Qualified Advanced Clinical Practitioner for Older People and Frailty

Qualified Advanced Clinical Practitioner for Older People and FrailtyWe have an exceptional opportunity for an innovative and inspirational leader to join our Acute Frailty Team as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) for older people.The ACP will take a senior role within the Care of Older People (COOP) team and will be responsible for co-ordinating the flow of frail older people through the Whittington hospital. They will provide clinical leadership and be responsible for ensuring the provision of a high standard of holistic, patient centred care for frail older people as well as providing expert advice and support to professionals in elderly medicine around frailty syndromes including falls, dementia and delirium, and contributing towards service improvement in these areas. They will also support the Acute Frailty Pathway which works to avoid unnecessary admissions to hospital.The successful candidate will be able to take a lead in the comprehensive geriatric assessment of patients referred to the Frailty Team under the supervision of a consultant geriatrician and will autonomously work as part of a multidisciplinary team providing patient-centred clinical care, encompassing the skills of assessment, examination, diagnosis and treatment of patients. The post is intended to improve patient outcomes by improving timeliness and consistency of care for older patients with frailty seeking emergency care and referred to the Acute Frailty Pathway, promoting same day discharge and community management of older patients with frailty.Main duties of the job

Review patients screened as frail in the Emergency Department, Ambulatory care and the Acute Admissions wards, according to Frailty Pathway criteria. In conjunction with the Consultant Geriatrician/Frailty MDT provide expert assessment of frail elderly patients on admission to determine the most appropriate pathway of care to meet the patient s needs and direct patients accordingly.Lead on education to ensure that current best practice is being implemented for the benefit of frail older people and their families/carers, including falls prevention, dementia and delirium detection, treatment and care, and supporting the Trust s Enhanced Care training model.Act as the link between the Emergency Department (ED), Acute Admissions Unit (AAU) and the Elderly Medicine Wards to ensure excellent communication and continuity of care for older people.Assess the needs of older people with frailty admitted to The Whittington Hospital, coordinate referrals and signpost to specialist services ensuring that appropriate patients receive a comprehensive geriatric assessment.Ensure that the needs of carers/families are highlighted and that they are encouraged to be involved to the level that they wish to be.Support the role of the Trust s Dementia Practitioner Specialist in implementing the Dementia Trust Strategy and support ward managers and their teams to develop dementia friendly environments.Support the falls prevention Trust strategy.Work in partnership with the discharge team and other specialist teams in acute, community and social services. Support the design and development of integrated pathways that facilitate safe and timely transitions of care, admission avoidance and improved outcomes of care for older people.Job description

The post holder will:Work at a level of advanced clinical practice that pulls together the four ACP pillars of clinical practice, leadership and management, education, and research.Provide professional, clinical leadership in support of medical, nursing and AHP staff in the provision of services for older people. Ensuring that the Trust meets the requirements of national guidance and provides safe, compassionate care for frail, older people in accordance with local and national quality and performance targets.Undertake line management responsibilities as part of their Frailty ACP role.Lead on education to ensure that current best practice is being implemented for the benefit of frail older people and their families/carers, including falls prevention, dementia and delirium detection, treatment and care, and supporting the Trusts Enhanced Care training model.Act as the link between the Emergency Department (ED), Acute Admissions Unit (AAU) and the Elderly Medicine Wards to ensure excellent communication and continuity of care for older people.Assess the needs of older people with frailty admitted to The Whittington Hospital - coordinate referrals and signpost to specialist services ensuring that appropriate patients receive a comprehensive geriatric assessment.Ensure that the needs of carers/families are highlighted and that they are encouraged to be involved to the level that they wish to be.Support the role of the Trusts Dementia Practitioner Specialist in implementing the Dementia Trust Strategy and support ward managers and their teams to develop dementia friendly environments.Support the falls prevention Trust strategy.Work in partnership with the discharge team and other specialist teams in acute, community and social services. Support the design and development of integrated pathways that facilitate safe and timely transitions of care, admission avoidance and improved outcomes of care for older people.Clinical responsibilities include reviewing patients, liaison with multidisciplinary teams, ensuring safe discharge planning, communication with patients and carers, consent, education, and leadership in clinical practice improvements.EducationIdentify education needs in relation to care of older people. Develop a training strategy to increase understanding amongst staff of the needs of older people. Facilitate the development of knowledge and skills in staff, recognising and developing aspiring leaders within older people, frail elderly and dementia care services. Critically appraise evidence-based literature and use this knowledge to lead on education programmes within the hospital and the community. Employ a range of methods in education and training appropriate to the topic, participants, facilities available and event. Prepare and provide learning materials. Encourage and support research-based practice linking this to relevant service development. Devise and provide written information for patients and carers to enhance their understanding. Be responsible for identifying own training and development needs. Participate in appraisal using reflective practice. Continue own professional development through the pursuit of relevant professional and academic study.Leadership, Management and Service improvement

