Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Summary

The Acute Infection Advanced Practitioner is a pivotal member of the Winter Infection Service, providing high-quality clinical assessment, diagnosis, treatment and evaluation of patients presenting with acute infectious illnesses. Working autonomously and collaboratively with GPs, nurses, pharmacists, HCAs and wider multidisciplinary team colleagues, the practitioner will deliver safe, evidence-based care in line with their professional regulatory standards.

This role focuses on the assessment and management of acute respiratory infections, urinary tract infections, skin and soft tissue infections, and other same-day infectious presentations. The post holder will support admission avoidance, reduce unnecessary emergency department attendances, and contribute to the delivery of responsive winter services across the practice population.

Purpose of the job

The purpose of this role is to independently manage and provide advanced clinical care for patients presenting with acute infectious conditions, ensuring high-quality clinical decision-making and patient-centred care.

The Advanced Practitioner will:

• Deliver comprehensive clinical assessments, treatment plans, prescribing and follow-up.
• Manage patients presenting with respiratory, urinary and skin infections.
• Work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team to support safe, efficient patient pathways.
• Contribute to clinical governance, quality improvement, audit and service development.
• Promote self-care, health education and antimicrobial stewardship.
• Support winter pressure initiatives and admission avoidance pathways.
• Uphold professional standards and engage in continuous professional development.

Key Responsibilities

Clinical Responsibilities

Undertake face-to-face consultations, telephone assessments and clinical triage.

Assess, diagnose, treat and manage acute infectious presentations.

Make autonomous clinical decisions regarding diagnosis and management.

Request, interpret and act upon relevant investigations and diagnostic tests.

Prescribe safely and effectively within scope of practice.

Manage patients presenting with:

• Acute upper and lower respiratory tract infections.
• Suspected pneumonia.
• Urinary tract infections.
• Skin and soft tissue infections, including cellulitis.
• Other acute infectious illnesses suitable for primary care management.
• Provide appropriate safety-netting and follow-up arrangements.
• Refer patients to secondary care or urgent services when clinically indicated.
• Maintain accurate and contemporaneous records within EMIS.
• Support admission avoidance and same-day urgent care pathways.

Professional Responsibilities

Maintain active registration with the appropriate professional body (NMC, HCPC or equivalent).

Participate in annual appraisal, CPD and revalidation requirements.

Maintain and update knowledge in line with NICE guidance and local infection management pathways.

Promote effective communication within the practice and wider healthcare system.

Uphold confidentiality and comply with all practice policies and procedures.

Act as a role model for clinical excellence and patient-centred care.

Administrative Responsibilities

Ensure all consultations and clinical activity are accurately documented.

Complete coding and administrative tasks associated with patient care.

Support operational delivery of the Winter Infection Service.

Attend clinical meetings, audits and training sessions.

Support the development of new services and clinical pathways.

Research, Audit and Quality

Contribute to quality improvement and audit projects.

Support antimicrobial stewardship initiatives.

Ensure clinical practice remains evidence based and aligned with current guidelines.

Participate in service evaluation and winter service reviews.

Support CQC compliance and governance activities.

Communication

Communicate effectively with patients, carers and members of the multidisciplinary team.

Adapt communication style to meet individual patient needs.

Participate in multidisciplinary discussions regarding patient management.

Work collaboratively with community, secondary care and urgent care providers.

Equality & Safeguarding

Support equality, diversity and patients' rights.

Respect patient dignity, beliefs and individual circumstances.

Adhere to safeguarding policies and act upon concerns regarding vulnerable adults and children.

Additional Professional Standards

Maintain confidentiality and information governance standards.

Engage in continuous professional development.

Adhere to all Practice policies, procedures and organisational values.

Other tasks

The ability to work in a well organised and professional manner to meet the demands of the work, maintaining concentration and accuracy.

Ability to work alone or as part of a team.

Fire Warden and associated responsibilities.

Chaperoning and assisting patients to consulting rooms

Possess the ability to motivate, organise and prioritise your own workload.

To undertake any other responsibilities, to maintain a high standard and efficient service.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Qualifications
• Registered General Nurse (NMC).
• Recognised Nurse Practitioner qualification at minimum degree level
• Independent Nurse Prescriber (V300).
• Teaching/mentoring experience or qualification.
• IT literate.
• Experience
• Minimum 5 years post-registration clinical experience.
• Experience working within Primary Care, Urgent Care, Emergency Department, Walk-in Centre or Out of Hours settings.
• Experience independently assessing and managing acute illness.
• Experience diagnosing and managing respiratory infections.
• Experience diagnosing and managing urinary tract infections.
• Experience diagnosing and managing skin and soft tissue infections.
• Evidence of autonomous clinical decision-making.
• Experience working within multidisciplinary teams.
• Knowledge & Skills
• Advanced history-taking and physical examination skills.
• Strong diagnostic and clinical reasoning abilities.
• Ability to formulate and implement evidence-based management plans.
• Knowledge of NICE guidance relating to acute infections.
• Understanding of antimicrobial stewardship principles.
• Competent use of EMIS Web or similar systems.
• Excellent communication, consultation and organisation skills.

