Advanced Nurse/Clinical Practitioner

The Advanced Nurse/Clinical Practitioner (ANP/ACP) will operate autonomously within their own sphere of competence and agreed acceptable limits of practice to provide expert professional clinical advice to patients, carers and colleagues, ensuring clinical safety. The ANP/ACP will need to prioritise and triage the needs of patients accordingly over the telephone, face to face and on home visits. They will provide treatment, including prescriptions and arrange any necessary referrals for investigations in the appropriate manner. Job responsibilities: Clinical Practice Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to deliver safe and high quality care. Carries out clinical practice at an advanced level using expert clinical skills, critical judgements & knowledge to deliver appropriate and safe care autonomously. Provide a first point of contact within the Practice for patients presenting with undifferentiated, undiagnosed problems, making use of skills in history taking, physical examination, problem-solving and clinical decision-making, to establish a diagnosis and management plan Delivery of care in line with local and NICE guidelines, providing evidence-based care Co-ordinate the planning and delivery of care ensuring patients and carers/relatives are involved. Prescribing and reviewing medication that is appropriate to 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. Care Management Communicates confidential and sensitive information to patients, relatives and carers in relation to their condition. Provide highly specialised care advice e.g. care treatment plans, prescribing and making referrals as appropriate (including fast track referrals). Contribute to local and national practice targets clinical remit e.g. QOF, prescribing incentive scheme, National benchmarking. To monitor and meet care outcomes against standards and recommend or initiate changes as necessary. Health Improvement Management of health screening programmes and ensures other team members are aware of health priorities and screening objectives and programmes. Innovation in practice to meet ongoing demands on the practices delivery of care. Improve health outcomes for patients by introducing new developments, and can demonstrate them as reports and presentations where appropriate. Supports practitioners in reporting the practice population to promote health improvement and disease prevention. Makes referrals to appropriate agencies (statutory and voluntary) where necessary Administration and professional responsibilities Produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete records of patient consultation, consistent with legislation, policies and procedures Maintain their professional registration, working within their code of conduct Participate in the administrative and professional responsibilities of the practice team Accurate and legible notes of all consultations and treatments are recorded in the patients notes Ensure clinical systems kept up to date, recording and/or amending accurate details Ensure appropriate items of service claims are made accurately, reporting any problems to the practice administrator Ensure accurate completion of all necessary documentation associated with patient health care and registration with the practice Attend and participate in practice meetings as required Training and personal development Maintain up to date skills and knowledge, maintaining awareness of professional issues at an advanced level. Training needs will be monitored by yearly appraisal and will be in accordance with practice requirements. Personal development will be encouraged and supported by the practice. Assess effectiveness of care delivery through self-reflection and peer review, as well as benchmarking and formal evaluation. Contribute to the identification and assessment of learning needs of staff and other professionals and assist in planning effective programmes of education. Participate in the education and training of students of all disciplines and the introduction of all members of the practice staff where appropriate. Act as a mentor for junior staff, assessing competence against set standards. Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work and ensure own educational commitment is at least sufficient to maintain revalidation requirements. Develop and maintain a Personal Learning Plan. Regularly participate in clinical supervision. Leadership personal and people development Act as a clinical leader in the delivery of practice services ensuring that the needs of the patient are a priority Support staff development in order to maximise potential Actively promote the workplace as a learning environment, encouraging everyone to learn from each other and from external good practice Critically evaluate and review innovations and developments that are relevant to the area of work Promote the role of the advanced clinical practitioner in general practice.