Advanced Care Practitioner in Hereford

We are seeking experienced and highly motivated Advanced Clinical Practitioners to join our dynamic and inclusive multi-disciplinary team within Taurus Healthcare Clinical Services. This is an exciting opportunity to work at the forefront of integrated care, delivering high-quality, patient-centred services across urgent and primary care pathways. As an ACP, you will work autonomously and collaboratively with multi-disciplinary teams to assess, diagnose, treat, and manage patients presenting with a wide range of acute and chronic conditions.

Main duties of the job:

• Provide advanced clinical assessment, diagnosis and treatment for patients of all ages.
• Manage undifferentiated and complex presentations in an urgent care setting.
• Prescribe medications independently and implement treatment plans.
• Request and interpret diagnostic investigations.
• Work collaboratively with GPs, nurses and the operational team.
• Support service development and contribute to quality improvement initiatives.
• Provide clinical leadership, mentorship, and education to junior staff.

About us:

Taurus Healthcare was established in 2012, as the provider arm of the GP Federation serving 185,000 patients in Herefordshire. Founded and owned by the partners of the entire Herefordshire Primary Care community, Taurus is focused on providing excellent out-of-hospital services for patients. Our ethos is to provide high quality and cost-effective health outcomes that are delivered as close as possible to the patients’ home, whilst ensuring that patients who do require in-hospital services are seen as quickly and effectively as possible. At Taurus Healthcare we strive to create a diverse, inclusive workplace, and welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds including those from Military Veterans and family members of serving personnel.

Taurus Healthcare offers many employee benefits, such as:

• Access to a generous NHS pension scheme with 23.78% employer contribution.
• 33 to 38 days annual leave entitlement, including bank holidays, depending on service (pro rata for part-time staff).
• Access to an extensive Employee Benefits Programme (Vivup) offering:

• 24/7 access to counselling services
• Salary sacrifice scheme for cars and bikes
• Access to a wide range of discounts from national retailers
• Access to the Blue Light extensive discount scheme.

Due to current licence limitations, visa sponsorship is not available for this position. Applicants must already hold the right to work in the UK.

Job responsibilities:

JOB PURPOSE: To act as an independent and autonomous practitioner working in Taurus Healthcare Clinical service areas to assess, diagnose and treat the conditions of patients attending within primary care services or their own homes initiating direct referrals as appropriate. Provide expert professional advice to patients, carers and colleagues and ensure the maintenance of clinical excellence. The post holder must possess competencies and capabilities across all four pillars of advanced practice and hold a full masters degree.

Clinical Practice Responsibilities:

• Independently assess, diagnose, and manage patients presenting with acute and chronic conditions, undertaking comprehensive history taking and physical conditions.
• Undertake safe clinical decision-making and expert care, including assessment and diagnostic skills and safety netting for patients using face to face (clinic and home visits), telephony and online consultation platforms.
• Demonstrate critical thinking in the clinical decision-making process, with the ability to prioritise and triage the needs of patients, accordingly, instigating appropriate investigations or referrals to colleagues and other care providers.
• Demonstrate highly developed clinical reasoning and decision-making.
• Follow local and national guidelines and pathways, using evidence-based practice and reflection, complete significant event analyses and audits to evaluate the effectiveness of the care they provide.
• Use advanced clinical skills to provide education to service users, promoting self-care and empowering them to make informed choices about their treatment.
• Prevent inappropriate hospital admissions or attendances by providing/co-coordinating the provision of specialist care by other agencies for the patient in the most appropriate and agreed environment.
• Work collaboratively with hospital and community colleagues ensuring patients receive the right care in the right place at the right time.
• Refer patients to other medical specialities for assessment if deemed appropriate.
• Refer patients as appropriate to other members of the multidisciplinary team, secondary care and to other statutory and voluntary organisations including referral for x-ray.
• Undertakes and interprets a range of diagnostic tests and routine clinical procedures.
• Work independently and without direct supervision in the home environment as required.
• Prioritise own clinical workload.
• Work with wider clinical team to manage on the day demand and priorities.
• Appropriately intervening to manage the patient in complex, urgent or emergency situations, including initiation of effective emergency care.
• Review, prescribe and administer medication in line with national guidance and local formularies utilising EMIS local guidance and cost-saving software prompts.
• Whilst working in GP OOH service, receive medication bags for urgent care dispensing use complying with Good Distribution Practice Standard Operating Procedures.
• Recognise professional responsibility in promoting welfare and safeguarding of children, young people and adults and statutory reporting of safeguarding concerns.
• Ensuring patients are protected from abuse, or the risk of abuse and that their human rights are respected.
• Work within own competence and scope of practice.
• Report and manage clinical incidents.

Person Specification:

Skills:

• Experience of working in a multi-professional environment.
• Experience as an Independent Prescriber.
• Experience of working under pressure.
• Experience of telephone (remote) triage.
• Aware of own accountability and other aspects of NMC code of conduct for nurses in this role.
• An understanding, acceptance, and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality and working knowledge of Information.
• Experience of working in Primary Care in autonomous ACP role.
• Experience of EMIS clinical system and using templates.
• Understanding of Quality Outcomes Framework.

Personal Qualities & Attributes:

• Works a flexible pattern of evenings weekends and bank holidays and covers team annual leave and sickness when applicable.
• Organised, friendly, approachable, polite, compassionate, and empathetic.
• Adaptable and comfortable dealing with changing priorities and a team player.
• Driver with clean licence.

Qualifications:

• RN current NMC registration or Paramedic Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration.
• A demonstrable commitment to professional development.
• Advanced Clinical Practice (ACP) qualification MSc level or equivalent (demonstrated by professional credentialling or professional equivalent).
• Registered Non-Medical Independent Prescriber.
• Safeguarding adult and children Level 3.
• In date CPR training (within 12 months).

Experience:

• Experience in managing the care of patients with undifferentiated undiagnosed conditions.
• Works autonomously and collaboratively, recognising when referrals are required.
• Practical experience of completing examination and assessments, care planning, implementing interventions, including secondary care referrals, and evaluation of outcomes.
• Proven ability to recognise and manage risk.
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal.
• IT skills computer and keyboard literate.
• Good time management and the ability to work under pressure prioritising workload.
• Relay clinical information and maintain accurate, comprehensive consultation records in line with NMC requirements.
• Minimum 2 years experience in general practice.
• Managerial experience.

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.