Advanced Clinical Practitioner

Advanced clinical practice (ACP) is a high level of practice healthcare professional can attain within clinical professions such as nursing, midwifery, pharmacy, paramedics and occupational therapy.

The role is designed to transform and modernise pathways of care. Advanced clinical practitioners (ACPs) are healthcare professionals, educated to Master’s level or equivalent, with the skills and knowledge to allow them to expand their scope of practice to better meet the needs of the population. They exercise autonomy and decision making in a context of complexity, uncertainty and varying levels of risk, holding accountability for decisions made.

You will find ACPs employed across all health and care settings.

The four pillars that underpin their practice are:

• Clinical Practice
• Leadership and Management
• Education
• Research

The roles undertaken by advanced clinical practitioners are determined by the needs of the employer and how they require the level of practice to be within their organisation.  This may fit with nationally understood roles, such as those within emergency departments or very bespoke roles based upon the needs of a specific population such as an advanced clinical practitioner dietitian running a complex enteral feeding (tube feeding) service for paediatric patients.

Advanced clinical practice is central to the transformation of services and better meets local population health needs by providing enhanced capacity, skills and capability.

If you are interested in finding out more about the Advanced Clinical Practitioner role in mid and south Essex please Contact us here.

Useful Resources

Multi-professional framework for advanced clinical practice in England Download here (PDF) (opens in a new window)

What is advanced clinical practice? | Health Education England (hee.nhs.uk) (opens in a new window)