Band 8a - Rotational Advanced Clinical Practitioner, Virtual Hospital, Medicine

Job overview

We are looking for an Advanced Clinical Practitioner, for a rotational post, to help us develop, and participate in, the Virtual Ward delivering a collaborative, integrated model of care that delivers a range of monitoring, interventions, and care in the community to avoid and reduce hospital admissions.

The Virtual Hospital is a collaboration between CLCH and West Herts Virtual Hospital, and has attracted national attention with Amanda Pritchard, Chief Executive of NHSE, visiting last year.

The post will rotate between the partnership organisations to support the collaborative approach our teams maintain. There are four key pathways under our Virtual Hospital – General Medicine, Respiratory (ABC), Heart Failure and Frailty, with this ACP role specifically supporting the General Medicine virtual ward.

As this role is a rotational post, working across the acute (West Hertfordshire, Watford General site) and community partnership (Central London Community Hospital Trust, BRE building, Bricket Wood), the post holder needs to be able to travel to all sites and drive to patient addresses to help provide care at their place of residence, within our geographical catchment area.

The working pattern is 8am-8pm shifts, with 1 in 4 weekend working.

You will be a key Clinical Lead within the service delivery and governance and will drive the successful management of the provision to provide care for those patients identified as being suitable for the virtual ward environment.

Main duties of the job

The post will be structured around the four pillars of advanced clinical practice as set out in the multi professional consultant level practice capability and impact framework (Health Education England www.hee.nhs.uk 2021):

Expert clinical practice

A professional leadership and consultancy function

Education, training, and development

Research, evaluation, and service development across the system.

The definition of a virtual ward is 'a safe and efficient alternative to NHS bedded care that is enabled by technology. Virtual wards support patients who would otherwise be in hospital to receive the acute care, monitoring and treatment they need in their own home' (NHS England and NHS Improvement, 2022).

The NHS is focussed on increasing capacity in virtual wards to support people at the place they call home, including care homes. In a virtual ward, support can include remote monitoring using apps, technology platforms, wearables and medical devices, such as pulse oximeters. Support may also involve face-to-face care from multi-disciplinary teams based in the community, which is sometimes called Hospital at Home.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To act as a high-level autonomous practitioner and role model, delivering advanced practice and promoting clinical effectiveness and patient centred care.

The post-holder will be required to work autonomously in delivering independent assessment for the patients on virtual ward.

They will work closely with all members of the multidisciplinary team and will play an integral role in the operational development of the service.

They will promote education and facilitate evidence-based practice taking a lead on clinical audit, research and service development.

The post holder will also provide expert advice delivering advanced clinical practice, clinical leadership and supervision, support and mentorship for multidisciplinary professionals including other ACPs, junior medical staff and clinical nursing staff of all grades. They will also be responsible for enhancing the quality of the service by providing education and support to all practitioners and acting as a role model.

The post holder will demonstrate a high level of advanced expertise, specialist knowledge, demonstrate high levels of judgement, discretion and decision making in the delivery of clinical care.

The post-holder will work collaboratively with a range of multi-disciplinary services to facilitate admission avoidance or early supported discharge.

The post-holder will be expected to work within the four clinical pillars of advanced practice, clinical practice, facilitating learning, leadership and evidence, research and development. This will be demonstrated within their portfolio.

The role will be structured around four functions, delivering expert practice, professional leadership/consultancy, education, training and development, service development, research and evaluation.