Band 7- Clinical Practitioner, Home Dementia Support Service

West Herts Hospitals; Watford; Hybrid; GBP 52,000 - 59,000; Full time

Job summary

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is seeking a Band 7 Clinical Practitioner to support dementia care in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society. The role focuses on residents with severe dementia, delivering clinical assessments, care planning and education to care home staff.

You will work across residential and nursing homes, liaising with families and wider health and care services to improve quality of life and reduce avoidable hospital admissions.

Qualifications

• We are looking for candidates with strong clinical assessment skills and the ability to provide person-centred dementia care.
• Excellent communication and collaboration with care home teams, families and multidisciplinary colleagues.
• Experience coaching staff and delivering education to improve dementia care practices.
• Registered healthcare professional with ongoing CPD and leadership development.

Responsibilities

• Deliver specialist clinical care and develop personalised care plans for residents with dementia.
• Empower care home teams through practical education, coaching and case-based learning.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary support with GPs, community services and social care.
• Support residents and families, ensuring dignity, autonomy and timely care decisions.

Skills

Clinical assessment

Communication skills

Team coaching

Person-centred care

Education

Degree in healthcare

Statutory registration

CPD evidence

NHS Leadership course

Postgraduate dementia qualification

Job description

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Band 7- Clinical Practitioner, Home Dementia Support Service

Band 7

Main area Medicine Home Dementia Support Service Grade Band 7 Contract 2 years (Fixed term/secondment duration - two years from start date) Hours

• Full time
• Flexible working

37.5 hours per week Job ref 360-A-11919

Department name West Herts - General Staffing Site Cross Site Town watford Salary £51,657 - £58,785 pa inc HCA Salary period Yearly Closing 03/11/2026 23:59

Job overview

Are you passionate about making a difference to people living with dementia? Join an exciting partnership between West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and the Alzheimer’s Society, helping to improve dementia care across South and West Hertfordshire.

As a Clinical Practitioner, you will provide specialist, person-centred clinical support to residents living with dementia, initially focusing on those with severe dementia. Working alongside care home teams, residents, families and wider health and care professionals, and help maintain their independence and receive the right care in familiar surroundings wherever possible.

You will play a key role in strengthening care home staff confidence and capability through clinical assessment, specialist advice, practical education and coaching. By promoting early intervention, recognising deterioration and supporting personalised care planning, you will help improve residents’ quality of life, support families and reduce avoidable hospital admissions while ensuring people receive timely escalation when needed.

We are looking for a compassionate, proactive and clinically confident practitioner who can build trusted relationships, work autonomously and bring people together to deliver excellent dementia care. You will be someone who champions dignity, understands the importance of seeing the person beyond their diagnosis and is motivated to share knowledge, develop others and drive improvements in care.

Main duties of the job

As a Clinical Practitioner within the Care Home Dementia Support Service, you will provide specialist clinical support to residents living with dementia across participating residential and nursing homes, initially focusing on people living with severe dementia. Working in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society, West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and wider health and care services, you will help deliver compassionate, personalised care that improves quality of life and enables residents to remain well in familiar surroundings wherever possible.

Your key responsibilities will include:

Deliver specialist clinical care: Undertake holistic clinical assessments, develop personalised care plans and provide specialist advice to support residents’ wellbeing, dignity, independence and quality of life.

Empower care home teams: Provide practical education, coaching, case-based learning and ongoing clinical guidance to strengthen staff knowledge, confidence and capability in dementia care.

Coordinate multidisciplinary support: Work collaboratively with residents, families, care home staff, GPs, community and mental health services, social care and voluntary organisations to ensure coordinated, timely and appropriate care.

Support residents and families: Help people understand dementia, navigate health and care services and participate meaningfully in decisions about their care, ensuring their individual needs, wishes and preferences remain central.

Working for our organisation

With a new hospital planned for Watford, work underway to update theatres at St Albans City Hospital and plans for a neighbourhood healthcare centre in Hemel Hempstead, this is an exciting time to join us.

We are building on the success of our award‑winning virtual hospital and re‑imagining models of care, working closely with partners and making the most of advances in digital healthcare.

Staff wellbeing and development are a priority, as is the role of innovation in improving clinical care, outcomes and patient experience.

Our vision is Excellent patient care, together and our values are to be empowered, compassionate, professional and inclusive. They capture an important balance across what we must all do as individuals and to support others.

If you are a Service Leaver, Veteran, Military Reserve, Cadet Force Adult Volunteer, or partner/spouse of those serving please tick "Member of the Armed Forces Community" on the application form.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

What we are looking for:

We are seeking a compassionate, motivated and clinically confident practitioner with experience of supporting people living with dementia and a strong commitment to person‑centred care. You will be able to assess complex needs, recognise deterioration, make sound clinical decisions and work autonomously while understanding when to seek advice or elevate concerns.

You will have excellent communication and relationship‑building skills, with the ability to engage sensitively with residents and families, influence practice and support care home colleagues through education and coaching. You will thrive in a multidisciplinary environment, bringing people together across organisational boundaries and demonstrating initiative, flexibility and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Above all, you will be a strong advocate for people living with dementia, recognising the person behind the diagnosis and championing care that protects dignity, promotes independence and makes a meaningful difference to residents and those who matter to them.

If you want to use your clinical expertise to make a meaningful difference, empower care home teams and help shape an innovative service that puts residents and their families at the heart of everything it does, we would love to hear from you.

The post holder will work 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday, with working arrangements agreed in line with service requirements.

Person specification

Education and qualifications

• Degree level qualification in healthcare profession equivalent experience.
• Registered with a current statutory regulatory body.
• Evidence of continuing professional development relevant to assessment, dementia care and clinical practice.
• NHS Leadership course/ or equivalent Masters or evidence of working towards one
• Post graduate qualification in dementia, older people’s care or clinical assessment, teaching qualification

Knowledge

• Experience educating coaching and supporting staff.
• Ability to assess learning needs and facilitate reflective practice
• Knowledge and experience of Dementia and delirium care and management
• Knowledge and experience of local and national Dementia priorities
• Specialist knowledge of dementia, delirium, frailty, deterioration and person‑centered responses to distress
• Understanding of consent, mental capacity, best‑interest decision‑making, applicable deprivation of liberty safeguards, adult safeguarding and confidentiality
• Knowledge of care planning, clinical risk assessment and acute, community, primary care and mental health interfaces
• Understanding of staff learning needs, coaching, competency assessment and clinical governance.
• Experience of developing champions or delivering training/education to staff.
• Knowledge and understanding of clinical audits/effective research.
• Knowledge/ experience of quality improvement methodologies Experience working in different care settings, including mental health
• Experience of safeguarding adults
• Knowledge of local dementia priorities and referral pathways; audit, research and quality improvement methods.

Experience

• Substantial relevant experience supporting people with dementia and complex health needs,
• Experience recognising deterioration and coordinating clinical escalation
• Experience of working within multiagency policy, protocols and guidelines
• Demonstration of ability to manage complex situations
• Experience of working in different care settings; care home outreach, community services, frailty and older people’s mental health

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust provides acute healthcare services to a core catchment population of approximately half a million people living in west Hertfordshire and the surrounding area. The Trust also provides a range of more specialist services to a wider population, serving residents of North London, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and East Hertfordshire.

As an employer of nearly 6,000 people the Trust is one of the biggest employers in the area and sees nearly a million patients each year.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.