In 2017 , the development of the Multi- Professional Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice in England , produced by Health Education England , provided a definition of advanced level practice for all healthcare professionals and a national collective understanding :
“ Advanced clinical practice is delivered by experienced , registered health and care practitioners . It is a level of practice characterised by a high degree of autonomy and complex decision making . This is underpinned by a master ’ s level award or equivalent that encompasses the four pillars of clinical practice , leadership and management , education and research , with demonstration of core capabilities and area specific clinical competence .” ( HEE , 2017 pg . 8 ).
The Advanced Clinical Practitioner “ embodies the ability to manage clinical care in partnership with individuals , families and carers . It includes the analysis and synthesis of complex problems across a range of settings , enabling innovative solutions to enhance people ’ s experience and improve outcomes .” ( HEE , 2017 pg 8 ). This workforce comes from a range of professional backgrounds , including but not limited to nursing , physiotherapy , pharmacy , paramedic sciences , podiatry and occupational therapy . An example of such professional development is that of pharmacists . The Royal Pharmaceutical Society ’ s Roadmap to Advanced Practice ( 2016 ), sets out the career pathways for pharmacists . This roadmap helps identify professional development towards advanced broad generalist practice and advanced specialist knowledge and skills . The road map outlines the practitioner ’ s stage of development based on competence and capability . In addition , the Clinical Pharmacists in General Practice scheme identified the benefit provided within primary care to patients by pharmacists ( NHS , 2019 ). This point was acknowledged by the British Medical Association ( BMA ) in May 2020 , who suggested that the presence of clinical pharmacists in GP practices helped with reduction in waiting times , improved effectiveness , and eased workloads .
Therefore , the development of Advanced Clinical Practitioners , which were identified explicitly following the Five Year Forward view ( NHS England , 2014 , 2017 ), has allowed for workforce transformation and helped enable the needs of the population to be met ( HEE , 2017 ). The Multi-Professional Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice in England , produced by Health Education England ( HEE , 2017 ), which included collaboration with universities , professional bodies and Council of Deans for Health , provides the guidance for current and future professionals who wish to develop the knowledge and skills required for this advanced level of practice .
The Multi- Professional Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice ( HEE , 2017 ) details the expected capabilities of advanced clinical practitioners across the four pillars . It provides educational guidance and indicates the support required by trainee advanced practitioners in their development towards advanced level competence and capability in the workplace . The frameworks capabilities use descriptors which are aligned to master ’ s level study , reflecting the ability of practitioners to work autonomously and make sound judgements in complex and uncertain situations ( HEE , 2017 ). The capabilities are therefore reflective of the level of practice and offer a national standardisation across multiple professional groups . To support the development of capabilities within clinical practice . HEE have also created guidance for effective clinical supervision which , is outlined in the Workforce Supervision for Advanced Clinical Practice document ( HEE , 2020 ), enabling a recognised support structure for developing advanced practitioners . However , other specialist capabilities have been acknowledged via The Royal College of Emergency Medicine ( RCEM , 2017 ), The Royal College of General Practitioners ( RCGP , 2015 ) and the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine ( FICM , 2015 ). These documents identify specialist capabilities required by advanced practitioners working within these clinical areas .
Additional work by HEE is being undertaken in development of units of learning referred to as credentials . The purpose is to address workforce progression and to enhance the capabilities of advanced practitioners , which is in line with NHS Long Term Plan ( NHS England , 2019 ).