Lisa Hall and Danielle Eastwood
For the first time in its 29 year history, the wards at Clifton Hospital have introduced the Advanced Practitioner role.
Advanced Practitioners are registered Health Care Professionals who have acquired the expert knowledge base, complex decision-making skills and clinical competencies for expanded practice.
Registered Nurse, Lisa Hall and Physiotherapist Danielle Eastwood, have been employed to undertake the Advanced Practitioner programme since September 2015 and will qualify this August. They are both studying for a Master’s degree as part of the programme.
Clifton Hospital has looked at things differently in terms of traditional staffing models and by supporting Allied Health Care professionals as well as Nurses into Advanced Practitioner roles this enhances the skill mix and the rehabilitation environment.
Danielle Eastwood is a Physiotherapist currently undertaking the programme. She said: “This is a great chance to learn advanced clinical skills in a care of the older person environment and it is an ideal opportunity to build my current skills we have brought to the role.
“I’m really proud to have been chosen and I am really enjoying the role.”
Through their study and work on the ward, patients get more timely care and they will also be able to prescribe medications which take the pressure off the ward medical teams and enable the patients to receive their vital medications sooner. They will be able to lead multi-disciplinary team meetings (where different health professionals meet to discuss the current care of individuals patients) and also formulate plans of care for patients.
Head of Service at Clifton Hospital, David Kay, said: “We are really lucky to get two people from different backgrounds who completely understand the medical and rehabilitation requirements of older people and the importance of enabling more people to be cared for in their own homes”.
“Lisa and Danielle are being supported by the Ward and medical teams here at Clifton and have already implemented positive changes.”
Registered Nurse, Lisa Hall, added: “It’s exciting to have the opportunity to shape the new roles and to be able to implement positive changes on the wards.”