Primary Care Practice Nurse

Job responsibilities

Primary:

Able to document contemporaneous Consultations according to NMC guidelines using EMIS clinical system

Maintain accurate clinical records in conjunction with legislation

Ensures awareness of statutory and local clinical protection procedures, including systems of referral.

Provide routine nursing care to patients as required in accordance with clinical based evidence

Perform venepuncture according to local guidelines

Request pathology services as necessary

Process pathology results if required

Provide a holistic approach to wound management and implement wound care in line with current evidence based guidelines and local wound protocol

Suture removal

Perform ECGs

Obtain and document informed consent (either verbal or written)

Ensure infection control guidelines are maintained

Confidentially of information gained at work must be always preserved

Ensure read codes and templates are used effectively

Identify, manage, and support patients at risk of developing long-term conditions, preventing adverse effects on the patients health

Provide chronic disease clinics, delivering patient care as necessary, referring patients to secondary / specialist care as required

Maintain chronic disease registers

Offer advice about childhood and adult vaccinations and ensure vaccines are administered under patient group directions

Provide vaccination and travel medicine services

Prioritise health issues and intervene appropriately

Support the clinical team with all safeguarding matters, in accordance with local and national policies

Deliver opportunistic health promotion where appropriate

Perform a holistic assessment of patients attending for cervical cytology smear tests (if carrying out this service)

Recognise, assess, and refer patients presenting with mental health needs

Aware of identification and reporting procedures related to professional standards

Recognize and manage anaphylaxis according to current UK guidelines

Able to perform CPR according to current UK guidelines

Secondary:

Develop, implement, and embed health promotion and well-being programmes

Implement and evaluate individual treatment plans for chronic disease patients

Assist GPs with minor surgery when required

Chaperone patients where necessary

Support the team in dealing with clinical emergencies

Liaise with external services / agencies to ensure the patient is supported appropriately

Monitor and ensure the safe storage, rotation, and disposal of medicines

Support junior members of the nursing team, providing guidance when necessary

Participate in local initiatives to enhance service delivery and patient care

Support and participate in shared learning within the practice

Continually review clinical practices, responding to national policies and initiatives where appropriate

Participate in the review of learning events

Educational:

Identify personal development and training needs in conjunction with the Nurse manager and deputy Practice Manager

Participate in clinical supervision and annual appraisals

Support others with their training and development needs

To participate in continuing education and maintain a contemporary level of professional knowledge and skills

Undertake all mandatory training and induction programmes

To be familiar with emergency procedures

Contribute to and embrace the spectrum of clinical governance

Attend team meetings for the purpose of maintaining an informed interest in the work undertaken at the practice and contribute to the primary healthcare team objectives

Be familiar with and adhere to practice policies and protocols

Maintain a clean, tidy, effective working area at all times

Attend a formal appraisal with their line manager at least every 12 months. Once a performance/training objective has been set, progress will be reviewed on a regular basis so that new objectives can be agreed

Personnel:

Maintain good professional relationships

Take reasonable care of their own safety and that of other persons who may be affected by their act or omission

Co-operation with the practice to ensure all members of the team adheres to statutory regulations/policies, codes of practice and departments safety rules

Offer innovative ways of working and opportunities to facilitate learning

Maintains a caring environment through the support of colleagues

Take an active involvement in staff meetings

Confidentiality:

In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately

In the performance of the duties outlined in this job description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the practice as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential

Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data

Health & Safety:

Will implement and lead on a full range of health promotions. They will manage their own and others health and safety and infection control as defined in the practice Health & Safety policy, and to adhere to the infection control policy and guidelines. This will include (but will not be limited to):

Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines

Awareness of national standards of infection control and cleanliness and regulatory / contractual / professional requirements, and good practice guidelines

Responsible for the correct and safe management of the specimens process including collection, labelling, handling, use of correct and clean containers, storage and transport arrangements

Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks across clinical and patient process

Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills, and initiate and manage the training of others across the full range of infection control and patient processes

Safe management of sharps procedures

Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy, clean and sterile, and safe way, free from hazards. Initiation of remedial / corrective action where needed or escalation to responsible management

Actively identifying, reporting, and correction of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised

Keeping own work areas and general / patient areas generally clean, sterile, identifying issues and hazards / risks in relation to other work areas within the business, and assuming responsibility in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness across the business in consultation (where appropriate) with other sector managers

Undertaking infection control training (minimum annually)

Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Ability to recognise signs and symptoms of child abuse

Equality and diversity:

Will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:

Acting in a way that recognizes the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation

Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues

Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgemental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

Personal/Professional development:

Will participate in any training implemented by the practice as part of the employment, such training to include:

Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development

Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work

Quality:

Will strive to maintain quality within the practice, and will:

Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk

Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision

Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance

Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs

Effectively manage own time, workload and resources

Communication:

Should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

Communicate effectively with other team members

Communicate effectively with patients and carers

Recognize peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly

Contribution to the implementation of services:

The post-holder will:

Apply practice policies, standards and guidance

Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work

Participate in audit where appropriate

Support the practice in achieving quality indicators and targets

Standard Requirements:

RGN with current PIN number

To work in accordance with NMC code of conduct

Membership of professional body e.g. RCN/MDU

Appropriate training/experience in chronic disease management and other training as identified by their manager; evidence of updates required.

Job description is not exhaustive, you will be required to carry out other duties required by the practice, on a temporary or permanent basis.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Previous nursing skills in primary care: ECGs, phlebotomy, wound care, adult and child immunisations, etc.
• Excellent communication skills
• Cervical screening
• Knowledge and experience with chronic disease management
• Compression dressings

Desirable

• Knowledge of current issues affecting the NHS, particularly in Primary Care
• Desire to gain further nursing skills / qualifications
• Travel vaccinations
• Contraceptive reviews

Qualifications

Essential

• Primary Care experience
• Registered General Nurse
• Evidence of continued professional development.
• Recognised qualification to diploma level or above in chronic disease preferably Diabetes or Asthma
• Vaccinations/Immunisation training

Desirable

• Prescribing
• COPD

Qualities/Attributes

Essential

• Able to demonstrate enthusiasm to develop nursing skills
• An understanding, acceptable and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality
• Ability to use own judgement, resourcefulness and common sense
• Ability to work without direct supervision and determine own workload priorities
• Ability to work as part of an integrated multi-skilled team
• Pleasant and articulate
• Ability to work under pressure
• Able to use own initiative

Experience

Essential

• Experience of dealing with patients and the public.
• Must have 2 years of experience working within Primary Care.

Desirable

• Experience of EMIS clinical system

Other

Essential

• Ability to deliver care within patients homes for housebound chronic disease checks, flu, pneumococcal, COVID, Shingles Vaccinations

Desirable

• Flexibility of working hours
• Car driver/clean licence/business insurance

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).