Rapid Response Practitioner

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust; Gloucester; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free car parking

27 days leave + bank holidays

Flexible working opportunities

Job summary

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Rapid Response Practitioner (Band 6) to join the countywide service. The role requires extensive post-registration experience and an Advanced Patient Assessment qualification, with responsibilities in urgent community care, home-based treatment, and coordination with the Integrated Community Team.

You will support the 2-hour Urgent Community Response target, prescribe where appropriate, and contribute to service development while

Qualifications

• Extensive post-registration clinical experience in assessing acutely unwell adults.
• Experience delivering complex care planning and referral to other services.
• Advanced patient assessment skills and adaptable team-working abilities.

Responsibilities

• Deliver rapid response services countywide to achieve 2-hour urgent community response targets.
• Assess and manage acute medical needs, including initial examinations and treatments.
• Act as red lead within SPCA on a rotational basis to develop triage skills.
• Prescribe and review medications as appropriate within scope and PGD.
• Collaborate with Integrated Community Team for timely home-based care and follow-up.
• Engage in local, national networking to maintain expert knowledge.

Education

Professional Registration

Advanced Patient Assessment Qualification

Evidence of Post Graduate Study

Experience of Teaching and Supporting Colleagues

Experience of Providing Acute Patient Care

Job description

Main area Rapid Response Practitioner Grade Band 6 Contract Permanent Hours

• Full time
• Part time

Site Edward Jenner Court Town Countywide Salary £39,959 - £48,117 per annum (pro rata) Salary period Yearly Closing 22/11/2026 23:59

We love what we do and we think you will, too!

At Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC), we provide joined-up mental health, physical health and learning disability services to people of all ages across Gloucestershire. We run community hospitals and provide care and support in people’s own homes and in a range of other locations across the county .

We are on a mission to enable people to live the best life they can and we have a vision to work together to provide outstanding care . We put people at the heart of our services, focusing on personalised care by asking ‘what matters to you ’.

We’re passionate about making sure that everyone can contribute to achieving our mission and w e are continually working to support healthy and happy high-quality team s in all areas of the Trust .

Our application process aims to understand each candidates knowledge, skills and experience. We have found that candidates that use AI to generate their answers can lack specificity and fail to address key criteria outlined in the job description.

It is really important to personalise your application to convey your individual skills, knowledge, and experiences effectively and for us to understand why you are applying for this role with GHC. We discourage over reliance on AI-generated applications as it will lessen your chances of success in securing an interview with us .

Job overview

Rapid Response provides a Countywide service to manage and treat patients who present with an acute illness or exacerbation of a long term condition. Our aim is to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions and facilitate early discharge from the acute hospitals, we work closely with partners in the acute hospital, and with other urgent care providers and community services.

Our passion for delivering care services of the highest quality to our local communities is further developing and we are striving to deliver new models of service, inspiring innovation, and liberating talent.

Part time hours can be considered.

Main duties of the job

Applicants must have extensive post registration clinical experience and will be expected to be experienced in the assessment of the acutely unwell adult, monitoring and management of the deteriorating patient, along with experience of the delivery of complex care planning to include onward referral into other services when medically stable. Evidence of current experience caring for patients with acute medical needs is essential. The successful applicant will undertake roles within the community setting countywide as a Rapid Response Practitioner.

Applicants must hold an Advanced Patient Assessment Qualification, they must be an adaptable team player and possess excellent communication and IT skills with good problem solving skills to manage challenging situations. Community experience is desirable but not essential as a full and comprehensive induction programme will be provided. A valid UK driving licence plus the use of own transport for business purposes is essential.

The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification. Please refer to the Additional Information attachment before submitting your application.

Working for our organisation

We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people’s homes. We stride to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.

Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:

72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.

76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.

81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust’s priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.

This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To deliver the rapid response service across the County to achieve the 2-hour Urgent Community Response target

To work as a clinician within their professional scope of practice in responding to acute medical needs in a variety of community settings.

