Qualified Advanced Critical Care Practitioner

Job responsibilities

We are currently a team of 16 Advanced Critical Care Practitioners (9 qualified and 7 in training). We are successfully embedded with the medical rota across Critical Care at NUH and have developed a reputation and record for providing high quality, safe, trusted, evidence based care to some of the sickest, clinically challenging and most vulnerable patients within the hospital. We enjoy a superb relationship within the local MDT and with our fellow ACPs and colleagues across the whole Trust. We now seek to expand our team further by recruiting experienced, enthusiastic registered professionals to our service.

The post holder will be based at Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust in a role that will involve cross-campus working at both City Campus and Queens Medical Centre working a shift pattern that will include nights and weekends.

Our Critical Care department is one of the largest and busiest in the country spanning 3 areas and 2 campuses:

Queens Medical Centre Campus - Major Trauma Centre for the East Midlands

Adult Intensive Care Unit (AICU):

A 29-bedded Intensive Care Unit which facilitates the treatment of seriously ill patients with failure of one or more organ systems. Specialties include neurosurgery, neurology, gastroenterology, renal, respiratory, major trauma, hepatobiliary surgery, spinal surgery, vascular surgery, ENT, maxillofacial, general medical and general surgical patients. AICU is currently developing plans to increase bed capacity further.

Critical Care High Dependency Unit (HDU/Ward E12):

A 20-bedded Critical Care area which facilitates the care of patients who require high dependency nursing. Specialties include neurosurgery, neurology, gastroenterology, renal, respiratory, major trauma, hepatobiliary surgery, vascular surgery, spinal surgery, ENT and maxillo-facial surgery.

Nottingham City Hospital Campus

Critical Care Department (CCD):

A 17 bedded purpose built unit comprised of Intensive Care and High Dependency beds. Specialties catered for include: thoracics, burns, haematology, oncology, gastroenterology, renal, upper GI surgery, respiratory, general medical and surgical patients.

The Advanced Critical Care Practitioner (ACCP) will have extensive experience in working within Critical Care (or an equivalent acute care setting) - ACP applicants will ideally have some experience of working within Critical Care within their career and will be able to show familiarity with the equipment and processes common to the speciality. They will have excellent communication skills, and be able to liaise with patients and their families in planning their care.

The ACCP will have the skills to undertake clinical assessment, diagnosis and treatment of patients with undiagnosed and undifferentiated conditions. In addition to this the ACCP will also be confident in the referral of patients to and from relevant specialities for any necessary inpatient review or investigations as well as facilitating safe patient discharge from Critical Care. The ACCP will show advanced skills in clinical decision making, critical thinking, and clinical management skills based upon evidence based practice.

The ACCP will be able to show specialist knowledge and skills to provide healthcare autonomously to patients in the specialty having shown evidence of an appropriate and robust MSc level training pathway with evidence of post graduate clinical and non-clinical development. ACCPs will be able to show training mapped to FICM competencies which has led to achievement of ACCP membership. ACCPs without FICM accreditation should apply for this role with the expectation of extra learning leading to the compilation of a robust portfolio appropriate for application for FICM ACCP membership. All applicants, but particularly ACPs from non-Critical Care backgrounds, will receive a comprehensive and supported induction/training/supervision period designed to ensure clinical competence and safety within the area. This period will be discussed and agreed prior to appointment. It is strongly advised that ACPs contact the area prior to application to discuss expectations of this phase due to possible implications on initial banding pending achievement of competency to work independently within clinical numbers - once working independantly as part of the clinical rota all ACCPs are banded at 8a. Whilst receiving professional and clinical support from an allocated, named Consultant educational supervisor the ACCP will also enjoy the support of a wider team of experienced and engaged Consultants as well as being allocated within a team of fellow ACCPs where they will receive and provide mentorship and peer support throughout their Critical Care career. The ACCP is expected to participate in management and leadership activities including but not limited to peer appraisal, sickness reviews, recruitment, mentorship, rota management, incident investigation, governance activities and collaborative project management/involvement.

The applicant is expected to act as a role model for the role of the ACCP and show excellent clinical leadership skills, support and education to all colleagues within the clinical environment. It is expected that the ACCP show collaboration and empathy to colleagues and show flexibility in their role and activities to ensure the well-being and safety of both staff and patients are met.

This is a great opportunity for an enthusiastic and committed individual to undertake a career in advanced clinical practice within Critical Care at NUH. If you are seeking to continue your career in the NHS in Critical Care and continuing to be at the forefront of patient care, come and join us. We are a valued, motivated, supported and supportive team of Advanced Critical Care Practitioners and we are keen to welcome further practitioners into the team. We look forward to hearing from you.

Training and Qualifications

Essential

• Current registration with professional body such as NMC or HCPC
• MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice or equivalent Msc
• Registered Independant Non-medical prescriber
• Evidence of teaching, supervision & assessment skills
• Current consent training
• Current IRMER training

Desirable

• Mentor/assessor and/or teaching qualification

Experience

Essential

• Currently working as a qualified ACP/ACCP
• Extensive post registration experience in Critical Care or Acute Services
• Completed portfolio of supervised practice in advanced clinical practice
• Evidence of continued professional development following MSc completion
• ACCP membership of FICM (or willingness to undertake further training to achieve accreditation)
• Clinical work in an autonomous role

Desirable

• Previous post registration experience working in Critical Care
• Management and leadership experience
• Evidence of involvement in policy and practice change

Communication and relationship skills

Essential

• Ability to work within a multi-professional team, often presenting and receiving complex information
• Demonstrates negotiating and influencing skills
• Ability to work independantly and within a team
• Assertiveness skills and the ability to deal with interpersonal conflict
• Ability to adapt communication methods to a wide variety of patient abilities/needs
• Communication skills that facilitate building honest and trusting partnerships with patients, families and carers
• Accepts constructive feedback and teaching from a variety of sources

Desirable

• Evidence of multidisciplinary teaching
• Advanced communication training

Analytical and Judgement skills

Essential

• Ability to recognise, prioritise and analyse urgent and emergency situations, complex health conditions and ensure effective interventions are actioned in a timely manner
• Deals effectively with clinical issues within defined procedures and guidelines
• Ability to work with clinically complex, undifferentiated and undiagnosed healthcare problems
• Participation in +/- presentation of reserch, audit or quality improvement projects at a local/national level
• Active involvement in departmental operational development
• Demonstrate knowledge of current issues related to the NHS and advanced practice

Desirable

• Lead in audit or research
• NIHR Good Clinical Practice (or equivalent)
• Training/involvement in the investigation of DATIX +/- SJCR +/- serious clinical incidents

Planning and organisation skills

Essential

• Demonstrates adaptibility to departmental and patient need
• Self-motivated with evidence of efficient time and deadline management
• Able to identify learning opportunites for self and others and able to organise learning and development within clinical work commitments
• Ability to provide education, complete research and audit

Desirable

• Evidence of resource management

Physical skills

Essential

• Able to undertake required clinical duties/procedures
• Ability to manoeuvre patients and perform clinical examinations as required
• Ability to undertake computer and other equipment skills

Other requirements specific to the role (e.g. be able to drive or work shifts)

Essential

• Demonstrates flexibility in wokring patterns and practices which will include nights and weekends cross campus
• Ability to support colleagues, patients and relatives in sometimes distressing circumstances

Desirable

• Experience in cross campus/rotational working
• Competent and capable of using medical equipment within a Critical Care environment

Commitment to Trust Vaules and Behaviours

Essential

• Must be able to demonstrate behaviours consistent with the Trust's 'We are here for you' behavioural standards'.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

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