Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical Practice:

The post holder will work as an autonomous Advanced Clinical Practitioner/Senior Vascular Specialist Nurse, providing expert assessment, diagnosis, investigation, treatment and ongoing management of patients with complex vascular conditions across inpatient, outpatient and ambulatory care settings. The post holder will independently manage a defined caseload, demonstrating advanced clinical reasoning, professional accountability and expert decision making within their scope of practice.

The post holder will:

• Undertake comprehensive advanced clinical assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning and evaluation of patients with arterial and venous disease, diabetic foot complications, vascular ulcers, aneurysm surveillance and post-operative vascular conditions.
• Independently manage nurse-led vascular clinics, follow-up clinics, surveillance programmes and urgent patient reviews, ensuring timely intervention and continuity of care.
• Request, interpret and act upon appropriate diagnostic investigations including vascular imaging, pathology and physiological assessments within agreed competency frameworks.
• Independently prescribe medicines (where qualified) and initiate, review and adjust treatment plans in accordance with evidence-based practice, national guidance and local policies.
• Provide advanced assessment and management of complex vascular wounds, compression therapy, lower limb assessment and vascular deterioration, escalating appropriately where surgical intervention is required.
• Assess deteriorating patients, initiate appropriate management plans and coordinate timely escalation to consultant vascular surgeons or other specialist teams.
• Provide specialist advice and expert clinical support to patients, carers, General Practitioners, community nursing teams, tissue viability services, podiatry, emergency care, ward teams and other healthcare professionals across organisational boundaries.
• Act as the key clinical contact for vascular patients throughout their treatment pathway, ensuring coordinated, seamless care across Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Cheshire & Merseyside Vascular Network.
• Participate in consultant-led multidisciplinary team meetings and independently present complex clinical cases, contributing to shared clinical decision-making and treatment planning.
• Coordinate safe admission, discharge and follow-up planning, ensuring effective communication between acute, community and tertiary services.
• Promote self-management, health promotion and patient education, empowering patients and carers to participate in treatment decisions and optimise long-term outcomes.
• Analyse clinical information and service activity to support delivery of national vascular standards, NHS constitutional targets, GIRFT recommendations and elective recovery priorities.
• Maintain accurate, contemporaneous electronic patient records and ensure compliance with professional, legal and organisational documentation standards.
• Act as the Trust's expert resource for vascular nursing, providing specialist advice, consultation and expert opinion to multidisciplinary teams and external partners.

Leadership and management 

The post holder will provide professional, clinical and operational leadership for the Vascular Specialist Nursing Service, supporting service resilience, transformation and continuous quality improvement.

The post holder will:

• Provide visible clinical leadership for the vascular nursing service, acting as an expert role model and ambassador for advanced clinical practice.
• Lead the development, implementation and evaluation of nurse-led vascular services to improve patient access, experience and outcomes.
• Identify opportunities for service redesign, innovation and pathway transformation in response to changing service demands and national policy.
• Lead quality improvement programmes, clinical audit, service evaluation and governance initiatives to improve safety, effectiveness and productivity.
• Develop, review and implement clinical guidelines, standard operating procedures and evidence-based pathways for vascular care.
• Work collaboratively with consultant vascular surgeons, divisional leaders and system partners to support service planning, workforce development and long-term sustainability.
• Participate in recruitment, induction, appraisal, supervision and professional development of nursing staff, trainee ACPs and other members of the multidisciplinary team where appropriate.
• Provide expert advice regarding complaints, incidents, patient safety concerns and clinical governance, ensuring lessons learnt are embedded into practice.
• Monitor clinical activity, patient outcomes and service performance, contributing to divisional and Trust quality and performance objectives.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, compassionate leadership and multidisciplinary collaboration.

Education

The post holder will lead the development of vascular knowledge and advanced clinical practice across the multidisciplinary workforce.

The post holder will:

• Maintain advanced clinical competence through continuing professional development, reflective practice and completion of specialty-specific competencies.
• Act as an educator, mentor, supervisor and clinical assessor for nurses, trainee ACPs, junior doctors, allied health professionals and medical students.
• Design, deliver and evaluate vascular education programmes for hospital and community healthcare professionals.
• Support succession planning through the development of future Advanced Clinical Practitioners and specialist vascular nurses.
• Share specialist knowledge through formal teaching, case reviews, multidisciplinary meetings and clinical supervision.
• Maintain an advanced clinical portfolio demonstrating ongoing competence across the four pillars of Advanced Clinical Practice.
• Disseminate new evidence, national guidance and best practice to improve vascular care across the organisation.
• Maintain compliance with all statutory, mandatory and professional training requirements.

Research, audit and quality improvement

The post holder will promote an evidence-based culture and contribute to the continuous development of vascular services.

The post holder will:

• Lead and participate in clinical audit, research and quality improvement projects that improve vascular patient outcomes and service delivery.
• Evaluate clinical practice against national guidance, GIRFT recommendations, VSQIP standards and local quality indicators.
• Develop robust governance processes, clinical databases and outcome measures to monitor service performance.
• Present audit findings, quality improvement outcomes and research activity at local, regional and national forums where appropriate.
• Participate in research studies and support the implementation of research findings into clinical practice.
• Collaborate with Advanced Clinical Practitioners and specialist nurses across the Trust and regional vascular network to share best practice and develop consistent standards of care.
• Contribute to the development of Trust policies, clinical guidelines and evidence-based pathways relating to vascular care.
• Use data to identify opportunities to improve patient safety, efficiency, patient experience and value for money across the vascular service.

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