Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP)
The closing date is 16 November 2026
Job summary
The post holder will be a skilled, autonomous practitioner working as a core member of the multidisciplinary team to deliver high quality care to patients. They will possess the skills, competence, expertise, and clinical decision-making abilities required to plan, co-ordinate and prescribe treatment for Complex and frail patients within the community setting.

The post holder will provide clinical leadership for the development of integrated patient pathways in the Neighbourhood for Complex Care which are in line with recognised best practice and evidence base, working closely with stakeholders and care providers

Main duties of the job

• Communicate complex clinical information both written and verbal, to patients, carers, and all members of the multi-disciplinary team.
• Impart / explain the prognosis / outcome of the patient's condition to them and, at times, their carer in a sensitive and supportive manner.
• Develop a close professional working relationship with all members of the multidisciplinary team through respect for, and understanding of, their different roles and training.
• Working closely with stakeholders and clinicians to continue to improve care and service, in line with the NHS Plan.
• Working with GPs, Neighbourhood services and community stakeholders to ensure the needs of the patient and family are placed at the centre of care delivery.
• Work collaboratively to establish the county wide neighbour hood agenda.
• Acting as a role model and highly competent practitioner whilst facilitating development of all staff within the team
• Promoting an innovative and progressive attitude to the continual improvement of patient care through research, evidence-based practice, and teaching.
• Facilitate and deliver education, training, and clinical leadership for the advancement of clinical practice
• Promoting high quality evidenced based practice within caseload and the achievement of development, research, and audit goals throughout the Neighbourhood.
• Establish links and networks with other professionals in similar roles locally and nationally.
• Plan and prioritise own work load.
• Select appropriate and individual treatment pathways.

About us
At Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, we're committed to supporting our employees with a range of benefits designed to enhance your professional and personal life. We offer:

• Flexible working options to help you balance work and life
• NHS pension scheme for long-term financial security
• Generous annual leave allowance to recharge and relax
• A strong focus on career development to help you grow and achieve your potential

Additionally, you'll gain access to our Blue Light Card, unlocking exclusive discounts on shopping, dining, and leisure activities, as well as NHS-specific perks to support you both inside and outside of work.

We are proud to foster a diverse, skilled, and inclusive workforce, and we encourage applications from all backgrounds.

Why Somerset?
Somerset offers the perfect blend of idyllic countryside, outstanding areas of natural beauty, and breathtaking coastlines, with vibrant cities like Bristol, Bath, and Exeter just a short drive away - and only two hours to London.
The region is home to excellent educational facilities, and with affordable housing compared to other parts of the country, it's a great place to build both your career and your future.
Somerset truly has it all - the peaceful countryside and cosmopolitan city life, with something for everyone to enjoy.

Details
Date posted: 06 November 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8a
Salary: £57,528 to £64,750 a year
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 184-OL-BL-5565
Job locations: South Petherton Hospital, Bernard Way, South Petherton, Somerset, TA13 5EF, United Kingdom

