Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust - Urgent Community Response Practitioner
Closing Date
The closing date is 24 June 2026
Due to the success of our Frailty Service, an exciting expansion and development opportunity has arisen. We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic and motivated Frailty Practitioner to join our dynamic team of dedicated Nursing and Medical Staff working in the Urgent Community Response (for patients 18yrs +), Ambulatory and Community Frailty and Frailty Virtual Ward.
The post holder will provide expert direct patient care, screen and identify the frail older patient in their own homes, in 24 hour care and in the acute trust. The successful candidates will help to improve pathways for patients who are experiencing an acute crisis and decompensating frailty in the community.
Responsibilities
* Plan and manage complete episodes of care, working in partnership with others, delegating and referring as appropriate to optimise health outcomes and resource use, and providing direct support to patients and clients.
* Develop and use knowledge and skills to maintain professional development and keep professional portfolio up to date.
* Practice autonomously and be self‑directed.
* Use professional judgement in managing complex and unpredictable care events and capture the learning from these experiences to improve patient care and service delivery.
* Draw upon an appropriate range of multi‑agency and inter‑professional resources in practice.
* Appropriately define the boundaries of own practice, ask advice from consultant nurse or medical lead when unsure.
* Ensure services are delivered effectively and efficiently against predetermined clinical performance targets.
* Promote health and wellbeing, detection and prevention of vulnerability, prevention of illness, reaction and response to existing or potential ill‑health issues, contributing to reduction in length of stay or unplanned hospital admissions.
* Conduct practice within an ethical framework based on respect for the well‑being and safety of patients and clients for the clinical case management of a defined population.
* Collaborate with statutory and voluntary organisations to maximise nursing contribution in health improvement, planning and delivery of care to individuals, families, and communities.
* Participate actively in peer review of own practice.
* Enable patients/clients to learn by designing and coordinating the implementation of plans appropriate to their preferred approach to learning, motivation and developmental stage. In partnership with Consultant Staff, Consultant Nurse, Allied Health Professionals and Head of Quality, develop robust governance systems by contributing to the development and implementation of evidence‑based protocols, documentation processes, standards, policies and clinical guidelines through interpreting and synthesising information from a variety of sources and promoting own practice.
* Plan and deliver interventions to meet the learning and development needs of own and other professions.
* Advocate and contribute to the development of an organisational culture that supports continuous learning and development, evidence‑based practice, and succession planning; demonstrate high‑level communication skills and contribute to the wider development of those working in the area of practice by publicising and disseminating work through presentations at conferences and articles in the professional press.
* Develop effective partnerships and positive working relationships with a variety of internal and external agencies to support seamless care provision across all agencies.
Clinical & Professional Responsibilities
* Maintain professional registration and adhere to relevant code of practice of professional body.
* Assess individuals, families and populations holistically using a range of different assessment methods, including physical examination and ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests.
* Have a health promotion and prevention orientation and comprehensively assess patients for risk factors and early signs of illness.
* Use evidence‑based therapeutic interventions, including prescribing, planning treatments, reviewing medication and actively monitoring effectiveness of any interventions.
* Prescribe and review medication for therapeutic effectiveness, appropriate to patient needs and in accordance with evidence‑based practice and national and Trust protocols and formularies.
* Work with patients and carers to support compliance with prescribed treatments.
* Provide information and advice on prescribed or over‑the‑counter medication, medication regimens, side‑effects and interactions.
* In the absence of consultant, lead coordination of care, working with partner agencies and key stakeholders to ensure effective outcomes for defined case mix of patients.
* Provide strategic clinical leadership within area of specialty as an autonomous practitioner.
* Lead coordination of care for people on a defined caseload, demonstrating advanced competence in highly complex decision‑making, assessment and management of clinical needs within specialist area of practice and refer to specialist services as appropriate.
* Provide clinical leadership in workforce planning and skills profiling targeting resources to meet needs of individuals, families and communities.
* Undertake age‑appropriate physical and psychosocial assessment, interpret core clinical and diagnostic findings to determine a diagnosis and develop an evidence‑based plan of care.
* Instigate therapeutic interventions and treatments aimed at improving health outcomes and promoting self‑care, evaluate the effectiveness of interventions, modifying plans for optimal outcomes, referring to Medical / Nurse Consultant where needed.
* Provide specialist clinical advice to colleagues, individuals, families and communities.
* Provide high‑level anticipatory care through early identification of disease exacerbation to reduce likelihood of acute illness, risk and prevent hospital admission.
* Initiate and lead medicine management practice, review prescription, planning and adjustment of medicines, facilitate patient understanding to improve concordance with support of families.
* Lead development, maintenance and monitoring of service standards ensuring clinical and non‑clinical practice interventions are based on most recent evidence available and findings are incorporated into practice.
* Demonstrate advanced clinical and non‑clinical interventions and act as an advisor and educator to colleagues and learners in the area of specialty, always working within scope of practice.
* Supervise and teach learners in collaboration with education providers and other key stakeholders.
* Maintain expert knowledge, skills and competency through appropriate CPD, training and development opportunities to enable effective care delivered in line with current research‑based evidence and practice.
* Possess ability to work autonomously, asking for help and advice when necessary.
* Interact effectively with people who have different levels of communication skills.
Administrative Responsibilities
* Ensure recording of patient care is comprehensive, concise and in line with NMC record‑keeping guidance.
* Maintain IT systems current e.g., ADT to ensure confidential patient information is protected.
* Keep patient records up to date following any interaction with patients/relatives.
Teaching & Training Responsibilities
* Improve quality and develop practice of clinical teams by sharing skills and knowledge formally and informally.
* Be proactive in developing strategies and undertaking activities to monitor and improve quality of healthcare and effectiveness of practice.
* Strive to improve practice and health outcomes consistently with or better than national and international standards through initiating, facilitating and leading change at individual, team, organisational and system levels.
* Continuously evaluate and audit self and others at individual and system levels, selecting and applying valid and reliable approaches and methods appropriate to needs and context, acting on findings.
* Critically appraise and synthesise research, evaluations and audits and apply the information when seeking to improve practice.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Registered Nurse or Allied Health Professional with current NMC or HCPC registration.
* Educated to Degree level.
* Educated to Masters level, or willing to work towards.
* Independent Prescriber, or willing to work towards.
* Record of continuous managerial, educational and professional development.
* Mentorship course/qualification or equivalent experience.
* Recognised management or leadership course/qualification.
Knowledge and Experience
* Knowledge of clinical skills required to undertake the role.
* Knowledge of current professional & clinical issues.
* Knowledge of Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults procedures.
* Demonstrable knowledge of issues within nursing and the current NHS quality agenda.
* Demonstrable knowledge of risk management processes and clinical governance.
* Understanding of research and evidence‑based nursing practice.
* Awareness of how audit may influence quality of patient care.
* Knowledge of and participation in audit.
* Substantial post‑registration experience within Frailty.
* Shift/Ward/Speciality leadership experience.
* Evidence of undertaking professional responsibility for coordinating the patient's pathway of care.
* Evidence of enhanced clinical practice.
* Experience of teaching and developing practice in others.
* Experience of gathering and analysing complex information.
* Experience of project management.
* Experience of participating in research.
Skills
* Excellent time management, record management and organisational skills.
* Ability to work autonomously and as part of a multi‑disciplinary team.
* Ability to compile reports and deliver presentations.
Other
* Motivated individual, commitment to personal & professional development.
* Willing to undertake further study if role requires.
* Ability to travel various hospital/community locations by own car/assisted driver.
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.
#J-18808-Ljbffr