Home Visiting Nurse

Job responsibilities

Duties and responsibilities:

Home visits specifically to patients with Long Term Conditions

Act as the co-ordinating person between the patient and the CNP/ GP for this cohort.

Act as liaison with secondary care when patient's are admitted and on planning discharge.

Act as the appropriate person that patients and carers contact in the practice to discuss changes in the care plan or deterioration in condition.

Educate patients and carers about the important indicators of any deterioration in their chronic conditions so that appropriate action can be planned and taken before they reach the point of needing hospital admission. Utilising community services when required.

Ad hoc attendance at daily clinical meeting and monthly multidisciplinary meeting.

Long Term Conditions management / annual reviews. When necessary supporting CNPs to refer onto Bristol Community Health district nursing/long term conditions team.

Residential home visit e.g. Quarry House, The Elms and Worthies, Frenchay Park

Seasonal influenza injections

Diabetic Foot Checks

Spirometry (desirable or willing to undertake training)

ECG recording

Phlebotomy

Assisting in the assessment and surveillance of patients health and well-being with regard to their LTCs

Undertaking specific clinical activities for named patients that have been delegated and taught specifically in relation to that individual.

Helping to raise awareness of health and well-being and how it can be promoted

Assisting with the collection and collation of data on needs related to health and well-being

Case coordinator specifically linked to the Unplanned Admissions enhanced service. Working with clinicians and primary health care team and other agencies to support this service. This will include:

Patients will have been identified using a risk stratification tool but this will need to be managed as people come onto or drop off this cohort

Developing and reviewing care plans in accordance and alongside the Practices Community Nurse Practitioners

Home visits

Working with admin and reception staff to coordinate caseload management effectively.

Act as the co-ordinating person between the patient and the CNP/ GP for this cohort.

Undertaking hospital discharge reviews within 3 working days when directed by the CNP

Other may include and not limited to:

Chaperoning duties

Processing and management of laboratory samples requested by GPs/nurses

Sterilising, cleansing and maintenance of surgical equipment

Vaccine/cold chain storage, monitoring and recording

Surgical equipment and vaccine re-stocking and stock rotation

Preparing and maintaining environments and equipment before, during and after patient care interventions including assisting GPs during the performance of minor operations

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:

The post-holder will implement and lead on a full range of promotion and management their own and others health and safety and infection control as defined in the practice Health & Safety policy, the practice Health & Safety manual, and the practice Infection Control policy and published procedures. 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

Management and maintenance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the practice including provision, ordering, availability and ongoing correct usage by staff

Responsible for hand hygiene across the practice

Ownership of infection control and clinically based patient care protocols, and implementation of those protocols across the practice

Active observation of current working practices across the practice in relation to infection control, cleanliness and related activities, ensuring that procedures are followed and weaknesses / training needs are identified, escalating issues as appropriate

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

Monitoring practice facilities and equipment in relation to infection control, ensuring that provision of hand cleansing facilities, wipes etc are sufficient to ensure a good clinical working environment. Lack of facilities to be escalated as appropriate.

Safe management of sharps procedures including training, use, storage and disposal

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 periodic infection control training (minimum twice annually)

Routine management of own team / team areas, and maintenance of work space standards

Waste management including collection, handling, segregation, container management, storage and collection

Spillage control procedures, management and training

Decontamination control procedures, management and training, and equipment maintenance

Maintenance of sterile environments

Equality and diversity:

The post-holder 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-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

Personal/Professional development:

The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this 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:

The post-holder 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:

The post-holder 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

Recognise 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

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Well honed interpersonal skills.
• Good clinical decision making skills.
• Ability to plan and organise.
• Excellent Communication skills at all levels.
• Administrative skills and ability to prioritise.
• IT literate.
• Must be able to drive/driving license.

Experience

Essential

• In depth nursing experience, capable of working independently and without close supervision.
• Experience of managing a range of patient presentations.
• Able to act on own initiative

Desirable

• Experience of working in primary care
• Experience of Long Term Condition management.
• Experience of the management of health promotion initiatives.
• Experience of working within the community.

Qualifications

Essential

• NMC Registered Nurse

Desirable

• Post graduate qualification

Competencies/Behaviours

Essential

• Patient Focused.
• Team Member.
• Drive, Energy and determination.
• Empathy.
• Ability to respond well under pressure.
• Self motivation.
• Resilience.
• Sense of humour!

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).