Advanced Clinical Practitioner

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Job Overview
Training at Band 7 until completion of ACP training then move to Band 8a (Neurovascular)
We are looking for a motivated ACP to join our expanding Neurovascular and Skull base Neurosurgical service working alongside Consultant Neurosurgeons, Interventional Radiology, and Allied health professionals in a well-established and supportive MDT. You will be supporting patients undergoing surgical and interventional neurovascular procedures.

The post holder will lead on the Neurovascular research portfolio, supporting the development of a research-based culture, coordinating sub-speciality research trials, patient experience, and audit.

The post holder will need to have Neurosciences experience and have undertaken an MSc degree (level 7) in Advanced Clinical Practice or equivalent. You must be able to work independently within the four pillars of advanced practice which include clinical practice, management and leadership, education, and research.

You will lead the team on the coordination of care for patients recovering from subarachnoid haemorrhage, working with the MDT to ensure optimal treatment outcomes. You will be working across Neurosurgical and Interventional Neuro-radiology services to enhance continuity of patient care across the inpatient critical care journey. You will have expertise in coordinating patient care pathways, patient education, and supporting patients and families on the recovery journey.

Main Duties of the Job
The post holder will have excellent leadership and clinical skills, as well as evidence of continuing professional development.

Your role will involve the independent and autonomous practice of:

• History taking
• Clinical examination
• Clinical investigations and interpretation
• Diagnosis and management planning of both differentiated and undifferentiated conditions.

Your role will be integral to the patient journey from outpatient assessment, preoperative planning, inpatient, postoperative supportive care, and outpatient surveillance.

The post holder will work as a highly skilled and experienced autonomous practitioner across the Neurovascular and Skull Base service as part of a well-established specialist MDT spanning inpatient neurosurgical teams, Advanced Clinical Practitioners, Consultant Neurosurgeons, Interventional Radiologists, Gamma Knife Surgery Radiographers and Radiologists, and Allied health professionals. You will be managing and supporting a broad range of complex patient cases with neurovascular pathologies, including cerebral aneurysms, AVMs, dural AV fistulas, and Moyamoya disease, undergoing surgery, interventional procedures, Gamma Knife Surgery, and surveillance, as well as emergency presentations, including subarachnoid haemorrhage.

Working for Our Organisation
North Bristol NHS Trust employs over 12,000 staff providing healthcare to the residents of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and North Somerset from our award-winning hospital building at Southmead. We are the regional Major Trauma Centre and an internationally recognized center of excellence in a range of services and major specialities. Our vision is that by enabling our teams to be the best that they can be, we will provide exceptional healthcare, personally delivered.

Detailed Job Description and Main Responsibilities
Demonstrating a high level of expertise within the sub-speciality, you will manage and co-ordinate care pathways for elective patients and acute neurovascular presentations with subarachnoid haemorrhage and will provide autonomous clinical review of all neurovascular patients on the Neurosurgical Ward and Intensive Care Unit, working collaboratively with the MDT to ensure optimal treatment outcomes. You will be working across Neurosurgical and Interventional Neuro-radiology services to enhance continuity of patient care across the inpatient critical care journey or elective pathway. You will have expertise in coordinating patient care pathways, patient education, and supporting patients and families on their recovery journey.

Working collaboratively across two NHS Trusts, the post holder will play a key role in ensuring consistency and continuity of care in the development of a newly established Gamma Knife Surgery Service for patients with Arteriovenous Malformations. You will additionally have wider knowledge of Moyamoya disease and will lead on the management and support of these patients undergoing complex bypass surgery with extensive pre-operative work-up and ongoing radiological surveillance.

With a strong focus on research and quality improvement, the post-holder will lead and support on Neurovascular research and service development initiatives, promoting a research-based culture to inform practice, influence policy, and drive innovation. Working in collaboration with research charities and the existing clinical research team, you will coordinate sub-speciality research trials and contribute to patient experience and audit. Previous active engagement in clinical research is essential for this role.

With Neurosciences experience, you must have undertaken an MSc degree (level 7) in Advanced Clinical Practice (or working towards) and will complete a portfolio of evidence to achieve accreditation/digital badge status. You must be able to work independently within the four pillars of advanced practice which include clinical practice, management and leadership, education, and research.

Your role will involve the independent and autonomous practice of:

• History taking
• Clinical examination
• Non-medical prescribing
• Clinical investigations and interpretation
• Diagnosis and management planning of both differentiated and undifferentiated conditions.

You will have excellent leadership and clinical skills, as well as evidence of continuing professional development. The ACP role will be integral to the patient's journey from outpatient assessment, preoperative planning, inpatient admission, postoperative supportive care, and outpatient surveillance.

Person Specification
Education/Training
Essential Criteria

• Professional registration
• MSc Advanced Practice working towards successful completion of ACP apprenticeship (PACR, PADRAP and NMP)
• Post-graduate qualification in specific speciality or equivalent experience
• Teaching and mentoring recognized qualification
• Minimum 3 years’ experience within Neurosciences - band 7
• Able to demonstrate specialist knowledge in Neurovascular / Skull base Neurosurgery
• Evidence of ongoing CPD / clinical portfolio
• Evidence of maintaining competence of Advanced Clinical Skills
• Autonomous clinical reasoning and decision making in inpatient and outpatient setting

Desirable Criteria

• Intermediate / Advanced Life Support qualification or willingness to undertake
• Evidence of acting as clinical skills assessor

If you apply for this vacancy and have not received a communication from North Bristol NHS Trust within three weeks of the closing date, please assume that on this occasion your application has been unsuccessful.

Please note that North Bristol NHS Trust does not reimburse travel expenses relating to interview attendance.

Commitment to Equality
At North Bristol Trust (NBT), we know diverse and inclusive environments lead to happier and healthier teams and improved patient care and outcomes. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are currently underrepresented in NBT’s workforce at Band 8a and above. These include people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, disabled people, and LGBTQIA+ people.

Please note that stringent pre-employment checks are undertaken on all successful applicants prior to commencement in post.