Advanced Practice Week is about shining a light on our advanced practitioners in healthcare.

At CHFT we have Advanced Practitioners (APs) working within Acute Medicine, Frailty, Emergency and Urgent Care, Surgery, Paediatrics, Neonates, Women’s Services, Orthopaedics and ENT, Head and Neck/Ophthalmology, and Musculoskeletal Services.

All registered healthcare professionals can aspire to be an AP, you will have at least 3-5 years of relevant clinical experience within all four pillars of advanced practice. All trainee APs at CHFT need to be in an approved trainee apprenticeship post with an identified job plan and permanent post identified at the end of training.

All our trainees for adult AP are currently trained at the University of Huddersfield an accredited University and hold a digital badge on successful completion.

A few of our APs have been in touch to share more about their roles and their recent achievements:

Haematology APs

The team are transforming the diagnosis pathway for haematology patients. They have improved their targets in haematology cancer care, set by NHS England to ensure patients receive timely diagnosis, referral for and decision to treat their haematological conditions. 

Haematology APs are identifying and determining the nature of disease for new referrals to haematology including fast track referrals for patients, which are designed to ensure that patients with potentially serious conditions receive prompt attention. 

Orthopaedics and ENT APs

They have recently created a Coude Catheter SOP and training package, to enable orthopaedic patients who require difficult catheterisation to be managed on the ward. Therefore reducing the need for patients to be transferred across site for treatment.

Frailty AP

The team have expanded over recent years and now have 20 qualified APs as well as one first year trainee. The APs work dynamically to meet the needs of our frail population working across both hospital and community.

Frailty AP, Peter Gilligan, said: “I started this role three years ago, in some ways it feels like a blink but in other ways if feels like I have been doing this forever. It is by far the hardest but also the most rewarding thing that I have ever done.

"Being able to support people when they are at their most vulnerable is such a privilege. Working across multiple areas including Frailty SDEC, the frailty short stay ward and Urgent Community Response, has enabled me to be able to manage patients with a wide range of problems and needing very different management styles to achieve the goal of safe patient care.

"I can say without hesitation or reservation that this is a job for me for life and cannot wait to see what the next few (probably 26 years) has in store for me.”

Surgical APs

Liam Stout, said: “My day-to-day responsibilities include supporting the surgical wards and same-day emergency care unit, and working as part of the emergency surgical on-call team.

"I also undertake several clinics each week, including the colorectal two-week-wait cancer clinics and routine colorectal assessment clinics. I regularly assist in the operating theatre and have developed my skills to undertake both 1st and 2nd assistant roles. I am active in clinical audits and academic research to improve the lives of our patients, professionals and organisation."

Liam has also just successfully completed his PHD. A huge congratulations to Liam.

Ophthalmology APs

Jonathan Drury, said: "Penny (Taylor) and I are the first (and only) APs in Ophthalmology in the Trust. We trained through the generic AP route in Huddersfield and our time is split between emergency eye care and specialist clinics such as neuro-ophthalmology, glaucoma, cataract, uveitis and laser clinics."

Emergency Medicine APs

Working as part of the multi-disciplinary team, our Emergency Medicine APs look after patients with a wide range of pathologies from the life-threatening to the self-limiting.

They have expertise in resuscitation and they are skilled in the practical procedures needed. They are able to correctly identify patients who need an admission and those who can be safely discharge. They are also able to identify the critically ill and injured, providing safe and effective immediate care.

Acute Medicine APs

Acute Medicine APs play a crucial role in enhancing the capacity and capability within multi professional teams, improving clinical continuity and providing patient centred care. They are integral to the healthcare landscape, particularly in the field of acute medicine.

Kay Maxfield said: "We have adapted to a lot of change recently and supported our urgent and emergency care teams over the last few years to move the service forward. We are also supporting three trainee APs in our little team.” 

Thank you to our APs for sharing their stories.