Lead Advanced Clinical Practitioner - Older Persons Services (SDEC)

A Vacancy at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust.

An exciting opportunity for the Lead Advanced Clinical Practitioner in our Older Persons SDEC Service has arisen, this is a new post.

UHD is currently undergoing huge transformation following investment from the new hospital programme. this will see Poole hospital becoming a planned care site, the largest in the country and the Royal Bournemouth Hospital becoming the emergency /acute care site.

With this investment will see a new OPS SDEC facility being built on the Bournemouth site, enabling the expansion of the existing OPS SDEC service. Promoting an SDEC 1st Philosophy which the successful candidate will lead on the development of, as well as continuously developing the service to so it remains fit for purpose, ensuring timely access, safe quality care for all our patients.

To be responsible for the rapid assessment, diagnostics, and treatment of individuals within service using an advanced level of professional accountability, autonomy, and judgement, underpinned by Masters level theory and experience. This includes highly complex decision-making across a broad range of differentiated and undifferentiated individual presentations and complex situations, synthesising information from multiple sources to make appropriate, evidence-based judgements and/or diagnoses.

To provide clinical leadership to the ACP & ECP team and work with others within the directorate to determine the priority workload of the team across the directorate.

To plan and manage complete episodes of care, working in collaboration with the consultants and others, delegating and referring as appropriate, to ensure timely, effective management and optimise health outcomes, in line with the evidence base and nationally recognised best practice.

To play a key operational role and maintain a pro-active approach to managing and leading clinical pathways and flow.

Working closely with a multi-professional team, lead the ACP service in delivery of high quality, performance, and financial frameworks.

To promote and implement service and policy development and redesign, impacting beyond own area and other disciplines, informed by current best practice and evidence-base, in accordance with values-based care of the trust.

UHD are investing, developing and transforming Trust services in line with the New Hospital Programme. As part of this, some services may move site this year or next, either temporarily or permanently. Recruiting Managers will be happy to answer any service-specific questions at interview.

If a role or service relocates as part of a planned move, excess mileage will not be reimbursed. Travel from home to the new work base will be classed as a normal commute. Any other changes will be managed under Trust or national terms and conditions.

UHD has active networks including Women’s, BAME, Pride, EU, Pro Ability, and Armed Forces. We support Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant interview schemes.

AI tools may be used, but applications must honestly reflect your own skills and experience. Integrity is key to our recruitment process.

Thepostholderwillundertakethefollowingin OPS

· Responsible for the leadership, of all enhanced and advanced practice staff, both traineesandqualifiedwithinOPS SDEC,aswellassupportingeducationalsupervisors and engaging with Higher Education Institutes (HEI’s) for the delivery of academic modules.

· OversightoftraininganddevelopmentoftheACPteamwithinUHD OPS SDEC.

· MaintainappraisalsandmandatorytrainingofstaffwithinUHDOPS SDECviadelegatedteams.

· Responsibleformonitoringofriskandgovernance withinUHDOPS SDEC and implementation of any actions

· ResponsibleforlocalcomplaintsandLERN withinOPS SDEC related to the Advancing Practice team.

· Usetheirexpertknowledgeandcomplexdecision-makingskillsinunpredictable situations and making a differential diagnosis.

· Completeafullsystemphysicalexamination.

· Takeasystematicpatienthistory.

· Screenpatientsforearlysignsofdiseaseandriskfactors.

· Carryoutwhereappropriatearangeofinvasiveandnon-invasivediagnosticand therapeutic procedures to agreed levels of competence.

· Orderarangeofdiagnostic’stestsandprocedures.

· Makediagnosticdecisionsbasedonpathologyorimagingresults.

· Initiateprescribedtreatmentsandmedication.

· Deviseanindividualcareplanthatincludesallaspectsofmultidisciplinarycare.

· Refertootherhealthprofessionalsasappropriate.

· Dischargepatientsfromhospital/serviceorarrangefortheirtransferofcaretoanother health care setting.

Key Working Relationships -

Internal

• Line manager- Head of Nursing and professions
• Clinical - OPS Clinical Lead
• Consultants
• SLT
• Senior Matron / Matrons
• Clinical Leaders

External

• Members of the public
• GP surgeries / community nurses/practitioners
• Community Admission Avoidance Services
• Higher Education Institutes and colleges including Bournemouth University
• Regional Advanced Practice Faculty & networks

National Centre for Advancing Practice

This advert closes on Tuesday 26 May 2026

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

Disability Confident

About Disability Confident

A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.