Primary Care Practice Nurse Manager

Job responsibilities

Please note - This job description is not complete, please see the full description and all the information on the attached paperwork.

Working in accordance with the NMC code of conduct, the post holder will lead and develop the practice nursing team in the provision of assessment, treatment, screening, health education services and advice to patients. The post-holder will develop (and ensure that the nursing team work with reference to) practice agreed protocols and guidelines to provide nursing treatments to patients both independently and in participation with nurse colleagues and general practitioners. The post-holder will have the required level of training and competence and will work within the patient group directions where these are available. A nurse with prescribing qualifications will use them appropriately.

The post holder is responsible for ensuring the delivery of safe and effective nursing care to the whole practice population. As the Manager for the nursing team, the post holder is accountable for nursing service delivery. They will lead and manage all the nursing resource, working closely with the practice management and GPs to deliver the practice priorities. Clinically, the focus of the role is the delivery of evidence-based practice for patients with long-term conditions and management and preventative nursing interventions to all patients. As an autonomous practitioner the nurse is responsible for the care delivered, demonstrating critical thinking and skills in clinical decision-making. They will work collaboratively with the whole general practice team to meet the needs of patients, supporting the delivery of policy and procedures, and providing leadership and direction for the nursing team.

This role is up to 37.5 hrs per week with the dependant on experience.

Key Responsibilities

Management

• Enable the nursing team to work effectively and provide a high quality service to patients and to work effectively with other agencies.
• Identify the workforce that is required to provide services to meet the needs of the patient population and negotiate with the practice management team for this workforce.
• Monitor and advise on the effective use of physical and financial resources by the practice nursing team.
• Enable the practice nursing team to apply and improve clinical governance and risk management systems.
• Lead and monitor the development and implementation of policies, standards and guidelines across the practice nursing team.
• Analyse, interpret and report data on health and well-being, related needs and service use.
• Allocate, co-ordinate, monitor and assess the work of the nursing team and individuals.
• Recruit and select staff to meet the health and well-being needs of the practice population.
• Supervise and assess staff performance and development.
• Offer and provide clinical supervision to other members of the practice nursing team and act as a clinical ''expert''.
• Develop a working environment that promotes healthy, safe and effective work outcomes.

Clinical

Assess, plan, develop, implement, provide and evaluate treatment programmes including, but not limited to:

• Health promotion and well-being plus individual plans for patients with/at risk of a long term condition.
• Manage and treat long-term conditions, in line with national and local policies and practice needs.
• Review medication for therapeutic effectiveness, in accordance with evidence based practice and national/practice protocols, and work with patients to support adherence to prescribed treatments.
• Prioritise health problems, intervening appropriately, to assist the patient in complex, urgent or emergency situations, including initiation of effective emergency care. Support and manage health needs of women presenting for family planning and cervical cytology consultations.
• Implement and participate in vaccination and immunisation programmes for both adults and children including patients travelling abroad.
• Meet the needs of patients presenting for opportunistic wound care.
• Diagnose and treat minor illnesses.
• Work with others to change policies and improve health and well-being and reduce inequalities.
• Lead the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based practice to improve the services offered by the practice nursing team.
• Lead the team in quality assurance, development and clinical governance.
• Work with other members of the practice team in the implementation of specific aspects of the NSFs.
• Lead the introduction and use of technical and specialist nursing treatments for patients with complex healthcare needs.

Management of chronic disease

• Diagnosis, monitoring and development of individual management plans; agreeing these as appropriate with the patient and other health professionals.

Therapeutic monitoring

• Checking compliance with and adherence to appropriate treatments, using an holistic patient-centred approach.
• Recognising abnormalities.
• Identifying the impact of treatment and implementing or recommending changes as appropriate.

Wound care and management

• Assessing routine wounds including trauma.
• Assessing [and prescribing] to support good wound management in complex situations (e.g. use of Doppler technique).

Patient health checks

• Working with patients to develop a management plan where health problems or potential health problems are identified.
• Identifying health trends and public health issues and working with the team and others to combat these.

Risk assessment

• Recognising issues and gathering sufficient information to refer (eg drugs; domestic violence; child protection; vulnerable adults; senior patients; social problems).

Health screening

• Providing in-depth monitoring and advice as appropriate and working with the patient in deciding on management plans.
• Considering the issues in the light of the practice population.

