Advanced Frailty Practitioner - ANP/Paramedic

Job description

Job responsibilities

Advanced Frailty Practitioner Advanced Nurse Practitioner / Advanced Paramedic Practitioner

Organisation: Harrow East Primary Care Network (PCN)

Location: Stanmore, Harrow, London

Working pattern: Full-time

Salary: Competitive, dependent on qualifications and experience (£50,000)

Accountable to: PCN Clinical Director

Job purpose

The Advanced Frailty Practitioner will provide high-quality, autonomous clinical care to patients living with frailty, multiple long-term conditions and complex healthcare needs across Harrow East PCN.

The postholder will play a central role in identifying, assessing and proactively managing vulnerable patients, supporting early intervention, preventing avoidable deterioration and reducing unnecessary hospital admissions.

Working collaboratively with GPs, community healthcare professionals, acute services and social care teams, the postholder will contribute to the delivery and ongoing development of an effective, integrated frailty service.

The role requires advanced clinical assessment, diagnostic reasoning, independent prescribing and care coordination skills, alongside a commitment to maintaining the highest standards of patient safety and clinical governance.

Key responsibilities

1. Advanced clinical assessment and management

• Undertake comprehensive clinical assessments of patients presenting with complex health needs, frailty and multiple long-term conditions.

• Exercise advanced clinical reasoning and decision-making to assess, diagnose, treat and manage patients independently within professional competence.

• Develop, implement and regularly review evidence-based management and treatment plans.

• Prescribe medications safely and appropriately in accordance with independent prescribing qualifications, professional standards and local prescribing guidance.

• Recognise clinical deterioration, red flags and safeguarding concerns, escalating appropriately.

• Assess and manage minor illnesses and acute presentations where appropriate to the postholder's clinical competence.

2. Frailty and proactive case management

• Proactively identify and manage patients living with moderate and severe frailty.

• Undertake comprehensive frailty assessments, incorporating physical, psychological, functional and social care needs.

• Develop personalised care and support plans, including anticipatory and escalation planning where appropriate.

• Support patients to maintain independence and remain safely within their homes and communities.

• Identify patients at increased risk of deterioration, falls, hospital admission or readmission and coordinate timely interventions.

• Support medication reviews, falls prevention, rehabilitation planning and appropriate referrals to community services.

• Contribute to the identification and management of patients approaching the end of life, working collaboratively with GPs and specialist palliative care teams.

• Ensure patients and their families or carers are actively involved in decisions about their care.

3. Home visits and community-based care

• Undertake planned and clinically indicated home visits for housebound, frail and vulnerable patients.

• Assess patients within their home environments, identifying clinical, functional and social factors affecting their health and wellbeing.

• Initiate appropriate treatment, investigations, referrals and follow-up arrangements.

• Work closely with district nursing teams, community matrons, therapists, social care professionals and other community services.

• Recognise when urgent escalation or hospital assessment is required.

4. Multidisciplinary working and care coordination

• Work collaboratively with GPs, Advanced Practitioners, Clinical Pharmacists, care coordinators and wider PCN teams.

• Participate in multidisciplinary team meetings and frailty case discussions.

• Coordinate care across primary, community, secondary and social care services.

• Support effective communication and information sharing between professionals involved in patient care.

• Facilitate timely referrals and follow-up to promote continuity of care and reduce duplication.

• Contribute to effective discharge planning and post-discharge reviews to reduce the risk of hospital readmission.

5. Clinical governance and patient safety

• Maintain accurate, timely and comprehensive clinical records using the practice's electronic clinical systems.

• Work in accordance with relevant professional codes, clinical guidelines, local policies and evidence-based practice.

• Maintain patient confidentiality and comply with information governance requirements.

• Participate in clinical audits, quality improvement initiatives, significant event reviews and service evaluations.

• Identify and appropriately escalate clinical risks, safeguarding concerns and incidents.

• Maintain professional registration, prescribing competency and continuing professional development.

6. Service development and improvement

• Contribute to the ongoing development of the PCN frailty service, supporting proactive, coordinated and person-centred models of care.

• Identify opportunities to improve patient pathways, clinical processes and multidisciplinary working.

• Support the development of effective systems for identifying, reviewing and monitoring patients living with frailty.

• Contribute to the achievement of relevant PCN and NHS service objectives.

• Promote effective use of healthcare resources while maintaining high standards of clinical care.

• Participate in relevant training, professional development and service improvement activities.

Professional responsibilities

The postholder will be expected to exercise sound professional judgement, demonstrate accountability for their clinical practice and work effectively both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.

They must maintain professional registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) or Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), as appropriate, and practise within their demonstrated competencies and professional scope of practice.

The above duties are not exhaustive and may be reviewed in accordance with the evolving requirements of the service, following appropriate discussion with the postholder.

Person Specification

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• -Advanced clinical assessment, diagnostic reasoning and decision-making skills
• -Ability to undertake comprehensive clinical and frailty assessments
• -Sound knowledge of frailty, multimorbidity and long-term condition management
• -Safe and effective independent prescribing skills
• -Ability to recognise and appropriately manage clinical deterioration
• -Excellent communication, organisational and clinical documentation skills
• -Ability to manage an autonomous clinical caseload and prioritise competing demands
• -Understanding of safeguarding, clinical governance and information governance
• -Ability to work collaboratively across primary, community and secondary care

Desirable

• -Knowledge of local community healthcare and social care pathways
• -Experience of personalised care planning and anticipatory care approaches
• -Knowledge of relevant PCN and NHS service specifications
• -Experience supporting falls prevention and rehabilitation pathways
• -Experience in service development and clinical pathway improvement
• -Experience supporting or mentoring junior clinical colleagues

Qualifications

Essential

• -Registered Nurse (NMC) or Paramedic (HCPC) with current UK registration
• -Recognised advanced clinical practice qualification at postgraduate level, or equivalent evidenced advanced practice training and competence
• -Independent prescribing qualification (V300 or recognised equivalent) with appropriate prescribing annotation
• -Evidence of continuing professional development

Desirable

• -Relevant postgraduate qualification in frailty, older people's care or advanced clinical practice
• -MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice
• -Advanced training in comprehensive geriatric assessment, palliative care or long-term condition management
• -Leadership, mentorship or clinical education qualification

Experience

Essential

• -Significant post-registration clinical experience, including autonomous advanced clinical practice
• -Experience assessing and managing patients with complex health needs and multiple long-term conditions
• -Experience managing frail, older or vulnerable patients
• -Experience of independent clinical decision-making, diagnosis and treatment planning
• -Experience working within multidisciplinary healthcare teams
• -Experience of safeguarding and clinical risk management

Desirable

• -Previous experience working within a Primary Care Network or GP practice
• -Experience delivering a dedicated frailty service
• -Experience undertaking home visits and community-based clinical assessments
• -Experience coordinating multidisciplinary frailty meetings
• -Experience contributing to clinical audits, quality improvement or service redesign
• -Experience using EMIS Web, Docman or AccuRx

Disclosure 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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Honeypot Medical Centre

Address

404 Honeypot Lane

Stanmore

Middlesex

HA7 1JP

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.honeypotmc.co.uk/