Desirable

• Master's Degree in Advanced Clinical Practice
• Qualification in Minor Illness or Urgent Care
• Experience working within a Respiratory Hub or Infection Service.
• Experience supporting winter pressure initiatives
• Experience participating in audit, quality improvement or service redesign projects
• Experience teaching, mentoring or supervising learners.
• Knowledge of local admission avoidance pathways.
• Understanding of population health management and health inequalities

Experience

Essential

• Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
• Strong IT skills
• Clear, polite telephone manner
• EMIS Web
• Effective time management
• Ability to work as a team member and autonomously
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Problem solving & analytical skills
• Ability to follow clinical policy and procedure
• Experience with audit and able to lead audit programmes
• Experience with clinical risk management

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

The Thornton Practice

Address

The Thornton Practice

Church Road

Thornton-cleveleys

Lancashire

FY5 2TZ

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.thedoctors.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Summary:

Our large, busy GP Practice requires an enthusiastic and motivated GP to join our team. The applicant must possess excellent communication skills along with a professional manner, have the ability to work well as a member of a team and effectively managed their own time and workload.

Clinical responsibilities of the role are:

• In accordance with the Practice rota, as agreed, the post holder will make him/herself available to undertake a variety of duties including surgery consultations, telephone consultations and queries, visiting patients at home, checking and signing electronic and paper prescriptions, dealing with prescription queries, paperwork and correspondence to the desired quality and in a timely fashion
• Making professional, autonomous decisions in relation to presenting problems, whether self-referred or referred from other health care workers within the organisation
• Assess the health care needs of patients with undifferentiated and undiagnosed problems
• Screening patients for disease risk factors and early signs of illness
• In consultation with patients and in line with current Practice disease management protocols, develop care plans for health
• Provide counselling and health education
• Admit or discharge patients to and from the caseload and referring to other care providers as appropriate
• Record clear and contemporaneous consultation notes to agreed standards
• Collect data for audit purposes
• Compile and issue computer-generated acute and repeat prescriptions
• Prescribe in accordance with the Practice Prescribing policy whenever this is clinically appropriate
• In general the post-holder will be expected to undertake all the normal duties and responsibilities associated with a GP working within primary care

Professional responsibilities of the role are:

• To maintain full registration with the GMC and with a recognised medical defence organisation approved by the partners
• To maintain full registration on the NHSE approved doctors list
• To maintain full accurate and contemporaneous records of activities both written and computerised as applicable to an agreed standard. The practice has a paperless approach and as such the computer records form the main record of all interactions with patients
• To promote good communications within the multi-disciplinary team
• To maintain and update professional knowledge in line with the Clinical Governance Plan / Quality and Outcomes Framework, The Practice Development Plan and your own Personal Development Plan
• To participate in educational programmes within the Practice
• To participate in GP appraisal
• To maintain standards of conduct and dress to maintain public confidence
• To maintain confidentiality in all areas at all times

Administrative and miscellaneous responsibilities of the role are:

• To ensure that any in house audit and requirements are achieved e.g. QOF prompts are actioned
• To complete all statutory and other paperwork / data entry both for medico-legal purposes
• To record all clinical activity and health promotion data in the Practice computer system
• To maintain good lines of communication with the partners and the practice management
• To promptly notify the Management team of an absence
• To book annual leave via the Management team and to provide reasonable help/cover for colleagues absence or leave
• To observe health and safety rules as outlines in the Practice Health and Safety policy
• Awareness of and compliance with all relevant practice policies and procedures
• A commitment to life-long learning and audit to ensure evidence-based best practice
• Contribute to evaluation/audit and clinical standard setting within the organisation
• Attend and contribute weekly clinical meeting, quarterly team meetings and ad hoc training session organised by the Practice or other agencies, where appropriate.

Confidentiality

• In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately
• In the performance of the duties outlined in this job description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the practice as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential.
• Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data.
• To work in accordance of all practice written protocols

Equality and diversity:

The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:

• Acting in a way that recognizes the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation
• Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues
• Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

Personal/professional development:

The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, such training to include:

• Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development
• Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work

Quality:

The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practice, and will:

• Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk
• Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision
• Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance
• Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs
• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources

Communication:

The post-holder should recognize the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

• Communicate effectively with other team members
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers
• Recognize peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly

Safeguarding:

Thornton Practice is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and young people and vulnerable adults who attend the surgery, either as patients or when accompanying patients. The post-holder will be expected to share this commitment.

If the post-holder has a concern regarding a child or young person or vulnerable adult they have a duty to act upon that concern. This may mean sharing that concern with another professional and following local and national guidance.

This job description is not exhaustive and may need to be amended as the practice develops. A flexible attitude and close liaison with other members of the practice is an integral part of this post.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Experience of working in a primary care environment
• Experience of continued professional development
• General understanding of the GMS contract

Desirable

• Experience of QOF and clinical audit
• Experience of medicines management
• Experience of ICS / ICP / CCG initiatives

Experience

Essential

• Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
• Strong IT skills
• Clear, polite telephone manner
• EMIS Web
• Effective time management
• Ability to work as a team member and autonomously
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Problem solving & analytical skills
• Ability to follow clinical policy and procedure
• Experience with audit and able to lead audit programmes
• Experience with clinical risk management

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

The Thornton Practice

Address

The Thornton Practice

Church Road

Thornton-cleveleys

Lancashire

FY5 2TZ

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.thedoctors.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)