Frailty Practitioner (Paramedic or Nurse)
Job Description
Job summary
Join Whitewater Health as a Frailty Practitioner and help deliver high-quality, proactive care to older people living with frailty across our community. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Registered Nurse or Paramedic who is passionate about person-centred care and supporting patients to remain independent and well within their own homes.
Working within our dedicated Frailty Team, you will provide holistic assessments, urgent and planned home visits, care home reviews, telephone triage and ongoing management for patients with complex health needs. You will complete Comprehensive Geriatric Assessments, develop personalised care plans and work closely with patients, carers and families to coordinate care and improve outcomes.
You will collaborate with GPs, Advanced Clinical Practitioners, pharmacists and community partners to reduce avoidable hospital admissions and deliver seamless, integrated care. In return, we offer a supportive, forward-thinking environment with opportunities for professional development, clinical supervision and career progression. This is a rewarding role for a compassionate clinician who wants to make a meaningful difference to the lives of older people every day.
Main duties of the job
As a Frailty Practitioner, you will provide proactive, holistic care to older adults living with frailty and complex health needs across our practice population. Working both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team, you will undertake home visits, care home reviews, telephone triage and face-to-face assessments, supporting patients to maintain their independence and quality of life.
You will assess, diagnose and manage a wide range of acute and long-term conditions, develop personalised care plans and coordinate care with GPs, pharmacists, community services and social care colleagues. The role focuses on early intervention, prevention and reducing avoidable hospital admissions through timely clinical decision-making and effective care coordination.
You will build strong relationships with patients, families and carers, ensuring care is person-centred and responsive to individual needs. In addition, you will contribute to service development, quality improvement initiatives and multidisciplinary team discussions to continually enhance the care provided to our older population.
This is a rewarding opportunity to make a meaningful difference every day while developing specialist skills in frailty management within a supportive and forward-thinking primary care team.
About us
Whitewater Health is a forward-thinking, patient-centred primary care organisation serving a population of approximately 18,000 patients across Hampshire. We are committed to delivering high-quality, accessible healthcare through a proactive and preventative approach, with a strong focus on innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement.
Our multidisciplinary team includes GPs, Advanced Clinical Practitioners, Nurses, Pharmacists, Paramedics, Healthcare Assistants, Care Coordinators and administrative professionals who work together to provide responsive, compassionate care. We foster a supportive and inclusive culture where staff are valued, respected and encouraged to develop their skills and careers.
We pride ourselves on maintaining a positive working environment that promotes teamwork, wellbeing and professional growth. Staff benefit from approachable leadership, regular clinical support, opportunities for further training and involvement in service development and quality improvement initiatives
As an organisation, we embrace new ways of working and use technology to improve access, efficiency and patient outcomes. We are passionate about reducing health inequalities, supporting our local community and ensuring patients receive the right care at the right time
Joining Whitewater Health offers the opportunity to be part of an ambitious, caring and innovative team dedicated to providing outstanding care while supporting staff to thrive both professionally and personally
Job responsibilities
The Frailty Practitioner is a registered Paramedic or Nurse who practices within their professional scope of practice and regulatory standards, providing high-quality, person-centred care to patients living with frailty in the community.
Working as an integral member of the Practice Frailty Team, the post holder will work autonomously to assess, diagnose and manage patients with acute, chronic and complex health needs. They will undertake urgent home visits, provide telephone clinical triage and deliver proactive, holistic care aimed at maintaining independence, reducing avoidable hospital admissions and improving patient outcomes.
The Frailty Practitioner will complete Comprehensive Geriatric Assessments (CGA), develop personalised care and support plans, undertake medication and functional reviews where appropriate, and coordinate ongoing management in partnership with patients, carers and the wider multidisciplinary team. They will provide care to patients within their own homes, residential and nursing care homes, and within the practice setting, working independently and undertaking lone working in accordance with organisational policies and procedures.
The post holder will actively contribute to weekly multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings, working collaboratively with General Practitioners, Advanced Clinical Practitioners, pharmacists, community services and other health and social care professionals to ensure coordinated, high-quality care for patients with complex needs.
The Frailty Practitioner will support the delivery of preventative healthcare initiatives, including seasonal immunisation programmes where appropriate, and will contribute to service development, quality improvement and the continuous enhancement of frailty services across the practice.
The post holder will receive appropriate clinical supervision, mentorship and professional support from experienced Advanced Clinical Practitioners and General Practitioners.
Those who do not already hold a recognised First Contact Practitioner (FCP) qualification will be expected to undertake the appropriate Level 7 postgraduate training, supported by the practice, subject to meeting the required academic entry criteria, which would normally include successful completion of study at Level 6.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to degree level in paramedicine or equivalent experience.
- Working towards developing Level 7 capability in areas of practice and, within six months of the commencement of reimbursement for that individual (or a longer time period as agreed with the commissioner)
- Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Paramedic or Registered Nurse (Nursing and Midwifery Council)
Desirable
- Is working towards developing Masters level or equivalent capability in areas of practice and has completed and been signed off formally within the clinical pillar competencies of the NHS E Paramedic FCP/AP Roadmap to practice or the Advanced Clinical Practice Framework.
- Completed and been signed off formally within the clinical pillar competencies of the Advanced Clinical Practice Framework.
Clinical knowledge and skills
Essential
- Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information effectively with people by telephone, email and face to face
- Understanding of safeguarding adults and children
- Commitment to reducing health inequalities and proactively working to reach people from all communities
- Ability to work within own scope of practice and understanding when to refer to another healthcare professional
- Ability to record accurate clinical notes
Desirable
- Excellent interpersonal, influencing, negotiation and organisational skills with the ability to constructively challenge the views and practices of managers and clinicians
- Good clinical system IT knowledge
- Broad knowledge of clinical governance
Experience
Essential
- Completed their two-year Consolidation of Learning period when a newly qualified paramedic or Nurse
- Completed a further three years experience as a band 6 (or equivalent) paramedic or Nurse
- Experience of working in community or pre-hospital care
Desirable
- Attained Level 7 capability in areas of practice
- An appreciation of the new NHS landscape, including the relationships between individual practices, PCNs and the commissioners
- Experience of working autonomously
- Worked within Frailty care or General Practice
Personal qualities
Essential
- Effective time management (planning and organising)
- Ability to listen, empathise with people and provide person centred support in a non-judgemental way
- Ability to follow legal, ethical and professional policies/local policies/procedures and codes of conduct
- Ability to use own initiative, discretion and sensitivity
- Ability to identify risk and assess/manage risk
- Ability to deal with non-routine and ...