Job description
Job responsibilities

• Demonstrate a critical understanding of your broadened level of responsibility and autonomy and the limits of your own competence and professional scope of practice including working with complexity, risk and incomplete information.
• Act on professional judgement about when to seek help, demonstrating critical reflection on your own practice, self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and openness to change.
• Work in partnership with individuals, families, and carers, using a range of assessment methods as appropriate, identifying risk factors in mental health assessments, requesting, undertaking, and interpreting diagnostic tests.
• Demonstrate effective communication skills, supporting people in making decisions, planning care, or seeking to make positive changes, using HEE framework to promote person centred approaches in health and care.
• Use expertise and decision production skills to inform clinical reasoning approaches when dealing with differentiated and undifferentiated individual presentations and complex situations, synthesising information from multiple sources to make appropriate evidence-based judgements and diagnoses.
• Initiate, evaluate and modify a range of interventions including prescribing medicines, therapies, lifestyle advice and care.
• Exercise professional judgement to manage risk appropriately, especially where there may be complex and unpredictable events and supporting teams to do likewise to ensure safety of individuals, families, and carers.
• Work collaboratively with an appropriate range of MDT and interprofessional resources, developing, maintaining, and evaluating links to manage risk and issues across organisations and settings.
• Act as a clinical role model for developing and delivering care that is responsive to changing requirements, informed by an understanding of local population health needs, agencies, and networks.
• Evidence the underpinning core trust wide ACP competencies as well as speciality specific competencies, knowledge, skills, and behaviours relevant to the role and demonstrate application of the capabilities to these in an approach that is appropriate to the individual role, setting and scope.
• Act as an expert practitioner demonstrating advanced clinical skills, including history taking, physical examination, requesting, interpreting and acting on appropriate tests and investigations.
• Demonstrate effective clinical skills and expertise in managing people with complex frailty in the community setting.
• Request specialist investigations such as x-rays, blood tests, scans etc. as appropriate.
• Refer patients directly to other consultants for example for psychiatric or geriatrician opinion, or other specialists as required.
• Regularly provide expert advice and second opinions to peers, medical colleagues, and other health professions
• Plan and prioritise their own clinical workload, ensuring a prompt and efficient service using clinical judgement and departmental guidelines.
• Through clinical reasoning formulate a clinical diagnosis and appropriate patient centred goals, following a complete and thorough analysis and interpretation, of the clinical examination.
• Select appropriate and individual treatment pathways, where conflicting needs may be identified (conflicting needs would typically occur where treatments can have both adverse as well as beneficial effects at the same time in a patient).

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Degree/ Diploma level education leading to Registration by the NMC/HCPC
• Teaching qualification or relevant experience.
• Non- Medical prescribing course
• Physical examination course
• Relevant Masters degree in Advanced Clinical practice

Experience
Essential

• Proven leadership and management experience in the community setting.
• Proven evidence of educational support to others
• Experience of change management as part of leadership role
• Evidence of research and audit participation and an understanding of the process involved.
• Undertaken research as chief or principal investigator.
• Good understanding of the NHS framework and government policy
• Familiar with current local and national issues
• Experience of developing advanced practice guidelines, protocols, and pathways of care

Desirable

• Experience in developing advanced practice guidelines. Protocols and pathways of care

Additional Criteria
Essential

• Evidence of a good standard of Literacy / English language skills
• Able to demonstrate advanced decision making /clinical reasoning skill through analysis and interpretation of the clinical examination.
• Ability to cope with potentially distressing situations such as imparting unwelcome news.
• Ability to take overall responsibility and accountability.
• Self-motivated and able to work under their own initiative.
• Strong prioritisation skills with the ability to manage competing demands.
• Problem solving approach.
• Innovative and creative, able to think laterally.
• Able to influence and motivate other staff.
• Team player with a 'can do' attitude.
• Personal resilience
• Drive, energy and enthusiasm.
• Always act in a professional manner demonstrating honesty and integrity
• Able to deal with people with challenging behaviour.
• Adaptable and flexible to needs of others and organisation
• Demonstrates punctuality and good time keeping.
• Develop and maintain good working relationships both within the Neighbourhood and with Stakeholders
• Willingness to use technology to improve standards of care and support to our patients.
• Able to demonstrate a good standard of English language.
• Keyboard skills
• Physically able to do work described.
• Concentrate for long periods daily.
• Complete work whilst being subjected to frequent unpredictable interruptions.
• Access to a vehicle for travelling within and outside the trust boundaries.
• Work under pressure, dealing with a complex range of competing priorities and agendas.
• To carry out this role successfully the post holder needs to be fully aware of and adhere to Trust values.
• Kindness
• Respect
• Teamwork

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.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details
Employer name: Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
Address: South Petherton Hospital, Bernard Way, South Petherton, Somerset, TA13 5EF, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.somersetft.nhs.uk/

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Hiring Manager, Annie Smith, annie.smith@somersetft.nhs.uk, 07824103340

Supporting documents
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