, where these are appropriate to the role, grade and competence of the post holder. Act in a manner that reflects and promotes the values of NEMS.