Senior Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
The Senior Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner is a highly skilled and experienced autonomous practitioner who will play a pivotal role within the expanding Level 2 Neonatal Unit. The post holder will provide expert clinical leadership and advanced neonatal care to infants requiring high dependency and short-term intensive care, supporting the delivery of safe, effective and family-centred services.
They will contribute to the strategic development of the Level 2 NNU as it expands its capacity, acuity and workforce. This will include leading the ANNP team, supporting service development initiatives, implementing evidence-based practice, and providing clinical leadership across the neonatal pathway, including stabilisation, transport preparation and transitional care where required.
They will have a significant leadership and educational role. This includes mentoring and supporting junior ANNPs, contributing to teaching, training and competency development; and promoting a positive learning culture within the unit. The Senior ANNP will also be expected to contribute to clinical governance activities, audit, quality improvement and research, ensuring care delivery aligns with national standards and best practice.
This post offers an exciting opportunity for an accomplished ANNP to influence and shape the future development of an expanding Level 2 Neonatal Unit, supporting high-quality neonatal care and improving outcomes for babies and families within the local population.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will practice independently as a Senior Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (ANNP) within the neonatal service. This clinically focused role requires expertise in patient assessment, examination, diagnosis and treatment within the agreed scope of practice.
The post holder is expected to ensure the safe treatment, referral and discharge of patients within the neonatal unit, maintaining high standards of care.
In addition to direct clinical care, the role includes responsibilities for supporting departmental coordination, service delivery and line management of ACPs within the care group. The Senior ANNP will also provide education, mentorship and professional development to junior staff.
The Senior ANNP will also contribute to sustaining and enhancing Walsall’s national reputation for excellence in advanced clinical practice by engaging in non-clinical activities such as education, research, leadership and management.
About us
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust is an integrated Trust and the only provider of NHS acute care in Walsall, serving a population of 284,300, providing inpatient and outpatient services at the Manor Hospital as well as a wide range of services in the community. Walsall Manor houses the full range of district general hospital services under one roof. The £170 million development was completed in 2010 and the continued upgrading of existing areas ensures the Trust now has a state-of-the-art Critical Care Unit, Neonatal Unit, Obstetric Theatre, and Integrated Assessment Unit facilities.
A new Urgent Emergency Care Centre was opened in March 2023. The two-storey development has significantly improved emergency care facilities and capacity and has provided almost 5,000 square metres of additional clinical space.
Job responsibilities
Key Responsibilities
1. Line management for a team of Trainee and Qualified ANNPs / ACPs within the care group with a specific focus on developing the ANNP/ ACP focus.
2. Providing guidance, support and development programmes throughout trainee programmes whilst leading service changes in the Neonatal unit.
3. The post holder will be expected to practice independently and provide advice, guidance and support to the team of trainee and qualified clinicians within the environment of neonates.
4. The post holder will typically be expected to deliver 70% clinical and 30% non-clinical duties.
Clinical responsibilities
1. To practice as a senior clinician, coordinating and providing care as required across the clinical area(s) within Neonates, supporting junior and trainee clinicians as part of an allied workforce.
2. Systematically assess, examine, investigate, diagnose and treat (with direct/indirect supervision of consultants) all neonatal patients accessing the service with a wide breadth of clinical presentations relevant to their specialized area, which include patients presenting with undiagnosed and diagnosed conditions.
3. Be clinically competent and able to manage any patient in the speciality.
4. The post holder will have a masters degree in advanced clinical practice and will hold relevant credentials (such as the NHS England ACP digital badge).
5. Communicate effectively with the patients carers and the multidisciplinary team.
6. The post-holder will provide collaborative senior support to junior clinicians within their designated department during their duty.
7. This post holder will have floor management responsibilities and will be responsible for assigning staff.
8. To ensure that documentation is accurate, contemporaneous and always maintained.
9. To rigorously and continuously review all aspects of the patients care plan and identify and address issues affecting the quality of care.
10. To act as a role model for all junior clinicians regarding clinical attributes and interpersonal skills.
11. To demonstrate a working knowledge of departmental integrated care pathways and contribute to developing new clinical and departmental guidelines.
12. To prescribe safely and effectively as a non-medical prescriber in line with Trust guidelines and within the individual’s scope of professional competence.
13. To be a conscientious, confident, and competent practitioner who works within their scope of professional practice.
1. Line manage Junior / Trainee ANNPs team for Care Group. This includes absence management, performance management, rota management etc.
2. Hold responsibility for service developments and aligned policies within the Neonatal unit and the Network as directed by the Clinical Lead for Neonates.
