Advert details:
Salary: Band 7 (£52,845 - £61,466)
Job closing date: 29/11/2026
Job Type: Allied Health Professions
Location: NHS Shetland
Employment type: Permanent
Hours Per Week: 36
Employer (NHS Board): Scottish Ambulance Service
Department: National Operations

Qualified or Trainee Advanced Paramedic Practitioner
(Urgent and Primary Care)

We are currently inviting applications from Paramedics for a Qualified or Trainee Advanced Paramedic Practitioner (Urgent & Primary Care) position in Shetland. This is a new position developed in partnership with the Scottish Ambulance Service and NHS Shetland.

The successful applicant will be required to reside in Shetland.

Advanced Paramedic Practitioners (AP) in Urgent & Primary Care undertake a dynamic role providing high-level, independent decision-making, including assessment, diagnosis, management, and treatment including prescribing for patients with complex multidimensional needs. The AP in Urgent and Primary Care will work a rotational model including working as part of the multidisciplinary team at NHS Shetland Urgent and Unscheduled Care Services. It also includes remote telephone and video consultations, professional support for other clinicians and providing a response on behalf of the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Operating at this level, the AP will possess a wide-ranging breadth of knowledge and understanding in addition to evidence of critical thinking, patient assessment, and clinical care. Delivery of this advanced level of care will be supported by a scope of practice beyond what is currently required for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Paramedic. The AP will also be expected to work across the four domains of advanced practice, including contributing to service wide audit, research, training, and education.

Qualified applicants must be HCPC-registered paramedics, hold a minimum SCQF Level 11 Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Practice (including V300 prescribing), and provide evidence of completion of an appropriate Advanced Practice Competency Framework. Please refer to the attached application pack for the full criteria required to be considered for a qualified position.

Qualified candidates who are successful in the recruitment process will be assimilated to Band 7.

Successful applicants who do not already hold the required qualifications will undertake a fully funded Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Practice, including independent prescribing, and complete a competency framework portfolio. The full training programme is expected to take approximately 30 months.

Candidates requiring training will be appointed as Trainee Advanced Paramedic Practitioners and paid in line with Agenda for Change (AfC) Annex 21: 70% of the top of Band 7 during Year 1, and 75% of the top of Band 7 for the remainder of the training programme. On successful completion of the AP (UPC) training programme, staff will move to the bottom of Band 7. Where an individual is employed by SAS or another health board and their current salary is higher, pay protection will apply until the qualification date. This will also apply to overtime, unsocial hours, and any agreed pay award uplifts. Existing increments will be retained until all required modules are completed and the individual is assessed as competent against advanced practice requirements.

This is a new development post, and so exact roster details will be developed in partnership with the successful candidate, NHS Shetland and the Scottish Ambulance Service. It is anticipated the shift pattern will include seven days working, including day and night shift working, with associated Agenda for Change un-social hours payments.

The role will include being part of the Scottish Ambulance Service overall response so you will therefore need to have a full UK manual driving licence, and you will need to successfully pass the FutureQuals Emergency Response Driver Training (if you do not already hold this or an equivalent qualification accepted by SAS).

Shortlisted candidates will be expected to attend a face-to-face assessment day on week commencing the 7 th of December 2026, exact date, time, and location will be advised as soon as possible.

Full details of the recruitment process, including application and fitness test requirements can be found in the application pack. Should you require further information we would encourage you to please email the SAS Advanced Practitioner Urgent and Primary Care inbox at sas.advanced-practitioner-upc@nhs.scot

Due to legislative changes from 1 April 2025, this post may require a different level of criminal records check done than is currently the case. If the post is assessed as a "regulated role", your appointment will be subject to joining the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme. If there is any change to what is currently required, this will be confirmed by either the Hiring Manager or the Recruitment Team. For more details on these changes please visit: Disclosure Scotland Changes.

To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service.

As part of the pre-employment checks for a preferred candidate, NHS Scotland Boards will check your entitlement to work in the UK. It can be evidenced through a number of routes including specific types of visa as well as EU settled and pre-settled status. To find out more about these routes of permission, please refer to the GOV.UK website here.

Please note that The Scottish Ambulance Service is NOT licensed to issue certificates of sponsorship under current UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) regulations. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK without requiring sponsorship to work with us.

NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.