Advanced Clinical Practitioner in London

Main area: Acute Oncology

Grade: NHS AfC: Band 8a

Contract: Fixed term: 12 months (12 months from June)

Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Weekends and cross site working included)

Salary: £66,274 - £73,496 per annum, including high cost allowance

Closing date: 14/07/

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£2.1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 14,000 staff based across 5 main sites in South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local hospital services across its different sites, and specialist services from King’s College Hospital (KCH) sites at Denmark Hill in Camberwell and at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) site in the London Borough of Bromley.

We encourage all our staff to have a healthy work/life balance. In doing so, you can apply for flexible working from the beginning of your employment. We offer a range of options which are designed to suit different circumstances and priorities in line with service requirements.

The post holder will practice autonomously as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) within the Acute Oncology Service (AOS), providing expert, patient-centred care. They will utilise advanced clinical assessment, history taking, and clinical reasoning to diagnose and formulate personalised management plans. As a Non-Medical Prescriber, they will initiate pharmacological interventions to ensure timely treatment within an agreed scope of practice.

A key focus will be ensuring patients with Malignancy of Unknown Origin (MUO) receive rapid oncology input, MDT discussion, and streamlined symptom management. The practitioner will monitor service impact via key metrics (e.g., length of stay) and collaborate with the Lead Clinician to meet Quality Standards and SELCA guidance. This role integrates expert practice, leadership, education, and research.

Trainee ACP (Band 7) applications will be considered for candidates who have already completed modules in Advanced Clinical Assessment and Non-Medical Prescribing.

Main duties of the job:

• The post holder will ensure patients access the right care at the right time through high-quality AOS specialist nursing and expert advice for SACT complications.
• A primary focus is the continual audit of neutropenic sepsis pathways to ensure trust-wide "door-to-needle" compliance and rapid specialty referral.
• The practitioner will drive acute oncology ambulatory pathways to manage symptomatic patients and post-ED reviews, directly reducing unnecessary admissions.
• By participating in daily oncology ward rounds, they will ensure the delivery of appropriate care plans, streamlining investigations and facilitating timely palliative care referrals.
• Acting as a trust-wide and community resource, the post holder will provide expert guidance on investigation and treatment pathways for new or suspected cancers.
• They will champion efficient, patient-focused service models for safe treatment, referral, and discharge of undifferentiated presentations.
• Additionally, the role carries responsibility for leading clinical practice development—including the creation of multidisciplinary policies and protocols.
• The post holder will maintain a 90% clinical workload, with 10% dedicated to audit, teaching, research, and professional development.

Clinical Responsibilities:

• Work within the scope of their role, agreed and documented by their employer.
• Work within and across multi-professional teams and draw on the expertise of all members (including health and social care) to support and meet the person’s needs and best interests to optimise the integration of their care.
• Establish and maintain effective communication to ensure collaborative working with other professionals and agencies (e.g. members of the MDT, CNS, specialist palliative care, hospice, community palliative care teams, primary care, AHP, cancer centre, social services) to ensure seamless, streamlined patient care.
• Manage and escape medical emergencies appropriately.
• Identify and act appropriately on red flags.
• Assess, diagnose and collaboratively agree a way forward, including shared decision making and personalised care and support planning.
• Manage medical complexity.
• Complete episodes of care which may include referral for further assessment, treatment and care appropriately.
• Work with people and where appropriate, carers, to access appropriate treatment, diagnostics, care and support within the context of individuals’ preferences, priorities and needs.
• Provide continuity of care in collaboration with the person, considering all of their physical, mental and psychosocial challenges.
• Use interactions with each person to facilitate and enable changes in behaviour that can have a positive impact on the person’s health and wellbeing.

