Advanced Clinical Practitioner - Ageing Well Team in Lyme Regis

We are looking for an experienced Advanced Clinical Practitioner to join our Ageing Well Team. We would also welcome applications from suitably experienced Enhanced Clinical Practitioners and Paramedics who have the relevant skills, experience and qualifications for the role. This is an exciting opportunity to work in a developing PCN service supporting older people, including frail, housebound and care home patients across Jurassic Coast Primary Care Network.

On a day-to-day basis, the role will involve acute housebound visits and care home ward rounds, providing timely clinical assessment, management plans, prescribing where appropriate, escalation and coordinated care with the wider multidisciplinary team. We are looking for someone with a strong acute clinical background who is confident working autonomously in a fast-paced, time-sensitive environment. The successful candidate will be flexible, proactive and able to prioritise a varied caseload, while maintaining safe, high-quality and person-centred care. This role would suit a motivated clinician who enjoys working as part of a supportive multidisciplinary team and is passionate about improving care for older people, supporting admission avoidance, continuity of care and responsive community-based clinical support.

Main duties of the job

The postholder will provide autonomous clinical assessment and management for older people, including frail, housebound and care home patients across the PCN. Main duties will include:

• Undertaking acute housebound visits
• Completing care home ward rounds
• Assessing and triaging patients
• Formulating differential diagnoses and management plans
• Prescribing where appropriate
• Escalating concerns where further input or admission may be required

The role will involve managing a varied and time-sensitive caseload, recognising deterioration, supporting admission avoidance and working closely with GP practices, care homes, community teams, acute services, social care and other members of the multidisciplinary team. The postholder will also contribute to clinical leadership, patient safety, clinical governance, service development, audit, quality improvement and shared learning within the Ageing Well Team and wider PCN.

About us

Jurassic Coast Primary Care Network (PCN) is a group of GP practices based in rural West Dorset, working together to provide high-quality, personalised healthcare to the local community. The PCN includes a mix of healthcare professionals like social prescribers, clinical pharmacists, digital care coordinators, and admin staff. These teams work across several hubs in the area to make sure everyone can access the care they need. The PCN prides itself on being supportive and inclusive, with a real focus on staff well-being as a key part of delivering great patient care.

Job responsibilities

The Advanced Clinical Practitioner will work as part of the Ageing Well Team providing highly specialist person centred care for older people including frail housebound and care home patients across Jurassic Coast Primary Care Network. On a day to day basis the postholder will undertake:

• Acute housebound visits and care home ward rounds
• Comprehensive clinical assessments
• Formulating differential diagnoses and management plans
• Prescribing where appropriate
• Coordinating care with the wider multidisciplinary team

The postholder will work autonomously using advanced clinical knowledge, diagnostic reasoning, critical analysis and decision making skills to support safe and timely patient care. The role requires an experienced highly motivated practitioner with a strong acute clinical background who is confident working in a fast paced and time sensitive environment.

Key responsibilities

Clinical responsibilities

• Carry out acute home visits for housebound patients including frail patients over the age of sixty five
• Respond to urgent and time sensitive clinical needs
• Assess and triage patients as part of the PCN visiting service
• Undertake comprehensive specialist and holistic assessment of patients and carers
• Demonstrate advanced knowledge of disease progression treatment options and clinical deterioration
• Communicate effectively with acute hospitals, primary care, social care, community teams, care homes and third sector agencies
• Maintain accurate confidential and timely patient records reflective of advanced clinical practice

Leadership and service development

• Provide clinical leadership within the visiting and care home service
• Contribute to clinical governance, patient safety, incident reviews, complaints investigations and shared learning
• Support supervision, mentorship, coaching and learning opportunities for colleagues and students
• Contribute to audit, service evaluation and quality improvement

Professional responsibilities

• Collect, collate and present relevant clinical and service information
• Ensure timely and accurate clinical documentation
• Challenge poor practice and take appropriate action
• Create effective teamwork across professional boundaries
• Respect and apply equality, diversity, dignity, privacy and confidentiality requirements

The role will involve working across GP practices, residential and nursing homes and patients' own homes. This job description provides an outline of the key duties and responsibilities of the role. There may be other duties required of the postholder commensurate with the position and the description may be reviewed in line with the development of the PCN and member practices.

Person Specification

Experience

• Experience of advanced autonomous clinical practice in the management of patients or service users
• Experience of assessing and managing complex frail older housebound or care home patients
• Experience of working in a multidisciplinary team and coordinating care with other professionals and agencies
• Experience of managing clinical risk prioritising competing demands and making safe timely decisions under pressure
• Experience of using evidence guidance and clinical judgement to support safe and effective patient care
• Experience in frailty older peoples care
• Experience of contributing to service development quality improvement audit or service evaluation
• Experience of supporting supervision mentorship or development of colleagues or students

Clinical Skills and Knowledge

• Advanced clinical assessment, history taking, examination and diagnostic reasoning skills
• Ability to formulate management plans and prescribe safely within scope of practice
• Understanding of relevant national and local guidance and its application to clinical practice
• Competent in undertaking clinical examinations and relevant investigations within scope of practice

Qualifications

• Registered Health Practitioner
• Registered non-medical prescriber

Personal Qualities and Attributes

• Able to work independently and autonomously
• Able to remain calm, organised and effective in a fast paced time sensitive clinical environment
• Highly motivated, proactive and flexible in response to changing service needs
• Demonstrates resilience, sound judgement and a solution focused approach
• Effective communicator able to communicate complex and sensitive information clearly

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

£20 to £30 an hour. Pay is dependent on qualification and experience.