Job summary
Clinical Lead will provide strategic, professional, and operational leadership for the Advanced Clinical Practitioner workforce across Royal Lancaster Infirmary and Furness General Hospital. The post holder will ensure high standards of clinical practice, governance, workforce development, and service improvement, supporting the delivery of safe, effective, patient-centred care across both sites. Working in partnership with clinical, operational, and professional leaders, the Clinical Lead will oversee the development and sustainability of the ACP workforce, providing leadership in education, supervision, competency assessment, and professional practice. The role will support the implementation of advanced practice standards, promote consistency across sites and ensure compliance with professional, regulatory, and organisational requirements.

The post holder will lead quality improvement initiatives, contribute to service transformation and pathway development, and provide expert clinical and professional advice to multidisciplinary teams. They will support recruitment, retention, succession planning, and workforce optimisation, ensuring the ACP workforce is equipped to meet current and future service demands.

Through visible clinical leadership and collaborative working, the Clinical Lead will drive improvements in patient flow, operational performance, patient outcomes, and staff experience across both sites.

Subject to AFC Banding Confirmation

Main duties of the job
Provide strategic, professional, and operational leadership for the ACP workforce across Minor Treatment Units on both sites. Act as a visible clinical leader, promoting high standards of patient care, professional practice, and governance. Lead the development, implementation, and evaluation of services in line with Trust objectives, national standards, and service priorities. Support recruitment, retention, supervision, appraisal, and professional development. Ensure effective governance through competency assessment, clinical supervision, audit, incident review, and regulatory compliance. Provide expert clinical advice and support to multidisciplinary teams, contributing to complex decision-making. Lead quality improvement, service redesign, and innovation initiatives to enhance patient outcomes, flow, and operational performance. Work collaboratively with medical, nursing, AHP, and operational leaders to develop clinical pathways and models of care. Promote consistency of advanced practice across sites through standardised education, competency frameworks, and governance processes. Contribute to workforce and succession planning to support sustainable services. Monitor and report workforce, quality, and performance metrics. Support delivery of Trust objectives through leadership, transformation, workforce development, and continuous improvement. Maintain a proportion of direct clinical practice to retain credibility, visibility, and understanding of operational pressures.

About us
We operate from three main hospitals - Furness General Hospital (FGH) in Barrow, the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI), and Westmorland General Hospital (WGH) in Kendal, as well as a number of community healthcare premises including Millom Hospital and GP Practice, Queen Victoria Hospital in Morecambe, and Ulverston Community Health Centre.

FGH and the RLI have a range of General Hospital services, with full Emergency Departments, Critical/Coronary Care units and various Consultant-led services.

WGH provides a range of General Hospital services, together with an Urgent Treatment Centre, that can help with a range of non-life threatening conditions such as broken bones and minor illnesses.

All three main hospitals provide a range of planned care including outpatients, diagnostics, therapies, daycase and inpatient surgery. In addition, a range of local outreach services and diagnostics are provided from community facilities across Morecambe Bay.

Our Community Service for adults are provided in people's homes, community centres, clinics, GP Practices, community hospitals. Our aim is to work with people to help them remain independent, improve their health and manage their conditions through high quality care, advice and support.

Job responsibilities
For further details on the advertised position and the principal job duties/responsibilities, please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification found under the supporting documents section. Additional information about the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay can be accessed on our website.

Qualifications
Essential

• Registered healthcare professional with relevant professional body
• Independent Prescriber qualification
• Advanced clinical assessment/history taking qualification

Desirable

• Leadership or Management qualification
• Teaching/Mentorship qualification

Experience
Essential

• Minimum 3 years experience as an ACP in urgent/emergency care
• Experience managing minor illness and minor injury presentations autonomously
• Experience leading and supporting multidisciplinary teams
• Experience of staff supervision, appraisal and development
• Experience of service development and quality improvement

Desirable

• Experience of leading ACP services
• Experience of workforce planning and establishment management
• Experience of budget/resource management
• Experience of research or publication

Knowledge and Skills
Essential

• Expert clinical assessment and decision-making skills
• Evidence of advanced clinical practice within urgent care settings
• Knowledge of ACP governance frameworks and national ACP standards
• Ability to lead service improvement and change
• Excellent communication and influencing skills

Desirable

• Advanced understanding of workforce and performance data

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.