Leadership, Education and Training:

• Provide leadership and vision to ensure a high quality coordinated service.
• This will include supporting the further development of Acute Oncology services within the hospital and community to expedite diagnosis and where possible reduce length of stay.
• Be responsible for development and implementation of policies, procedures and guidelines for the AOS, in conjunction with the Clinical lead for AOS and Lead Nurse for Cancer.
• Be the senior practitioner leading and line managing any additional AOS nursing staff, ensuring managerial responsibilities are fulfilled and discharged.
• Use knowledge of national practice to develop ACP and MDT practice within the AOS service.
• Ensuring the Acute Oncology Service communication links, pathways and methods of referral between primary, secondary and tertiary care and specialist services including palliative care is readily available to staff.
• To lead on the promotion of the AOS across the trust, into primary, secondary and tertiary care working with the trusts communication departments and cancer information centres and local contacts.
• Evaluate service delivery against agreed key performance targets, National Quality Measures, identify areas for improvement and initiate change.
• Work with the lead clinician to support preparation of Cancer Peer Review and implementation of agreed action plans.
• Implement new initiatives where possible to run a cost effective, timely service.
• Attend appropriate SEL ACN AOS specific delivery groups, projects and initiatives.
• To be core member of the local CUP MDM; work closely with GSTT CUP MDM (via tele link or in person if required).
• Link with DH AOS delivery group and meet regularly.
• Proactively participate in the prevention and investigation of complaints and take constructive action to change practice when necessary.
• To proactively manage risk and be familiar with risk management processes and escalation procedures.
• Take a lead role in monitoring and reviewing of the competency based training programmes and the completion of assessment skills for all staff who require these skills and knowledge.
• Support the AOS/CUP team and oncology cancer CNSs workforce.
• Deliver ongoing AOS teaching at the trust doctors induction; ED and acute assessment units medical and nursing staff.
• Participate in the cancer nurses training programme delivering AOS specific training for ward nurses; chemotherapy team and community nursing team.
• Provide expert advice and education to nurses, medical staff and AHP’s with particular focus on delivery of AOS in challenged areas or when concerns arise.
• Lead on developing and participating in programmes of care aimed at empowering patients/carers to manage complications of treatment or disease.
• Disseminate expert knowledge and support nursing and medical staff by providing placement experience, giving insight into specialist role.

Clinical Governance, Quality and Evaluation of Patient Experience:

• Work with the Senior Head of Nursing for Cancer & Haematology on clinical governance and quality assurance across the trust for all aspects of Acute Oncology nursing services.
• Link up with wider Cancer Management Team.
• Lead on development of a programme of ongoing audits and patient evaluation surveys for the Acute Oncology Service, in line with service objectives, Trust key performance indicators, ACN, Acute Oncology Group audits and the Cancer peer review process.
• Present findings and recommendations from audits results to relevant governance committees as requested on regular basis.
• Collect, collate and report activity data. Produce and present regular formal reports to key stakeholders, professional groups, SEL ACN Acute Oncology Group.
• Actively engage service users through the facilitation of user groups and open days in the planning and delivery of care and development of services.
• Promote people’s equality, diversity and rights.
• Undertake regular audits of his/her prescribing practice; nurse-led activities.
• Maintaining accurate patient records and effective ways of communication outside the organisation.

People Management and Performance:

• Lead, coach and manage the performance of the team in line with good people management practices. Ensuring excellence is recognised and under performance is addressed.
• Participate in regular performance appraisal meetings and ensure each member of the team has a clear set of objectives and development plans.
• Ensure the team is compliant with all statutory, mandatory training together with any professional training requirements, ensuring they are up to date and fully compliant.
• Manage team absences including sickness in line with Trust policy ensuring the appropriate return to work meetings occur, e-roster is updated and productivity is kept to the highest possible level.
• Identify and fill any vacancies that arise within the team in line with the Trust’s recruitment policy and process.
• Identify talent and support the internal talent management process in order to attract and retain and succession plan for your people.
• Review skills mix at regular intervals in order to identify any potential opportunities to maximise resource utilisation/allocation, ensuring job descriptions are kept up to date.
• Ensure overall wellbeing of the team is maintained. Continuously support in improving the morale of the team and implementing a culture of zero-tolerance for bullying and harassment.

Person specification:

• Master’s in Advanced Clinical Practice.
• SACT Training Qualifications.
• Significant post registration experience at a senior level (Band 7 or above) in cancer, acute oncology or acute care.
• Advanced Communication Skills training.
• 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.