Qualified Advanced Clinical Practitioner for Older People and Frailty

NHS; London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare institution in London is seeking an Advanced Clinical Practitioner to lead in the Care of Older People team. The successful candidate will coordinate care for frail patients, ensuring high standards in clinical practice. Candidates should have relevant qualifications and significant experience in elderly medicine, alongside strong leadership and communication skills. This role aims to improve outcomes for older patients, promoting timely discharge and effective community management.

Qualifications

• Significant prior band 7 experience or above.
• Ability to work independently and manage workload.
• Knowledge of NICE guidance and clinical audit.

Responsibilities

• Review patients screened as frail in the Emergency Department and other areas.
• Lead comprehensive geriatric assessment of patients.
• Ensure communication and continuity of care for older people.

Skills

Experience in care of older people

Excellent communication

Teaching and supervision skills

Problem solving

Team working

Education

Primary professional registration as a nurse, AHP or pharmacist

Relevant post-registration qualification; MSc Advanced Clinical Practice

Educated to degree level

Job description

Overview

We have an exceptional opportunity for an innovative and inspirational leader to join our Acute Frailty Team as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) for older people. The ACP will take a senior role within the Care of Older People (COOP) team and will be responsible for co-ordinating the flow of frail older people through Whittington hospital. They will provide clinical leadership and be responsible for ensuring the provision of a high standard of holistic, patient centred care for frail older people, and provide expert advice and support to professionals in elderly medicine around frailty syndromes including falls, dementia and delirium, contributing towards service improvement in these areas. The successful candidate will lead on comprehensive geriatric assessment of patients referred to the Frailty Team under the supervision of a consultant geriatrician and will autonomously work as part of a multidisciplinary team providing patient-centred clinical care, encompassing assessment, examination, diagnosis and treatment of patients. The post aims to improve patient outcomes by improving timeliness and consistency of care for older patients with frailty seeking emergency care, promoting same day discharge and community management of older patients with frailty.

Main duties / Responsibilities

The post holder will:

• Review patients screened as frail in the Emergency Department, Ambulatory care and the Acute Admissions wards, according to Frailty Pathway criteria.
• In conjunction with the Consultant Geriatrician/Frailty MDT provide expert assessment of frail elderly patients on admission to determine the most appropriate pathway of care and direct patients accordingly.
• Act as a link between the Emergency Department (ED), Acute Admissions Unit (AAU) and the Elderly Medicine Wards to ensure excellent communication and continuity of care for older people.
• Assess the needs of older people with frailty admitted to The Whittington Hospital, coordinate referrals and signpost to specialist services ensuring comprehensive geriatric assessment.
• Ensure the needs of carers/families are highlighted and that they are encouraged to be involved to the level they wish to be.
• Support the Dementia Practitioner Specialist in implementing the Dementia Trust Strategy and support wards managers to develop dementia-friendly environments.
• Support the falls prevention strategy and work with discharge teams and other specialist teams to develop integrated pathways for safe and timely transitions of care, admission avoidance and improved outcomes for older people.
• Collaborate with the discharge team and other services to promote integrated pathways and timely discharge planning.

Education, Leadership and Service Improvement

• Identify educational needs in relation to care of older people and develop a training strategy to increase understanding among staff of the needs of older people.
• Lead on current best practice in falls prevention, dementia and delirium detection, treatment and care, and support the Trust’s Enhanced Care training model.
• Lead education initiatives to ensure staff development, critical appraisal of evidence and dissemination of knowledge.
• Promote research-based practice and provide patient and carer information to enhance understanding of care.
• Undertake line management responsibilities as part of Frailty ACP role and contribute to development of care guidelines.
• Represent the Trust on relevant committees and drive improvements in patient safety and elder care.

Clinical Responsibilities

• Review and assess frail patients in ED, Ambulatory Care and AAU, in collaboration with the Consultant Geriatrician/Frailty MDT, to determine the most appropriate care pathway.
• Maintain effective communication within the multidisciplinary team to ensure safe and timely discharge or admission decisions.
• Act as patient and carer advocate; involve patients and families in care planning and resolve concerns.
• Provide clear, understandable information about conditions and management; obtain valid informed consent for interventions and treatments.
• Deliver education and advice to patients, carers and health professionals to support long-term condition management.
• Manage workload, coordinate team and family meetings, and act as a resource for staff across Whittington Health on elder care.
• Lead the multidisciplinary team and drive changes in clinical practice to improve care standards and patient outcomes.
• Work within local and national protocols and contribute to quality improvement initiatives.
• Identify clinical issues and implement strategies to maintain safe and effective care.

Education and Development

• Identify education needs and develop material to support care of older people, including preparation of learning materials and delivery of education programs.
• Encourage research-based practice and continue professional development through relevant study and appraisal.

Research and Audit

• Ensure audit programmes align with service objectives and participate in ongoing audit to evaluate service effectiveness and disseminate findings.

Qualifications and Personal Qualities

Education & qualifications

• Essential: Primary professional registration as a nurse, Allied Health Professional (AHP) or pharmacist
• Essential: Relevant post-registration qualification; MSc Advanced Clinical Practice; Independent Prescribing qualification
• Essential: Educated to degree level
• Desirable: Teaching qualification; Management/Leadership qualification

Skills & abilities

• Essential: Experience in care of older people; ability to work independently; excellent communication; teaching and supervision skills; computer literate; problem solving; health promotion; team working; willingness to develop new ways of working
• Desirable: Expert practitioner in Elderly Medicine

Knowledge & experience

• Essential: Significant prior band 7 experience or above; clinical audit and presentation skills; awareness of national agenda; leadership; involvement in quality improvement; knowledge of NICE guidance
• Desirable: Understanding of polypharmacy in relation to Elderly Medicine; current evidence-based practice; line management/leadership experience

Personal qualities

• Essential: Flexible, articulate, personable, reliable; ability to lead and motivate; positive approach to change; ability to prioritise and coordinate workload

Compliance and Sponsorship

Disclosure and Barring Service Check: This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and requires a Disclosure to the DBS to check for prior convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship: Applications from job seekers who require Skilled Worker sponsorship will be considered. For details see the UK Visas and Immigration guidance (text only).

UK Registration: Applicants must have current UK professional registration. See NHS Careers for information.

Employer details

Whittington Hospital NHS Trust, Whittington Health, Magdala Avenue, London, N19 5NF

Employer's website: whittington.nhs.uk