Practice Nurse

Job responsibilities

PERSHORE MEDICAL PRACTICE

Practice Nurse-Job Description

Report To: Partners & Nurse Manager

Hours: 20 hours

Job Purpose

To be a key member of the Practice Nurse Team, including involvement in the direction and development of the nursing team.

Working in accordance with the UKCC Code of Conduct, the post-holder will assist the practice nursing team in the provision of assessment, treatment, screening, health education services and advice to patients.

The post-holder will have the required level of training and competence and will work within patient group directions where these are available.

Main Tasks and Responsibilities

Responsibilities

• Work effectively within the nursing team to provide a high quality service to patients and to work effectively with other agencies.
• Work with the practice nursing team to apply and improve clinical governance and risk management systems.
• Assist with the development and implementation of policies, standards and guidelines across the practice nursing team.
• Provide clinical supervision to other members of the practice nursing team as appropriate
• Contribute to working environment that promotes healthy, safe and effective work outcomes.

Clinical Responsibilities

• Identify, assess and diagnose patients with complex health needs across the practice population.
• Be involved with the introduction and use of technical and specialist nursing treatments for patients with complex healthcare needs.
• Assist with and develop programmes to improve health and well-being and meet the specific needs of communities, groups and individuals.
• Work with others to change policies to improve health and well-being and to reduce inequalities.
• Assist with the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based practice to improve the services offered by the practice nurse team.
• Assist the Nurse Manager with quality assurance, development and clinical governance.
• Wound care
• Cervical screening
• Adult and Child vaccinations
• Family planning
• Removal of sutures and clips
• BP monitoring
• Phlebotomy

Management of Chronic Disease (Training can be given)

• Participate in the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment plans for patients with chronic disease.
• Ensure adequate recall systems are in place to co-ordinate a planned programme of recall for those patients requiring review.
• Prescribe as per practice protocol.
• Assist with clinical aspects of QOF, ensuring that recall, treatments and follow-up are carried out by an appropriately trained professional.

Therapeutic Monitoring

• Check compliance with and adherence to appropriate treatments using an holistic patient-centred approach.
• Recognise abnormalities.
• Identify the impact of treatment and implement or recommend changes as appropriate.
• Perform investigations as required to monitor possible adverse effects of treatment.

Wound Care Management

• Assess routine wounds including trauma. Essential.
• Assess (and prescribe) to support good wound management in complex situations (e.g. Doppler technique).

Risk Assessment

• Recognise issues and gather sufficient information to refer (e.g. drugs; domestic violence; child protection; vulnerable adults; senior patients; social problems). Essential.

Minor Surgical Procedures

• Assist in leading the development of the nurses role in the delivery of the service.
• Ensure infection control procedures are adhered to.

Mental Health

• Participate in reviews as needed.

Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF

• Assist the practice in the planning, implementation and delivery of service to maximise clinical QOF points.
• Use clinical computer system (EMIS) to monitor and evaluate delivery
• Ensure other health care professionals are aware/ informed about targets and delivery of service.
• Exception report in line with practice policy.

Other additional responsibilities

• Patient Services dealing with any queries/complaints from patients
• Health & Safety dealing with any urgent H&S issues
• Outside Agencies dealing with urgent requests or visits from third parties

NOTE: The practice operates a number of policies and procedures (see below). Breach of these may lead to disciplinary action, and in some cases will be gross misconduct, which may lead to dismissal.

As a staff member of Pershore Medical Practice, you have a responsibility to communicate clearly, accurately and positively about the Practice and on no occasion to reflect the practice in an unfavourable light.

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
• The postholder will have access to sensitive and confidential information relating to the practice as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential and any breach of this confidentiality will be considered as serious misconduct.
• 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 assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the practice Health & Safety Policy, to include:

• Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines
• Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks
• Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills
• Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards
• Reporting potential risks identified.

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 recognize 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.
• To cover for colleagues during their absence due to leave or sickness when requested. This will entail a need to work outside of normal contracted hours
• To cover for colleagues during their absence due to leave or sickness when requested. This will entail a need to work outside of normal contracted hours.

NOTE: This job description was accurate at the time of its compilation. However, changes are frequent in general practice and post-holders are expected to be flexible and to agree to reasonable changes from time to time once these have been discussed with the post holder.

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered first level nurse
• Evidence of commitment to continuing professional development

Desirable

• Diabetes

Experience

Essential

• Working as a practice nurse within a primary care setting or similar.
• Management of patients with long term conditions

Desirable

• 2 years practice nurse experience

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Minimum 3 years post registration experience
• Accountability of own role and other roles in a nurse-led service

Qualities and Attributes

Essential

• Self motivating able to work with minimal direction
• A real desire to provide quality service to patients
• Adaptable, innovative and proactive
• Confident, enthusiastic, articulate and caring
• Reliable and resourceful
• Able to use own initiative
• Willing to work flexible hours as necessary
• Calm under pressure
• A good team member
• Conscientious and committed to the organisation
• An understanding, acceptance, adherence to the understanding of strict confidentiality

Other

Essential

• Keen to learn and develop role within the team
• Computer literate

Desirable

• Able to use EMIS WEB
• Able to use front desk appointment system

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).