More staff begin training in advanced roles at Shropshire’s acute hospitals
More staff at Shropshire’s acute hospitals are being trained in advanced roles which will help to provide the best care possible for patients.
Last year The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) began to train staff as Advanced Clinical Practitioners (ACPs) – experienced healthcare workers who possess the knowledge, skill and competence to treat and manage patients.
They are not doctors but once trained their role allows them to make decisions at a junior doctor-level, working alongside existing medical teams.
ACPs are former nurses, paramedics, physiotherapists and other nursing staff. They work at middle grade level and above once trained and with further training and development they can develop to a Consultant ACP level.
This week the second cohort of ACPs began their training, taking the total number being trained at the Trust to 15. The first cohort is due to complete its training in November 2017.
The latest cohort includes the first to be based in Surgery, while the others will work in A&E and Acute Medicine, which is where members of the first cohort were based.
Emma Jones, who is a fully trained ACP and leads the team, said: “ACPs are able to use their expert knowledge and complex decision-making skills in unpredictable situations to make a diagnosis and provide the best care possible for our patients.
“They will help us in our efforts to create a sustainable workforce for the future at SaTH. We’ve got a great mixed skill base so this means our ACPs will be multi-disciplinary.
“It has been vital to gain consultants support for this role, which we have with Dr Amruta Lacy-Colson as our Consultant lead for the overall programme, Dr Dodiy Herman, the Consultant lead for the programme in A&E and Mr Joe McCloud as the Consultant lead for it in Surgery.
“This programme means we will have more of our own trained staff to support Consultants to make decisions, and reduce our reliance on locums.
“This will also ensure a better continuity of care for our patients.”
ACPs come from a variety of backgrounds. Emma, used to be the Trust’s Hospital at Night Matron, while others come from various other healthcare roles.
Staff in the first cohort included Kim Carroll who was a Sister in A&E, Candice Mansell and Michael Bibby, who joined from a paramedic background, Rob Clarke, who moved from the Hospital at Night Service, and Lisa Tomlinson, who was the Clinical Lead for Physiotherapy and Therapy Services.
