Advanced Clinical Practitioner

Clinical duties

• Assess individuals, families and populations holistically using a range of different assessment methods (i.e. physical examination, ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests or advanced health needs assessment).
• Have a health promotion and prevention orientation, and comprehensively assess patients for risk factors and early signs of illness.
• Draw on a diverse range of knowledge in their decision making to determine evidence-based therapeutic interventions (usually includes prescribing medication and monitoring the effectiveness of interventions).
• Plan and manage complete episodes of care (in partnership with others), and delegate and refer as appropriate.
• Use their professional judgement in managing complex and unpredictable care events and capture the learning from these experiences to improve patient care and service delivery.
• Draw on an appropriate range of multi-agency and inter-professional resources in their practice.

Administrative duties

• Make accurate records of all patient encounters in accordance with practice records protocols and coding protocols, ensuring standards are set and team members meet the standard.
• Liaison between patients and doctors.
• Ensure the health needs of all patients presenting to the nursing team are met in a clinically appropriate way and by the team member best qualified to meet their needs.

• If an ACP believes they cannot demonstrate the required standard in any aspect of their practice, they are responsible for refusing to undertake the action or seeking supervision from an appropriate source.
• ACPs practice autonomously and are self-directed in the same way as an ANP.
• The ACP may provide the first point of contact for patients and can pro-actively address issues that could negatively impact the patients’ pathway and length of stay, however, the patient under the care of a designated consultant.
• Practitioners must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), or General Practitioners Committee (GPC).

• Applicants must be a registered nurse, midwife, SCPHN, health visitor, physiotherapist or pharmacist, or paramedic educated to at least degree level.
• Candidates must have a significant post-registration experience (three to five years full-time or part-time equivalent).
• Individuals in training must be employed for a minimum of 30 hours per week in a relevant clinical environment, with access to appropriate clinical support and supervision for the development of knowledge and skills to an advanced level to meet apprenticeship requirements.
• Qualified ACP hours should be set locally.

• It is recommended the ACP is educated to Masters level preferably in Advanced Clinical Practice however they could instead demonstrate competence in all core capabilities through an ARCP process.
• Band 8a or above, once qualified.