Peninsula Transfer Practitioner, Retrieve Adult Critical Care Transfer

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced member of critical care staff to take up a role as Transfer Practitioner, working for Retrieve (Peninsula Base).

Retrieve is the South West’s dedicated Adult Critical Care Transfer Service, commissioned by NHS England South West Specialised Commissioning, hosted by University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust and supported by the South West Critical Care Network (SWCCN). We are looking for a registered critical care practitioner who can deliver high-quality transfer care to critically unwell patients across the South West.

Retrieve provides a single point of contact for all adult critical care transfer referrals 24 hours a day via a dedicated 0300 number.  All calls are managed by a Duty Consultant who triages, coordinates and can provide remote decision-support if required.  Retrieve operates a dedicated 24 hour transfer team from each of its operational bases – one in Launceston, Cornwall, covering the Peninsula sub-region (Devon and Cornwall) and one in Bristol covering the Severn sub-region (Gloucestershire to Somerset).

Main duties of the job

As a Band 6 Transfer Practitioner, following completion of the appropriate additional training, you will assume responsibility for the specialised care required to transfer critically ill adults.  There is an expectation that you continue to develop your clinical and management skills by demonstrating an ability to work remotely in the referring centres, in partnership with the local teams.

On occasion, the role involves working independently, providing Practitioner-delivered transfers of Level 2 (high dependency) and Level 1 (ward level) patients.  This is supported remotely by the Retrieve Duty Consultant and will typically involve collaborative working with a doctor from the referring hospital.

You will be expected to support and mentor new members of the multi-professional team, demonstrating an active role in the ongoing education programmes.

In partnership with the SWCCN, the post holder will support the relationship between the Service and referring centers.

Supported by the Lead Nurses and Senior Transfer Practitioner, successful applicants will be involved with service projects, audit and research, delivery and completion of education and outreach.

There will be a requirement to work shifts including nights, evenings and weekends, with the occasional potential to overrun.  There will be a requirement to work with highly infectious patients and therefore a necessity to comply with infection prevention and control guidance.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Retrieve began in November 2020, one of the first dedicated Adult Critical Care Transfer Services in the country.  This truly ground-breaking service has been responsible for creating a blueprint for the national specification. Retrieve's achievements have also been recognised by being awarded the BMJ 2021 Critical Care Team of the Year award. More recently winning the Intensive Care Society Impact award 2022.

This role will provide an opportunity to join a  dynamic team of transfer practitioners and consultants across the southwest. Joining the service will allow you to further extend your critical care skills and become an expert in the transfer of the critically ill patients. The Transfer Practitioner role requires the skills of experienced ITU staff to care for these vulnerable patients.

For a more detailed job description and main responsibilities, please refer to the job description document attached to this vacancy.