Band 8a - Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Children's Emergency Department

Job overview

Are you prepared to lead, innovate, and deliver exceptional care within a dynamic clinical environment, including our onsite Urgent Care Centre (UCC), Children’s Emergency Department (CED), and Paediatric Assessment Unit (PAU)?

WHTHT is pleased to offer an exciting opportunity for an experienced Paediatric Advanced Clinical Practitioner to join our team. In this role, you will be instrumental in the assessment and management of acutely unwell or injured children, working across the four pillars of advanced practice:

Clinical – conducting autonomous assessments, diagnosing, treating, and planning discharges.

Leadership – driving service improvements and shaping paediatric care pathways.

Education – supporting trainee clinicians, students, and newly qualified nursing staff, as well as upskilling existing team members.

Research & Development – leading audits, quality improvement projects, and research activities, and contributing to evidence-based practice.

The ideal candidate will possess excellent interpersonal skills, resilience, emotional intelligence, and a professional demeanour. You should be capable of prioritising and managing your workload effectively, even in high-pressure situations. Additionally, the successful applicant will collaborate with internal and external partners, including medical and nursing teams, allied health professionals, social care, and urgent care providers.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will practice as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner across the Children’s Emergency Department (CED), co-located Paediatric Assessment Unit (PAU), and the Trust-led Urgent Care Centre (UCC).

They will be an experienced healthcare professional with considerable expertise in paediatrics and will have completed an MSc in Paediatric Advanced Practice, with demonstrable competence in accordance with the Health Education England (HEE) national framework for advanced clinical practice.

Advanced Clinical Practitioners are required to operate across the four pillars of advanced practice; this role will be divided as follows:

• 80% clinical responsibilities
• 20% non-clinical activities, including education of self and others, research and development, and service improvement.

Paediatric Advanced Clinical Practitioners complement the nursing and medical teams. They are responsible for assessing and managing children who are injured, unwell, or deteriorating. They will work with a high degree of personal and professional autonomy, employing specialist knowledge and skills to provide independent assessments, clinical examinations, diagnoses, clinical decision-making, and care planning. Additionally, they will contribute to health promotion and ensure the safe admission of patients.

Shifts are scheduled from 07:30 to 20:00 or 10:00 to 22:30, with potential for expansion as the service develops. All roles will be considered for flexible working arrangements.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical

The following clinical responsibilities are expected to be developed within this role. The Paediatric ACP will collaborate closely with Paediatric and Emergency Department Consultants, ensuring timely communication regarding complex cases or difficulties. The ACP will receive strong support from the medical team and Consultants and will be encouraged to work within their competencies, seeking advice promptly when necessary.

Leadership and Management

Support the development of an effective workplace culture, aiming to provide person-centred, safe, and effective care. This will be achieved through self-awareness, leadership, active learning, continuous professional development, improvement, and innovation, serving as a role model for all staff.

Initiate, manage, and drive practice improvements to enhance patient care in alignment with current Trust and local programmes, utilising the four pillars of advanced practice.

Collaborate with clinical and leadership teams to develop new and improved processes and pathways, with the aim of streamlining patient flow and care procedures.

Education

Support in the design and delivery of education and training programmes for healthcare professionals and other stakeholders involved in child care.

Act as an expert practitioner, fostering a supportive learning environment that encourages continuous professional development and lifelong learning.

Provide a supportive environment for all staff, including pre-registration students, promoting learning and professional growth. This will involve liaising with education providers and their tutorial staff.

Research

Identify potential areas for research and clinical audit, working collaboratively with research and audit teams.

Analyse findings from audits and research, interpreting results to inform and implement practice improvements.

Prepare and present reports on audit and research activities to multidisciplinary and corporate teams.

Strategic Planning

Contribute to the delivery of the Trust’s strategic objectives.

Participate as a member of the senior team to promote the effective and efficient delivery of advanced paediatric care within the Trust.

Attend strategic planning meetings to support the evolution and development of the ACP role within the organisation.

Contribute to the ongoing development of future expert roles.