Advanced Clinical Practice
What is advanced clinical practice?
Advanced clinical practice (ACP) is a defined level of practice within clinical professions such as nursing, pharmacy, paramedics and occupational therapy. This level of practice is designed to transform and modernise pathways of care, enabling the safe and effective sharing of skills across traditional professional boundaries (NHSE).
Advanced clinical practitioners (ACPs) are healthcare professionals, educated to Master’s level or equivalent, with the skills and knowledge to allow them to expand their scope of practice to better meet the needs of the people they care for. ACPs are deployed across all healthcare settings and work at a level of advanced clinical practice that pulls together the four ACP pillars of clinical practice, leadership and management, education and research ( NHSE) .
The Multi-professional framework for advanced clinical practice in England underpins the standards of practice for advanced practice as well as its governance ensuring consistency in the level of practice at national level. For further information please follow the link: https://www.hee.nhs.uk/
Pathway to become ACP
Routes into Advanced Practice
Step 1 Statuary Health Professional: healthcare professionals regulatory body i.e. NMC, HCPC, etc.
Step 2 This Level 6 post-registration practice is for highly experienced healthcare professionals working across a variety of settings with multi-professional backgrounds.
Step 3 Advanced practice see clinicians educated to a high level (Level 7 advanced Practice MSc via either traditional academic/apprenticeships or e-portfolio route), practicing across all four pillars of advanced practice.
Step 4 Consultant level of practice: Advanced practitioners can further develop their careers and practice at consultant level with the right level of training and experience.
Roadmaps – FCPs and ACPs
Roadmaps offer information for allied health professionals (AHPs) regarding becoming First Contact Practitioners (FCPs) and Advanced Clinical Practitioners (ACPs). Inside, you will find information such as definition of the roles, training process, portfolio building and supervision. See more information below:
Podiatrists: View Link
Paramedics: View Link
Dietitian: View Link
Occupational therapists: View Link
MSK physiotherapists: View Link
Are you interested in Advanced Practice:
Full MSc ACP programmes are funded by NHSE ( traditional academic MSc /Apprenticeship).
Clinicians with recently completed level 7 modules, can apply for Top Up funding to complete the MSc. However a transfer of prior credits towards a full MSc pathway must be relevant to the MSc ACP and will be transfer at the discretion of the University.
Funding for MSc places is currently reviewed annually. All applications for ACP MSc pathways must come via LTH.
ACP MSc Lincoln University : https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/course/adclprms/
E-portfolio
The Centre of Advancing Practice has created a e-Portfolio (supported) route to recognised existing experienced advanced practitioners, clinically working in advanced roles on a regular basis who have already completed their advanced practice experiential and educational learning mostly before 2017 when the Multi-professional framework for advanced clinical practice in England was published.
The components of the e-Portfolio route act as an assurance for the Centre that applicants for the Route are experienced advanced practitioners who have demonstrated the development of the capabilities outlined in the Multi-professional framework (2017). The successful completion of the e-Portfolio is linked to a digital badge. For more information please visit:
https://advanced-practice.hee.nhs.uk/
To complete your EOI please fill the form below:
Advanced Practice Clinical Supervision
Supervision provides protected and safe time to share and discuss practice opportunities and or uncertainties . It is essential to all healthcare professionals but particularly pertinent and beneficial to trainees roles. It safeguards professional and public safety as well as supports training development.
There are seven fundamental considerations, set out in the diagram below, which underpins workplace supervision and ensure that both patient and professional safety are maintained during the trainee’s development.
Follow the link for information in each of these areas. https://advanced-practice.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/supervision/
Registered health professionals are expected to understand the purpose of and engage in supervision and continuous professional development. Employers also have responsibilities for ensuring adequate supervision and training for their employees ( NHS Employers).
Advanced practice workplace supervision – Minimum standards for supervision (2020):
https://advanced-practice.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/supervision/minimum-standards-for-supervision/
The Centre for Advancing Practice Complex Clinical Reasoning Programme: A Supervisor Guide
Resources
Core Capabilities links-ACP Nursing in Primary Care:
https://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/
Paramedic Specialist in Primary and Urgent Care Core Capabilities Framework:
Introducing your Advanced Clinical Practitioner – information for the public
Advanced Level Nursing Practice and Care of Pregnant and Postnatal Women
Appraisal sample for ACPs
Annual Appraisal ACP Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire
HCPC Resources to Support Those Working at Advanced Levels of Practice
New resources to support those working at advanced levels of practice | The HCPC
Midlands Faculty for Advancing Practice Update Bulletin: Midlands News and Events – Advanced Practice
LTH leadership:
https://www.lincolnshiretraininghub.nhs.uk/professional-development/leadership/
LTH Health & Wellbeing:
https://www.lincolnshiretraininghub.nhs.uk/health-wellbeing/
NHS Employers: https://www.nhsemployers.org/articles/advanced-practice
AHP Research Lead for Lincolnshire: Kirsten Guy:kirsten.guy@nhs.net
National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR): https://arc-em.nihr.ac.uk/
Director of Nursing & ACP: Lisa Freeman lisa.freeman9@nhs.net
Midlands Faculty for Advancing Practice Update Bulletins
