Practice Nurse

Job responsibilities

Job Summary

To provide and maintain a high standard of nursing care for patients, as well as providing nursing assistance to the doctors and other members of the primary healthcare team.

Delivering Remarkable Customer Service

Underlining everything you do is the requirement to play your part in the delivery of remarkable customer services to our patients, internal colleagues and external stakeholders. This applies in all of your dealings. There are many elements to delivering remarkable customer service but common throughout are requirements to listen and be responsive, always ensure patient and customer messages and requests are passed on and ensure any mistakes or omissions and possible improvements that are identified are shared with your manager.

Job Responsibilities

Assist in and perform routine tasks related to patient care as directed by senior nursing staff and GPs. Such tasks may include:

• New patient medicals
• Urinalysis
• Peak flow readings
• Blood pressure measurements
• Routine immunisations.
• Offer advice about childhood and adult vaccinations and ensure vaccines are administered under patient group directions
• Offer a holistic approach to travel health by providing comprehensive advice to patients prior to travel including; vaccinations and medicines, safe sex, food hygiene, sun protection
• Chaperoning and assisting patients where appropriate who are being examined by another clinician
• Assisting GPs with minor surgery and coil fittings
• Requesting basic pathology tests, for example urine culture, swabs
• Following agreed clinical protocols with referral to senior nurses or GPs as appropriate.
• Running well person clinics and health promotion programmes, facilitating change by providing holistic assessment and lifestyle advice on diet, smoking, alcohol intake and exercise
• Assessing problems presented opportunistically by patients, dealing with minor illness.
• Able to document Consultations according to NMC guidelines
• Ensures awareness of statutory and local clinical protection procedures, including systems of referral. Ability to recognise signs and symptoms of child abuse.
• Perform a holistic assessment of patients attending for ear irrigation.
• Perform a holistic assessment of patients attending for cervical cytology smear tests.
• Perform venepuncture according to local guidelines
• Provide a holistic approach to wound management and implement wound care in line with current evidence based guidelines
• Suture removal
• Take ECGs
• Provide holistic annual reviews for patients with long-term conditions in accordance with your skill set, qualification and experience.
• Able to recognize and manage anaphylaxis according to current UK guidelines
• Able to perform Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation according to current UK guidelines
• Ability to obtain and document informed consent (either verbal or written)
• Ensure infection control guidelines are maintained
• Ability to monitor and manage maintenance of stock and equipment to include refrigeration, sterilizer and emergency equipment
• Confidentially of information gained at work must be preserved at all times

Other tasks including:

• Clean and sterilise equipment using autoclave
• Maintaining and cleaning equipment used by the nurses and GPs
• Maintaining GP and nurses rooms, stocking and rotating items as required
• Chaperoning and assisting patients who are being examined by another clinician
• Undertake housekeeping duties including, general tidiness and cleanliness of nurses and treatment rooms
• Maintain stock of waiting room leaflets as instructed by partners and practice manager
• Ordering of Health Promotion Literature
• Ordering of stock from the local hospital
• Ordering of vaccinations to maintain stock levels
• Participation in administrative systems in the practice
• At all times there will be a need to maintain accurate records
• A duty to advise senior nurses of potential problems or errors within the range of assigned tasks
• Attend and participate in any practice meetings when required.
• On occasion there may be a requirement to undertake home visits.
• Any other delegated duties appropriate to the post.

Special Requirements of the Post

• An understanding, acceptance and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality
• Ability to use own judgment, resourcefulness and common sense
• A commitment to maintain a high professional standard of nursing care and keep up to date with all aspects of nursing care relevant to the post
• A commitment to ensure all Health and Safety requirements and Infection Control measures are met and to report any problems to the practice manager
• A commitment to the effective use of practice and NHS resources
• An awareness of own limitations and experience
• To work only in accordance with the UKCC Code of Conduct and within the scope of professional practice
• To have a written professional development plan and to maintain an up to date portfolio which meets the requirements of registration with the UKCC
• Cooperate with annual appraisal meetings
• Membership of the RCN

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Broad knowledge of clinical governance
• Knowledge of Infection Prevention Control including Public Health issues in the local area
• Understands the requirement for PGDs, PSDs and associated policy
• Requesting pathology tests and processing the results, advising patients accordingly
• LES/DES/QoF/CQC related clinical and administrative work
• Ability to record accurate clinical notes
• Insight and understanding of current issues in nursing and the NHS
• Immunisations (routine, childhood and travel)
• Venepuncture
• Management of Diabetes, Hypertension, Asthma, Spirometry and CHD
• Understanding of the wider determinants of health, including social, economic and environmental factors and their impact on communities
• Interest and basic knowledge in long-term conditions.
• Evidence of problem-solving and decision-making skills.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the personalised care approach
• Knowledge of community development approaches

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse
• Evidence of appropriate knowledge base

Desirable

• Minimum 2 years post registration experience

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in accordance with the NMC Code of Professional Conduct
• Experience of working in a primary care environment
• Experience of Microsoft Office software
• Understanding of clinical coding in general and Read coding in particular

Desirable

• Experience of multi-skilled approach to Chronic Disease Management
• Experience of working in a complex organisation
• Experience of diagnosis and treatment of minor illnesses
• Evidence of involvement in Research and Developing
• Experience of working with new technologies in health care practice

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).