Job Vacancies
Advanced Clinical Practitioner - Virtual Ward
NHS AfC: Band 8a
- Advanced Clinical Practitioner
- NHS AfC: Band 8a
- Permanent
-
- Full time
- Part time
- Job share
- 418-MED4249-JB
- Bedford Hospital South Wing
- Bedford
- £55,690 - £62,682 per annum
- Yearly
- 06/11/2025 23:59
- 11/11/2025
Job overview
The post holder will be working across multiple community service organisations: CCSNT (Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust and ELFT CHS (East London Foundation Trust Community Health
Services) and the acute hospitals (Bedford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust).
The definition of a virtual ward is 'a safe and efficient alternative to NHS bedded care that is enabled by technology. Virtual wards support patients who would otherwise be in hospital to receive the acute care, monitoring and treatment they need in their own home’. The NHS is focussed on increasing capacity in virtual wards to support people at the place they call home, including care homes. In a virtual ward, support can include remote monitoring using apps, technology platforms, wearables and medical devices, such as pulse oximeters. Support
may also involve face-to-face care from multi-disciplinary teams based in the community, which is sometimes called Hospital at Home.
Cambridgeshire Community Services is collaborating with East London NHS Foundation Trust and Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to provide a single ‘offer’ of Urgent Community response across Bedfordshire with the potential to admit to a virtual ward when clinically
appropriate to safely support admission avoidance.
Our ambition is to develop a virtual ward model that is both ‘step up’ from primary and community care to safely avoid hospital admission* and ‘step down’ from the hospital.
Main duties of the job
To act as a high-level autonomous practitioner and role model, delivering advanced practice and promoting clinical effectiveness and patient centred care. You will be required to work autonomously in delivering independent assessment for the patients on virtual ward. The role is structured around 4 functions, delivering expert practice, professional leadership/consultancy, education, training and development, service development, research and evaluation.
The post holder will -
Work closely with the multidisciplinary team and play an integral role in the operational development of the service.
Promote education and facilitate evidence-based practice taking a lead on clinical audit, research and service development.
Provide expert advice delivering advanced clinical practice, clinical leadership and supervision, support and mentorship for multidisciplinary professionals.
Be responsible for enhancing the quality of the service by providing education and support to all practitioners and acting as a role model.
Demonstrate a high level of advanced expertise, specialist knowledge, demonstrate high levels of judgement, discretion and decision making in the delivery of clinical care.
Work collaboratively with multi-disciplinary services to facilitate admission avoidance or early supported discharge.
Work within the four clinical pillars of advanced practice, clinical practice, facilitating learning, leadership and evidence, research and development.
Working for our organisation
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living in Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.
Our values
We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.
Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Support the line management of staff within the three partnership organisations as required.
Practice as an autonomous professional with confidence and authority using an expert knowledge base, complex decision-making skills and the clinical competencies of specialist, emergency care advanced practice.
Exercise judgement in assessing wide ranging and complex patient problems and have knowledge and expertise related to investigation and treatment options in order to facilitate informed consent.
Have direct responsibility for managing own patient caseload, ensuring all patients have agreed management plans that reflect their clinical, physiological and educational needs.
Have a health promotion and prevention orientation and comprehensively assess patients for risk factors and signs of illness working to overcome potential barriers such as language, cultural or
behavioural issues using highly developed negotiation and persuasiveness skills.
Please see detailed Job Description attached.
Person specification
Qualification and Training
Essential criteria
- MSc Advanced Clinical Practice
- Registered with NMC/HCPC
- ACP portfolio and relevant appraisal with clinical supervisor
- Registered Independent Non-Medical Prescriber
- ACP HEE digital badge or be willing to achieve a badge
- Relevant teaching / mentor qualification
Desirable criteria
- Advanced life support Management/leadership qualification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Recent experience of working at an advanced practice level within Primary, Community or Acute care
- Extensive experience of advanced assessment, planning, diagnosis and implementation
- Experience of working as an autonomous practitioner
- Experience of working as part of a multidisciplinary team
- Experience of identifying training needs, planning and delivering training
- Clear understanding of legal issues and professional accountability
- Experience of service evaluation and implementation of change
- Experience of complaints management, incident and accident reporting
- Experience of carrying out research and audit
- Management/understanding of clinical governance
Desirable criteria
- Evidence of awareness of local and national issues affecting advanced practice
- Evidence of recent Quality Improvement and Innovation project
Skills
Essential criteria
- Excellent communication skills
- Able to communicate sensitive information to children and families
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults
Essential criteria
- Ability to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults.
- Demonstrates understanding of safeguarding issues
Working within Professional Boundaries
Essential criteria
- Accepts responsibility and accountability for own work and can define the responsibilities of others
- Recognises the limits of own authority within the role
Emotional Awareness
Essential criteria
- Aware of the range of emotions in self and others
- Demonstrates empathy for the concerns of others
Self-awareness
Essential criteria
- Has a balanced understanding of self and others
- Has a realistic knowledge of personal strengths and areas for development
Other
Essential criteria
- Ability to work across multiple sites, including for supervision purposes
- Flexibility to work over seven days per week, to support the delivery of a 24hr service
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Chloe Cameron
- Job title
- Nurse Consultant
- Email address
- chloe.cameron2@bedsft.nhs.uk
List all jobs in Nursing and Midwifery or all sectors