Assessing the benefits of advanced clinical practice for key stakeholders

Anumber of professional bodies collaborated with Health Education England (HEE) (2017) 7 years ago to create the Multi-Professional Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice in England. Drawing on research and related policy documents and collaboration with key stakeholders, this sets out the definition of advanced clinical practice, the scope of practice and practitioners this applies to and the standards and capabilities that are expected of health professionals in these roles. The introduction of this framework, along with additional funding released specifically for the support of advanced clinical practitioner (ACP) training, the development of the NHS People Plan and the approval of an apprenticeship route, have led to increased activity around advanced clinical practice.

In 2020, a study by Lawler et al exposed the workforce experience of advanced clinical practice since the introduction of the multiprofessional framework. The COVID-19 pandemic and recent industrial action have also sharply bought into focus the demands on health services and those who work within them, including ACPs, the largest number of whom are nurses, who have often had to step up, be redeployed or work in different ways from before (HEE, 2020). This provides the context in which advanced clinical practice has become an increasingly hot topic in healthcare career development and, potentially, a hot potato when it comes to decisions on regulation as well as access to and provision of advanced clinical practice education, support, and development.