Advanced Clinical Practitioner - The Ridge PCN The Ridge PCN are looking for a compassionate and confident Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) to play a key role in supporting the health and wellbeing of residents living in care homes.
Interviews will be taking place 31st March 2026.
Main duties of the job In this role, you will bring your advanced clinical skills, warm communication style, and independent prescribing expertise to help residents stay well, avoid unnecessary hospital visits, and feel cared for. Working closely with GPs, community teams, and care home staff, you will become a familiar face in the homes you support. Working within the scope of your practice, you will assess, diagnose, prescribe, and plan care.
The role is flexible in terms of hours (up to 25 hours per week).
About us About The Ridge PCN
The Ridge Primary Care Network (PCN) is a semi-rural network established in 2019, serving a population of approximately 36,000 patients across four GP surgeries: Bearsted Medical Practice, Len Valley Practice, Sutton Valence Group Practice, and The Orchard Surgery in Langley. Our PCN has a strong record of collaboration and innovation, successfully delivering a range of services tailored to the needs of our local community. We are supported by an active and engaged Board and benefit from excellent patient participation, helping us to shape and improve services in line with what matters most to our population. A key area of focus for The Ridge PCN is supporting our frail population. We are committed to ensuring that these patients receive high-quality, proactive care that promotes independence, dignity, and improved outcomes.
About West Kent Primary Care
West Kent Primary Care is an innovative GP Federation whose shareholders include all fifty practices in West Kent, covering 500,000 patients. Within this, the practices are divided into 9 Primary Care Networks (PCN). We are made up of a core operations team, a PCN based workforce including clinical and non-clinical staff and a Board of Executive Directors (four local GPs and twelve PCN clinical directors). The federation also offers a variety of services including the Community Diabetes Service, Post Covid Assessment Service, and a Frailty Service.
West Kent Primary Care are the employer for the role.
Job responsibilities Clinical practice
- Provide autonomous clinical assessment, diagnosis, prescribing, and management of residents in care homes, including those with complex, acute, chronic, frailty related, or undifferentiated presentations.
- Lead proactive care home ward rounds, reviewing routine followups, post discharge cases, long term conditions, and residents identified as at risk of deterioration.
- Creating and reviewing personalised care plans, including Comprehensive Geriatric Assessments (CGA) and ReSPECT discussions in collaboration with MDT and families.
- Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to deliver safe and high-quality care.
- Conduct clinical practice at an advanced level using expert clinical skills, critical judgements & knowledge to deliver appropriate and safe care.
- Assess, diagnose, plan, implement and evaluate treatment/interventions and care for patients presenting with acute, long term and complex health needs.
- Interpret investigation findings to determine effective treatment plans & discuss with GPs where a second opinion is required.
- Proactively identify, diagnose, and manage treatment plans for patients at risk of developing a long-term condition, using both non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatments.
- Co-ordinate the planning and delivery of care ensuring patients and carers or relatives are involved where required. Actively take a personalised care approach and population centre care approach to enable shared decision making.
- Prescribing and reviewing medication that is appropriate for patient needs and in accordance with latest evidence-based practice, national and practice protocols and within the scope of qualified practice.
- Diagnose and manage acute and chronic conditions, including drug and non-drug-based treatment methods into a management plan.
- Request diagnostic investigations and interpret within agreed protocols e.g. x-ray, blood tests, scans, etc.
- Refer patients to other members of the multi-disciplinary practice teams, secondary care organisations, and other organisations, as necessary.
- The postholder has a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of vulnerable adults and children.
Leadership and management personal and people development
- Takes responsibility for own learning and performance including participating in clinical supervision and acting as a positive role model.
- Supports staff development to maximise potential and support practice development.
- Critically evaluates and reviews innovations and developments that are relevant to clinical practice.
- Contributes to the development of local guidelines, protocols, and standards.
- Maintains effective communication with those responsible for the overall commissioning and procurement process.
- Promotes the role of the Advanced Clinical Practitioner in general practice completing relevant training to provide multi-professional clinical practice and CPD supervision to other roles within primary care.
- Works as an effective and responsible team member, supporting others and exploring the mechanisms to develop new ways of working.
Education
- Undertakes mentorship for more junior staff, assessing competence against set standards.
- Use evidence-based strategies to improve and enhance the quality of patient care.
- Assesses own learning needs and undertakes learning as appropriate.
- Provides an educational role to patients, carers, families, and colleagues in an environment that facilitates learning.
Research
- Critically engage in research activity and use evidence-based strategies to improve and enhance the quality of patient care.
- Participates in clinical governance activity and contributes to the improvement in quality of health outcomes through audit, risk management and the Quality and Outcomes Framework
- Participates in investigation of incidents and events as required.
- Identifies, applies, and disseminates research findings relating to own practice.
- Collects data for audit purposes and uses clinical audit to monitor quality in the service and implements change according to findings.
- Participates in clinical trials and equipment testing.
Quality
Under supervision and support of GPs in the practice, the post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practices, and will:
- Participate in clinical governance activity and contribute to the improvement in quality of health outcomes through audit, risk management and the Quality and Outcomes Framework
- Alerts other team members to concerns about risk, quality, and safety.
- Participates in investigation of incidents and events as required.
- Contributes 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.
- Works effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs.
- Effectively manages own time, workload, and resources.
- Delivery of care in line with NSF, NICE guidelines, and evidence-based care
Person Specification Skills
- Clinical leadership skills
- Communication skills, both written and verbal
- Communication of difficult messages to patients and families
- Negotiation and conflict management skills
- Change management.
- Teaching and mentorship within a clinical setting
- Resource management
Other
- Highly motivated
- Flexibility
- You will be required to travel independently between care homes and PCN sites, therefore having access to your own reliable transport is essential. A full, clean UK driving licence (or equivalent) is required to safely and efficiently perform the duties of the role.
Qualifications
- Masters degree level in the relevant area of expertise
- For Advanced Clinical Practitioner Nurses only, have either graduated from a Centre for Advancing Practice accredited MSc advanced practice programme or completed the Centres ePortfolio (supported) Route.
- MSc in advanced practice or equivalent accreditation
- Clinical supervision training and experience
Experience
- Recent primary or community experience
- Management of minor illness, minor ailments, and injuries
- Triage
- Compiling protocols and clinical guidelines
- Clinical Leadership
- Audit
- Research
- Project management
- Health-needs assessment
Knowledge
- A clear understanding of the Multi-professional framework for advanced clinical practice in England ()
- Advanced clinical practice skills
- Clinical examination skills
- Accountability of own role and other roles
- Management of patients with long-term conditions
- Management of patients with complex needs
- Local plan and national health policy
- Clinical governance issues in primary care
- Patient group directions and associated policy . click apply for full job details