This week we have been celebrating our Advanced Practitioners as we join in with raising awareness of Advanced Practice Week which runs from 8-14 November, 2021.
Advanced Practitioners play a crucial role in delivering Safe, Personal and Effective Care at ELHT and provide a unique combination of their base profession expertise and advanced clinical skills. Advanced Practitioners can come from any background, including nursing, physiotherapy, paramedics, pharmacy and other allied health professional backgrounds.
To celebrate, we spoke to Joanne Fellowes and Stephanie Johnson, two Advanced Practitioners at the Trust about their role and why they love it so much.
Joanne Fellowes:
How long have you been an ACP?
Hello, my name is Joanne and I have recently qualified as an ACP. I have been training to qualify as an ACP for a period of two years, however I have been working within specialist palliative care for a total of five years.
Briefly describe your role in the multidisciplinary team:
I work within the specialist palliative care team, primarily in the community setting. I am keen to develop and move forward with the role. As an ACP I provide holistic care to meet the complex needs of palliative patients.
What advantages does having an ACP in your area bring to patients and colleagues?
One advantage is to provide professional care for patients who are unstable or rapidly deteriorating. In my practice I implement clinical examination skills, prescribing and advance care planning. It is important to ensure we avoid unnecessary admissions of palliative patients. Also, to ensure patients who need admitting have that arranged in a timely way.
Being an ACP benefits my colleagues as I provide leadership and teaching to the other members of the specialist palliative team, such as clinical nurse specialists. I also undertake joint visits when needed to support junior colleagues.
How do you see the role of ACP developing at ELHT?
I am excited to see other community ACP’s in training across different disciplines, as well as being able to provide clinical excellence in delivery of community care. I see the role developing by strengthening the connections between different ACP’s and learning from each other’s expertise.
What is the best thing about being an ACP?
One of the advantages of being an ACP is that I now have the knowledge and skills to underpin clinical decision making. This enables me to achieve the best outcomes for our patients.
Stephanie Johnson:
Hello, my name is Stephanie and I am part of a team of eight Advanced Clinical Practitioners in Acute medicine at Royal Blackburn Hospital based in AMU / Ambulatory Emergency Care unit and B8 Fast flow.
What were your roles prior to becoming ACP’s?
We all have a diverse senior nursing background from acute medicine, Critical care, Emergency Department, Respiratory, Herpetology and Cardiology. This means we can support the team and department with our specialist knowledge and share experiences with the team.
Briefly describe the role in the multidisciplinary team:
The ACP’s provide an autonomous role in the promoting of high-quality advanced care for emergency medical referrals to Ambulatory Emergency Care unit, AMU, High Observation beds [within AMU] and the Medical fast flow ward. They provide holistic care, clinical expertise and advice, demonstrating a sound understanding on issues relating to the identification, assessment, diagnosis, treatment and management of acutely unwell patients. ACP’s in acute medicine exercise advanced clinical expertise, levels of judgement and advanced decision making in the clinical care of medical patients. They provide Safe, Personal and Effective care through clinical audit and continuous quality improvement, implementing evidence based practice and by involvement in the clinical governance process, whilst working within a multidisciplinary team providing skilled and professional leadership.
What advantages does having an ACP in your area bring to patients and colleagues?
The ACP team is a resource to less experienced staff, enhancing the nursing teams’ skill and knowledge whilst working as part of the wider multidisciplinary team and supporting the medical team. We find by having a nursing background we can support both nursing a medical team, which can reflect upon our clinical care and compassion with the patients.
How do you see the role of ACP developing at ELHT?
ACP’s in acute medicine predominantly work within a clinical role, however we encourage the four pillars of advanced practice which are demonstrated and encouraged by our team to carry out service improvement tasks, audit, research, attending and participating in directorate teaching and enhancing current clinical knowledge and skills. We are currently working towards gaining competencies into carrying out invasive procedures and conduct a daily telephone follow up clinic for patients who have attended within our department with pending investigations, all with providing high quality patient -centred care.
What is the best thing about being an ACP?
One of the best things about being an ACP in acute medicine is the support from our team members and colleagues, whilst being able to provide high quality advanced care.