Champion and lead the organisation s commitment to provide a service for frail older people that is patient centred, flexible, comprehensive and clearly focused on timely diagnosis, appropriate interventions and multidisciplinary discharge planning. Contribute to the development of a strategic plan for the frailty service and other service development strategies with specific reference to the nursing contribution to service improvement objectives. Support the Trust s Dementia Specialist Practitioner to lead, support and sustain the implementation of the National Dementia Strategy across the Trust. Provide a visible, accessible presence throughout the Trust, demonstrating clinical leadership and acting as a credible role model. Act as a resource for advice, guidance, support and decision making. Provide leadership and support to enable a multidisciplinary approach to delivering improvements in patient safety for older people. Represent the Acute Frailty Team at the Trust Dementia Strategy Group. Motivate and empower staff to perform their role to ensure a confident, competent, questioning and enthusiastic workforce. Inspire others by action and example, challenging traditional practices and encouraging innovative problem solving by staff. Lead and oversee the development of wards specialising in the provision of care to the frail elderly and dementia care. Promote a culture where change is embraced and there is constant challenge to existing services in order to achieve and sustain improving standards of care and practice in relation to older people. Monitor trends in incidents and promote service improvements that are responsive to patient feedback. Ensure that clinical practice has patients, their families and carers at its centre, is evidence-based and supports patients to make informed decisions regarding their pathway of care. Engage with patients, families and carers in order to establish their views on services, promoting patient and public involvement in the evaluation and improvement of services. Initiate projects that increase the profile of COOP service and team members. Represent the Trust on committees relevant to the care of older people nationally and locally. Flexibly plan and organise own time to meet the demand of the service. Be involved in the development of relevant care guidelines. Undertake line management responsibilities as required.Research and Audit

Ensure audit programmes are consistent with the service objectives. Undertake audit as required to support service development. Be proactive in ongoing audit in order to assess the effectiveness of the service. Participate in and critically evaluate research findings and disseminate them appropriately.Person Specification

Primary professional registration as a nurse, AHP or pharmacistEvidence of continued professional developmentEducated to degree levelMSc Advanced Clinical PracticeTeaching qualificationSkills and Abilities

Previous experience in working in care of older peopleExperience of working independentlyTeaching skillsComputer literateAbility to work as part of a teamIdentify new ways of working to benefit the service and the patient experienceExpert practitioner in Elderly MedicineKnowledge and Experience

Significant previous band 7 experience or aboveClinical Audit and presentation skillsAware of national agendaDisplays leadership skillsInvolvement in Quality ImprovementUnderstands polypharmacy in relation to Elderly MedicineRecent Evidence Based Best Practice in relation to Elderly MedicineFlexible approach to workArticulatePersonableReliableAbility to lead and motivate othersPositive approach to changeAble to prioritise, organise and coordinate the work of self and othersDisclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.£64,156 to £71,148 a year per annum including ..... full job details .....