Advanced Practitioners (AP)
All Advanced Practitioners (AP) are highly qualified individual who having undertaken extra academic qualifications and have gained extensive knowledge and experience in their field. Some have a nursing, paramedic, or pharmacy background and all have expertise in a broad area of medicine.
Advanced Practitioners speak and see patients with a wide variety of medical issues from the more minor ailments, and, depending on experience, the more complex issues that arise. The consultation will include taking a full history of the medical problem, examining patients, initiating any investigations deemed appropriate, diagnosing, and treating or referring on to specialist as is required. All this is undertaken with the safety net of support from their GP colleagues who can be called upon and who offer support if the AP feels they need advice or a second opinion.
Advanced Practitioners are now an integral part of the wider medical infrastructure and have been used in Primary Care General Practice and Secondary Care for many years and patients can feel confident that they will be offered a good quality of service if offered an appointment to see such a Practitioner.