Travel health

• Provision of specialist and evidence based support to the team
• Working with public health initiatives, ensuring the work of the team is up to date.

Immunisation (adult and child)

• Working with public health initiatives, ensuring the work of the team is up to date.
• Leading the team in achieving the immunisation guidelines and targets.

First contact

• Working as an autonomous practitioner on more complex cases.

Mental health

• Ensuring that appropriate systems are in place for effective patient monitoring.

Communication

• Demonstrate sensitive communication styles to ensure patients are fully informed and consent to treatment.
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers, recognising the need for alternative methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding, cultural background and preferred ways of communicating, including those receiving bad news.
• Act as an advocate when representing patients and colleagues.
• Participate in practice team meetings, delivering the nursing agenda and run nurse department meetings.
• Produce written documents that evidence the contribution of the nursing team to the practice priorities. Delivering a quality service.
• Recognise and work within own competence and professional code of conduct as regulated by the NMC.
• Produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete records of patient consultation, consistent with legislation, policies and procedures.
• Prioritise, organise and manage own and others workload in a manner that maintains and promotes quality.
• Deliver care as an individual and team according to NSF, NICE guidelines and evidence-based care, assessing effectiveness of care delivery through peer review, benchmarking and formal evaluation and leading on the maintenance of quality governance systems for the nursing team.
• Implement and review the application of evidence-based practice in nursing.
• Utilise the audit cycle as a means of evaluating the quality of the work of self and the team, implementing improvements where required.
• Evaluate patients response to health care provision and the effectiveness of care.
• Lead and participate in shared learning across the practice and wider organisation and assess the impact of policy implementation on care delivery.
• Monitor the performance of the GPN team in accordance with local policies.
• Work within policies regarding family violence, vulnerable children and adults, substance abuse and addictive behaviour, and refer as appropriate.
• Interpret national strategies and policies into local implementation strategies that are aligned to the values and culture of general practice.

Leadership - personal and people development.

• Take responsibility for own development, learning and performance including participating in clinical supervision and acting as a positive role model.
• Support the development of others in order to maximise staff potential.
• Lead others to make realistic self-assessment of their knowledge and skills, challenging any complacency and actions that are not in the in the interest of the public and/or users of service.
• Act as a clinical leader in the delivery of practice nursing services to patients, ensuring that the needs of the patient are the priority.
• Lead the nursing team in the planning and implementation of local guidelines, protocols and standards, and of local projects or initiatives.
• Promote the role of the nursing team in the provision of care.

Team working

• Work as an effective and responsible tam leader, supporting others and exploring the mechanisms to develop new ways of working.
• Delegate appropriately, adopting the principles of safe practice and assessment of competence of nurses.
• Ensure clear nurse referral mechanisms are in place to meet patient needs.
• Prioritise own and others workload and ensure effective time-management strategies are embedded within the culture of the team.
• Lead nursing team activities that create opportunities to improve patient care.
• Participate in research programmes.
• Contribute nursing view to practice management.
• Set specification and quality required from nursing admin support.

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered first level nurse
• Community nursing specialist qualification or equivalent
• Relevant nursing/health degree
• Mentor/teaching qualification
• Clinical supervision training and experience
• Diabetic Diploma
• Membership of a professional body
• A demonstrable commitment to professional development

Desirable

• Independent/supplementary nurse prescribing qualification
• Insulin start qualification
• Asthma/COPD diploma

Experience

Essential

• Minimum 5 years post registration experience
• At least 2 years recent primary and community nursing experience
• Experience in nurse-led management of long-term conditions
• Demonstrable experience of people management including staff appraisals
• Previous experience in a management or team lead role.
• Experience in writing & implementing protocols and clinical guidelines
• Experience in quality initiatives such as clinical benchmarking
• Audit skills

Desirable

• Research Programmes
• Employment law, health & safety, employment contracts
• Experience of EMIS web
• Experience of Microsoft office software

Skills

Essential

• Clinical leadership skills
• Clinical skills - diabetes, cervical cytology, immunisation and vaccination
• Skills in management of staff and teams
• A solutions-focused approach and able to problem solve
• Ability to listen and empathise
• Negotiation, conflict resolution, change management & Delegation skills
• Ability to manage upwards

Desirable

• COPD and Asthma Skills

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).