Undertake the role of red lead within SPCA on a rotational basis to support development of triage skills.

Provide comprehensive initial clinical examination, history taking and assessments of patients in order to determine and deliver initial clinical treatments such as intravenous infusions. Refer on to other appropriate members of the Integrated Community Team to provide on‑going support.

To utilise specialist care, skills and knowledge in the delivery of the service in order that clients be cared for appropriately and safely in their own homes.

To make risk assessments of patients’ abilities to stay at home safely, and liaising with appropriate care providers

To provide care and attention to the needs of vulnerable adults including risk assessments and taking appropriate action and referral as required.

To make risk assessments of patients’ abilities to stay at home safely, and liaising with appropriate care providers.

Where appropriate, as an independent prescriber, prescribe and review medication for therapeutic effectiveness or issue medication under a PGD appropriate to patient needs and in accordance with evidence‑based practice and national and practice protocols and within the scope of practice and legislative framework.

Be a visible and accessible presence throughout the organisation to strengthen relationships whilst acting as a role model to other care professionals to support them in managing complex interventions using a variety of approaches to decision making.

Work closely with other members of the Integrated Community Team to utilise and develop their skills to ensure the rapid response service is accessible and responsive to the needs of patients. Undertake joint reviews and assessments as necessary to support timely and effective care at home.

For all staff to respond to a fall even if its level 1 non‑injurious fall if appropriate due to their location and as directed by the red lead or another senior colleague

Participate in the promotion of the rapid response service through dissemination of specialist knowledge both locally and nationally.

Actively participate in local, national, and international networking to maintain and develop expert level of knowledge in the speciality.

Provide emotional support to patients and their carers by offering appropriate health education, information and advice

Support the investigation and or analysis of complaints or incidents relating to the rapid response service. Help to Identify areas which require re‑design or further development

Attend relevant meetings

Assess, diagnose and treat patients with urgent care presentations.

Offer support and specialist advice to lower band clinicians within Rapid Response and other Community Teams as appropriate.

Liaise with SPCA and Social Care where the requirement for a package of care is identified.

Evaluation of care given, discharging patients and arranging scheduled follow up as appropriate.

To support compliance with UK immigration requirements, all applicants who require a visa to work in the UK must disclose their visa history in full. This includes current and previous sponsors, dates of sponsorship, visa category and any changes of employment. If you are on a Graduate or Dependent visa, please disclose the expiry date on your application. Incomplete information may mean we are unable to consider your application.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Professional Registration
• Advanced Patient Assessment Qualification
• Evidence of Post Graduate Study
• Experience of Teaching and Supporting Colleagues
• Experience of Providing Acute Patient Care

Professional / Managerial

• Acute assessment skills
• Experience of managing patients with complex needs
• Community experience

When joining us, as well as becoming part of a team that makes a difference, we also offer:

• Free car parking at many of our sites
• 27 days leave plus bank holidays, increasing up to 33 days with long service
• A broad range of training and development opportunities, including apprenticeships up to Level 7 qualification.
• A multi‑professional preceptorship programme for all Newly Qualified; Nurses, Nursing Associates, Internationally Educated Practitioners, Allied Health Professionals and Return to Practice Practitioners.
• Generous NHS pension and enhanced pay when if you work unsocial hours
• Flexible, family friendly and agile working opportunities
• Recognition and long service awards
• Fast Track physiotherapy
• Access to discounts and salary sacrifice schemes; including Cycle to Work, Car scheme and discounts on travel, leisure and retailers.

If you are aged 16-30, you may be eligible for financial and pastoral support from the King’s Trust, with who we are in partnership with to support your first 6 months in role. We will pass on your details to the King’s Trust who will be in touch with you if you are eligible. If you would rather not be contacted, please let us know.

For more information please see the attached 'Additional Information for Applicants' document.

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.