Advanced Clinical Practice Week 2021
Advanced Clinical Practice Week takes place from Monday 8 – Friday 12 November 2021.
Advanced Practitioners are patient-centred clinicians who provide a unique combination of their base profession expertise and advanced clinical skills. In the UK, they are registered health professionals and come from nursing, physiotherapy, paramedic, pharmacy and other allied health professional backgrounds.
At GMMH, we have trainee and qualified ACPs working in many clinical areas including: adult inpatient wards, community mental health teams, adult and adolescent forensic services, later life teams, perinatal care, liaison and home-based treatment teams.
HEE’s Centre for Advancing Practice Virtual Conference 2021 takes place on Monday 8 and Thursday 11 November 2021 and sessions promise to be stimulating, educational, diverse, and entertaining.
Find out more here: Centre for Advancing Practice Virtual Conference 2021 - Advanced Practice (hee.nhs.uk)
Below, you'll find experiences from qualified and trainee staff within the organisation, telling us about their roles and journeys as ACPs.
Jonathan (Josh) Reeve, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, North West CMHT
“I have worked as an ACP across a range of settings including adult and adolescent forensic inpatients services, CAMHS and most recently community mental health. Being an ACP allows me to work outside my traditional scope of practice as an RMN. I’m proud to hold my position as it allows me to be an integral part of the modernisation of the NHS workforce whilst improving patient care, their outcomes and enhancing safety. It is inspiring to see colleagues continuing to develop the role in their areas of practice in mental health services, opening up the door for the profession in the future.”
Clare Berry, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Bolton Older Adults CMHT & Memory Assessment Service
"I am a (very) newly qualified ACP working in the Older Adults Community in the Bolton Directorate. My role is still in development and currently supports the CMHT and Memory Assessment Service. I offer consultation and clinical advice to care coordinators in the CMHT, alongside initial assessments, diagnosis, prescribing and formulation.
"I will be working alongside care coordinators to assess and manage complex cases. I line manage and monitor the physical health team within the CMHT.
"I also work with the Memory Assessment team two days a week undertaking assessment and diagnosis, in addition to providing case supervision to the practitioners to support diagnosis and treatment planning.
"Being and ACP is a multi-faceted, and incorporating the four pillars ensure a varied delivery of the skills. I am extremely proud to be an ACP, and love the autonomy that comes with the role.
"I think ACP is pivotal in improving patient experience, it supports access to more timely assessment and treatment, and can reduce the number of assessments and appointments service users need to attend before receiving diagnosis and treatment/intervention."
Abbey Kennedy, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Perinatal CMHT
“I have been a qualified ACP for a year now and I currently work with the Specialist Perinatal Community Mental Health Team. The role has provided me with opportunities to utilise all four pillars of advanced practice to enhance our service to improve outcomes for families. It is exciting to see and hear how the ACP role is developing within psychiatry, even more so within specialist areas, and I look forward to being a part of the GMMH ACP workforce.”
Lucy Campbell, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, South Mersey CMHT
“I’ve worked as an ACP in community services, initially AOT, CMHT then HBTT and now back in CMHT. I’ve driven ACP practice working with many consultants over the 13 years of being qualified as an ACP. Currently I am leading the extended assessment pathway within South Mersey CMHT which is an autonomous role, utilising daily my NMP skills and advanced clinical experience. I am also Professional Nurse Lead with two other ACPs in South Mersey CMHT, Rachel Clarke and Jennifer Thom. This, alongside the ACP role, helps develop services and the quality aspects of service provision. I feel I am lucky enough to be in a role that allows me to deliver all aspects of the four pillars of ACP, and I feel I can help trainee ACPs through the experiences I’ve had, developing and establishing the ACP role into teams. I always feel privileged when I reflect on my role, that I have managed to maintain direct clinic practice for the majority of my time in work, which is why I entered a career in nursing in 1997!”
Jennifer Thom, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Laureate House Inpatients
“My role as a newly qualified ACP in inpatients is really varied. I work as part of the MDT in the assessment, treatment and onwards referral of our patients, and am building skills to work more autonomously as the lead clinician for some patients. My nursing background, alongside the additional skills and knowledge I have learnt during my ACP course, mean I am well placed to provide holistic, compassionate and evidence-based care to my patients, and to advocate person-centred practices across the MDT.
“Other aspects of my role which make up the four pillars of advanced clinical practice are physical health leadership, teaching of clinical skills and knowledge, and driving local quality improvement initiatives. Every day is a challenge, but as the only ACP in my service I feel I have an opportunity to develop my role and to support quality care at Laureate House.”
Jordan Ormshaw, Trainee Advanced Clinical Practitioner, Perinatal CMHT
"I am currently in my second year of ACP training within the Specialist Perinatal CMHT. Although the training has had its challenges throughout COVID, I feel very grateful to be in the position to expand my skills & knowledge to provide holistic care for patients and their families within our service. The development of the ACP role within the perinatal service is ever evolving, and provides much opportunity to implement the four pillar of practice to support both staff and patients. I feel the role promotes parity of esteem for all patients within our services, and promotes the importance of multi professionals working. I still have a road ahead before becoming a qualified ACP, but am hopeful and looking forward to becoming part of the GMMH ACP workforce!"
Join in the conversation!
Twitter: @GMMH_NHS
Facebook: @GMMentalHealth
Instagram: @gmmh_nhs
Or search the hashtag #AdvPracWeek21 @AAPEUK
