Practice Nurse

Job responsibilities

Winshill Medical Centre

Job Description

Job Title: Practice Nurse

Reports to: The Partners (Clinically)

The Practice Manager (Administratively)

Job Summary:

To assist medical personnel in the care of Practice patients to include treatment, preventative care, screening and patient education.

Job Responsibilities:

General

• Management of Diabetes
• Management of Asthma
• Management of COPD
• Learning Disability Reviews
• Contraception and advice about LARCS
• Assessing problems presented opportunistically by patients.
• Cytology

Perform a holistic assessment of patients attending for cervical cytology smear tests.

• Routine immunizations/Childhood immunisations
• Travel Clinic : 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
• Perform venepuncture according to local guidelines
• Suture removal.
• Take ECGs
• Ear irrigation
• 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.
• Chaperoning and assisting patients where appropriate who are being examined by another clinician
• Assisting GPs with minor surgery and coil fittings
• Participation in administrative systems in the Practice
• At all times there will be a need to maintain accurate records
• On occasion there may be a requirement to undertake home visits as delegated by GPs
• Any other delegated duties appropriate to the post

Providing assessment, screening and treatment services and health education advice

Provide nursing treatments to patients in participation with general practitioners or independently to agreed protocols.

Provide general and specific health screenings to the Practice patients (within agreed protocols) with referral to general practitioners as necessary.

Supplies and equipment Treatment room and other areas

• In participation with the Practice Manager, ensure the maintenance of equipment and stock levels relating to patient care. Ability to monitor and manage maintenance of stock and equipment to include refrigeration, sterilizer and emergency equipment.

Administrative and professional responsibilities

Participate in the administrative and professional responsibilities of the Practice team.

Ensure accurate notes of all consultations and treatments are recorded in the patients notes on the clinical computer system as appropriate.

Ensure accurate completion of all necessary documentation associated with patient health care and registration with the Practice.

Ensure collection and maintenance of statistical information required for regular and ad hoc reports.

Patient calls and recalls

Attend and participate in Practice meetings as required.

Assist in the formulation of Practice philosophy, strategy and policy and develop appropriate protocols.

Research projects

Co-operate and participate as required in any research projects within the Practice.

Liaison

• Maintain effective liaison with other agencies and staff concerned with patient care and with all other disciplines within the Practice, with appropriate regard to confidentiality.

Professional development

• Maintain continued education by attendance at courses and study days as deemed useful or necessary for professional development.

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
• Confidentially of information gained at work must be preserved at all times.

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

Person SpecificationExperienceEssential

• Experience of working in a primary care environment
• Experience of chronic disease management

Desirable

• Experience of working as a practice nurse or community nurse

Clinical Knowledge & SkillsEssential

• Wound Care / Removal of sutures & staples
• Chaperone procedure
• Requesting pathology tests and processing the results, advising patients accordingly
• Travel medicine
• Diabetes
• Hypertension
• Asthma
• Spirometry
• CHD
• Immunisations (routine, childhood and travel)
• Womens health (Cervical cytology, contraception, Family Planning etc.)
• Understands the importance of evidence based practice
• Broad knowledge of clinical governance
• Ability to record accurate clinical notes
• Ability to work within own scope of practice and understanding when to refer to GPs
• Knowledge of health promotion strategies
• Understands the requirement for PGDs and associated policy

Desirable

• Knowledge of public health issues in the local area
• Awareness of issues within the wider health arena
• ECGs
• Venepuncture
• New patient medicals

Skills and Personal QualitiesEssential

• Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
• Strong IT skills
• Clear, polite telephone manner
• Competent in the use of Office and Outlook
• EMIS user skills
• Effective time management (Planning & Organising)
• Ability to work as a team member and autonomously
• Good interpersonal skills
• Problem solving & analytical skills
• Ability to follow clinical policy and procedure
• Polite and confident
• Flexible and cooperative
• Motivated, forward thinker
• Problem solver with the ability to process information accurately and effectively, interpreting data as required
• High levels of integrity and loyalty
• Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations
• Ability to work under pressure / in stressful situations
• Effectively able to communicate and understand the needs of the patient
• Commitment to ongoing professional development
• Effectively utilises resources
• Punctual and committed to supporting the team effort
• Flexibility to work outside of core office hours
• Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check
• Occupational Health Clearance
• NMC registration

Desirable

• Experience with audit and able to lead audit programmes
• Experience with clinical risk management

QualificationsEssential

• Registered Nurse

Desirable

• Post graduate diploma or degree (Primary Care)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 RegistrationApplicants must have current UK professional registration.

Clinical Knowledge and skills

Essential

• Wound care/removal of sutures and staples
• ECGs
• Venepuncture
• New patient medicals
• Requesting pathology tests and processing the results, advising patients accordingly
• Understanding the importance of evidence-based practice
• Understand the requirement for PGDs and associated policy
• Ability to record accurate clinical notes
• Ability to work within own scope of practice and understanding when to refer to GPs
• Chaperone procedure
• Womens health (cervical cytology, contraception, etc.)
• Immunisations (routine, childhood and travel)
• Chronic disease management
• Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
• Effective time management (planning and organising)
• Ability to work as a team member and autonomously
• Good interpersonal skills
• Problem solving and analytical skills
• Ability to follow clinical policy and procedure
• Flexibility to work outside of core office hours
• Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check
• Occupational Health clearance
• Meet the requirements and produce evidence for nurse revalidation
• Evidence of continuing professional development (CPD) commensurate with the role of a Practice Nurse

Desirable

• Broad knowledge of clinical governance
• Knowledge of public health issues in the local area
• Awareness of issues within the wider health arena
• Knowledge of health promotion strategies
• Strong IT skills
• Clear, polite telephone manner

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in a primary care environment
• Experience of chronic disease management
• Experience of working autonomously
• Experience of infection prevention and control measures

Desirable

• Experience of working as a practice nurse or community nurse
• Experience of managing elderly and housebound patients
• Experience of quality initiatives, i.e., benchmarking

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse (Nursing and Midwifery Council)

Desirable

• Mentor or teaching qualification
• Post graduate diploma or degree (Chronic Disease Management)
• Nurse prescriber
• Family planning qualification

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).