Advanced Clinical Practitioner (Nurse) Neonatal Transport

Job overview

The Advanced Clinical Practitioner (Nurse) - Neonatal Critical Care Transport is a senior autonomous practitioner working across the four pillars of advanced clinical practice: Clinical Practice, Leadership and Management, Education, and Research/Quality Improvement.

The post holder will provide expert clinical leadership in the assessment, stabilisation, management and transfer of critically ill and vulnerable neonates requiring transport within and beyond the Southwest Neonatal Network. Working autonomously and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary transport team, the ACP (Nurse) will deliver advanced clinical assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning and decision-making in highly complex and unpredictable environments.

The ACP (Nurse) will act as a clinical leader and role model for the service, promoting compassionate, family-centred and trauma-informed care whilst supporting psychological safety, human factors awareness and continuous service improvement. The role requires highly developed communication, leadership and influencing skills, enabling effective engagement with families, colleagues, referring units, receiving centres and system partners.

The post holder will contribute to strategic service development, workforce development, education, clinical governance, research and quality improvement activities that support the continued development of SoNAR and the wider neonatal network.

Main duties of the job

The Advanced Clinical Practitioner (Nurse) in Neonatal Critical Care Transport provides autonomous, expert clinical care for critically ill and vulnerable newborn infants requiring stabilisation and transfer across the Southwest Neonatal Network. The post holder will lead and participate in neonatal retrievals, undertaking advanced clinical assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning and independent decision-making in complex and dynamic environments.

Working within the multidisciplinary SoNAR team, the ACP (Nurse) will provide clinical leadership, support safe and effective patient transfers, and deliver compassionate, family-centred care. The role also contributes to education, workforce development, clinical governance, quality improvement, research and service development, helping to shape and improve neonatal transport services across the region.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical Practice

• Lead and participate in the stabilisation, retrieval and transport of critically ill and vulnerable newborn infants across the South West Neonatal Network.
• Undertake advanced clinical assessment, diagnosis and management of complex neonatal patients.
• Practise autonomously within the ACP scope of practice, making independent clinical decisions in dynamic and challenging environments.
• Deliver high-quality, family-centred care throughout the retrieval and transport journey.

Leadership and Service Delivery

• Provide clinical leadership within the transport team during neonatal retrieval missions.
• Support the ongoing development of neonatal transport services across the region.
• Contribute to service planning, innovation and the implementation of evidence-based practice.

Education and Workforce Development

• Support the education and development of transport team colleagues and network staff.
• Act as a clinical role model and contribute to training programmes, simulation and clinical supervision activities.
• Promote a culture of continuous learning and professional development.

Quality Improvement and Governance

• Participate in clinical governance, audit, quality improvement and patient safety initiatives.
• Contribute to incident review, learning processes and service evaluation.
• Support compliance with national standards, local policies and professional frameworks.

Research and Evidence Based Practice

• Contribute to research, service evaluation and the implementation of emerging evidence.
• Promote the use of best available evidence to improve patient outcomes and service delivery.

Working for SoNAR

• Work collaboratively with neonatal units, maternity services, ambulance services and other healthcare partners across the South West.
• Represent SoNAR professionally and contribute to the delivery of a safe, responsive and effective neonatal transport service.

Applicant requirements

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.