Advanced Clinical Practitioner - Tonbridge Primary Care Network

Core responsibilities

Clinical practice

• The role will mainly involve working in our Same Day Access Hub seeing patients for urgent on the day issues.
• The role will involve working alongside PCN team of GP supervisor / Paramedic Practitioner in the PCN Same Day Access Hub seeing patients on the day with urgent issues.
• The post may include cross cover with the award-winning Frailty Visiting Team visiting patients who are housebound for urgent on the day issues.
• Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to deliver safe and high-quality care.
• Carry out clinical practice at an advanced level using expert clinical skills, critical judgements & knowledge to deliver appropriate and safe care.
• Assess, diagnose, plan, implement and evaluate treatment/interventions and care for patients presenting with acute, long term and complex health needs.
• Manage undifferentiated undiagnosed condition and identify red flags and underlying serious pathology and take appropriate action.
• Triage and treat patients, including same day triage, performing assessment of their needs and makes referrals as necessary to other members of the primary and secondary health care teams as appropriate.
• Interpret investigation findings to determine effective treatment plans & discuss with GPs where a second opinion is required.
• Proactively identify, diagnose and manage treatment plans for patients at risk of developing a long-term condition, using both non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatments.
• Co-ordinate the planning and delivery of care ensuring patients and carers or relatives are involved where required.
• Actively take a personalised care approach and population centre care approach to enable shared decision making.
• Prescribing and reviewing medication that is appropriate for patient needs and in accordance with latest evidence-based practice, national and practice protocols and within the scope of qualified practice.
• Diagnose and manage acute and chronic conditions, including drug and non-drug based treatment methods into a management plan.
• Request diagnostic investigations and interpret within agreed protocols e.g. x-ray, blood tests, scans, etc.
• Assess, diagnose and treat patients in practice premises or their own home who require medical attention and/or refer to appropriate agency.
• Refer patients to other members of the multi-disciplinary practice teams, secondary care organisations and other organisations as necessary.

Communication

• Uses and adapts communication style to meet individual patient needs to ensure patients are fully informed about treatment.
• Communicates effectively with patients and carers, recognising the need for alternative methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding, cultural background and preferred ways of communicating.
• Anticipates barriers to communication and take action to improve communication.
• Maintains effective communication with the primary care team and with external stakeholders.
• Ensures awareness of sources of support and guidance and provides information in an acceptable format to all patients, recognising any difficulties and referring where appropriate.

Safeguarding adults and children

• The postholder has a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of vulnerable adults and children.
• When adults or children and/or their carers use primary care services, it is essential that all adult and child protection concerns are both recognised and acted on appropriately.
• The postholder has a responsibility to ensure they are familiar with and follow local policies in relation to safeguarding vulnerable adults and that they follow the local child protection procedures and any supplementary guidance.
• The postholder has a responsibility to support appropriate investigations either internally or externally.
• To ensure the postholder is equipped to carry out their duties effectively, they must also attend vulnerable adult and child protection training and updates at the competency level appropriate to the work they do and in accordance with the local vulnerable adult and child protection training guidance.

Leadership and management personal and people development

• Takes responsibility for own learning and performance including participating in clinical supervision and acting as a positive role model.
• Supports staff development in order to maximise potential and support practice development.
• Critically evaluates and reviews innovations and developments that are relevant to clinical practice.
• Contributes to the development of local guidelines, protocols and standards.
• Maintains effective communication with those responsible for the overall commissioning and procurement process.
• Promotes the role of the Advanced Clinical Practitioner in general practice completing relevant training in order to provide multi-professional clinical practice and CPD supervision to other roles within primary care.

Team working

• Understands own role and scope and identify how this may develop over time.
• Works as an effective and responsible team member, supporting others and exploring the mechanisms to develop new ways of working.
• Creates and agrees clear referral mechanisms to meet patient need.
• Prioritises own workload and uses effective time-management strategies to complete work within agreed timescales.
• Discusses, highlights and works with the team to create opportunities to improve patient care.
• Manages and leads the delivery of specifically identified services or projects as agreed with the PCN Clinical Director and the PCN management team.

Education

• Undertakes mentorship for more junior staff, assessing competence against set standards.
• Use evidence-based strategies to improve and enhance the quality of patient care.
• Assesses own learning needs and undertakes learning as appropriate.
• Provides an educational role to patients, carers, families and colleagues in an environment that facilitates learning.

Research

• Critically engage in research activity and use evidence-based strategies to improve and enhance the quality of patient care.
• Participates in clinical governance activity and contributes to the improvement in quality of health outcomes through audit, risk management and the Quality and Outcomes Framework.
• Participates in investigation of incidents and events as required.
• Identifies, applies and disseminates research findings relating to own practice.
• Collects data for audit purposes and uses clinical audit to monitor quality in the service and implements change according to findings.
• Participates in clinical trials and equipment testing.
• Meets timescales/deadlines for audits and written returns to ensure that the Practice meets quality standards and receives the designated funding (e.g. Quarterly Enhanced Services returns, annual QOF audit).

Quality

• Under supervision and support of GPs in the practice, the post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practices.
• Participates in clinical governance activity and contribute to the improvement in quality of health outcomes through audit, risk management and the Quality and Outcomes Framework.
• Alerts other team members to concerns about risk, quality and safety.
• Participates in investigation of incidents and events as required.
• Contributes to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance.
• Works effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs.
• Effectively manages own time, workload and resources.

Delivery of care in line with NSF, NICE guidelines and evidence-based care.