3. Work closely with the Associate Director of Advanced Practice, and Divisional Advanced Practice leads to ensure junior and trainee staff are prepared to undertake Annual Reviews of Competence Progression (ARCPs).
4. Work closely with the Paediatric and Neonatal Medical and Nursing Leads to ensure the standards are met and developed in line with Divisional and Trust agendas.
5. Ensure that the Paediatric Care Group is assured that the Neonatal Unit is effectively managed and responds to emergencies appropriately.
7. Be responsible for the positive management of complaints within the neonatal service and initiation of the investigation into adverse events.
8. Provide support, leadership, supervision and mentorship to allocated members of the team and to coordinate care, as required, during a span of duty.
9. Practice as an independent professional in a self-directed manner, with confidence, authority, and expertise, undertaking a comprehensive range of clinical procedures.
10. Have direct responsibility for patient caseload, ensuring all patients have an accurate plan of care that reflects the expert assessment undertaken, issues found, and recommendations made.
11. Work clinically to optimise health and wellbeing, through comprehensive history taking and physical assessment of patients.
12. Use a range of expert knowledge and skills to determine appropriate therapeutic interventions and treatment plans.
13. Initiate pharmacological interventions, using independent prescribing qualification(s), and schedule medications to be administered in line with organisational policies and national legislation.
14. Accurately request investigations, including ionising radiation in line with Trust and IRMER guidance and make independent clinical decisions based on the results.
15. Provide specialist advice and support to patients families and other healthcare professionals.
16. Contribute to developing a local, regional and national profile of the ANNP service in Neonates.
17. Collaborate with senior nursing and medical staff, within and outside of the department, to develop new systems and processes which facilitate improved patient pathways across the Paediatric care group.
18. Facilitate safe and effective levels of clinical cover and provide assistance where possible to cover unexpected sickness or absence that may be detrimental to service delivery (e.g tier 2 cover, etc.).
19. Deliver the highest level of interpersonal and communication skills and be actively involved in developing effective communication strategies with other multidisciplinary team members.
20. Actively evaluate patient flow within the department, directing clinicians and resources to specific areas to improve flow and capacity as required.
21. Participate in developing a specialist service and act as a change agent.
22. Be an effective, competent, confident role model/clinician and champion the ANNP role to other staff within the Trust.
23. Be actively involved in the development and evaluation of clinical competencies, clinical skills, policies, and procedures within the Enhanced and Advanced Practice workforce.
24. Work collaboratively and strategically with representatives of other clinical areas, disciplines, and services.
25. Represent the Trust on National Forums related to Advanced Clinical Practice within Neonates.
27. Demonstrate an awareness of innovative practice to identify current evidence applicable to emergency and unscheduled care and personally keep abreast of new treatments and technologies which influence patient outcome.
28. Critically examine and challenge current departmental processes that affect patient flow, to develop new systems and routes to facilitate and improve the patient journey.
1. Organise and lead regular teaching sessions in line with Neonatal e-portfolio standards for the ACP team.
2. To be involved in the planning and implementation of teaching programmes within the Neonatal Unit.
3. Participate in recruitment and retention of the ACP team.
5. To be actively involved in providing clinical supervision to the department’s staff.
6. To be a recognised instructor in Neonatal advanced life support.
7. To develop and maintain a positive learning environment.
8. To complete Continuing Professional Development and revalidation requirements.
9. To be an allocated mentor, ensuring that junior ACPs and trainee ACPs within your remit have a Personal Development plan as required.
10. To demonstrate the attributes of a clinical expert in terms of specialist theoretical knowledge, application into practice.
11. Maintain close links with local universities to participate in developing and delivering approved advanced practitioner programmes and promote the speciality of neonatal care.
12. To ensure adherence to Trust and regional child protection policies and achieve mandatory training requirements.
13. To develop a sound working knowledge of the hospitals plans for business contingency planning and escalation and be prepared to support the shift coordinator to initiate the business contingency Plan within the unit.
1. Conduct regular audits of the junior and trainee ACPs case notes.
2. Contribute to and, at times, lead the development of multidisciplinary research and clinical audits.
4. Participate and contribute to any ongoing regional and national research.
5. Ensure the results of audit, research and appropriate evidence are disseminated within the unit.
6. To both identify and disseminate the concepts of best practice on a regional and national level.
Person Specification
Qualifications
- Recognised Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner MSc course
- NLS instructor
Knowledge
- Evidence of extensive experience / post-MSc consolidation within the Neonates
- Evidence of management, support and leadership of trainee ACPs.
- Evidence of completed research projects.
Skills
- Demonstrate a commitment to progress the advanced practice agenda
- Advanced clinical procedures competence as per BAPM guidance
- Ability to analyse professional and ethical issues.
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.
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