Practice Nurse

Job description

Job responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities:

Diabetes Management

• Have a good understanding of Diabetes and ensure knowledge and skills base are kept up-to-date in line with current thinking.
• Maintain up-to-date register of diabetic patients. Ensure these are correctly coded on the computer using agreed read codes.
• Monitor the health of diabetic patients against key indicators of diabetic control as per practice protocol and record using diabetes template.
• Give advice and support to patients to promote good self-management and diabetic control.
• In collaboration with the Administration and Reception Team, arrange the recall of patients for diabetic annual review, and monitor attendance.
• Liaise with other health professionals involved in the delivery of diabetic care, both inside and outside the practice.
• Contribute to the development of practice diabetes protocols and audit.
• Ensure equipment and supplies involved in the delivery of diabetic care, including educational materials, are adequate, appropriate and effective.

Chronic Disease Management (Exc Asthma/COPD)

• Have a good understanding of Coronary Heart Disease, Cardiovascular Disease, Hypertension, Chronic Kidney Disease and Peripheral Arterial Disease; ensuring knowledge and skills base are kept up to date in line with current thinking
• Ensure the practice template for Chronic Disease Management is updated at every opportunity
• Provide patients with written and verbal information about their diagnosis and treatment
• Offer lifestyle risk reduction advice to patients
• Work within agreed protocols when managing risk factors to enable patients to manage their own disease
• Undertake annual reviews of CDM patients

Warfarin Management

• Be responsible for warfarin initiation and ongoing management of patient.
• Adjusting anticoagulant dosing according to INR through established protocols, nationally agreed philosophy and influenced by locally acquired knowledge and experience, taking into account co-morbidities, other medications, social and other factors which may increase risks of treatment.
• To recognise clinical emergencies arising in patients taking anticoagulants and arrange appropriate management with advice from a GP.
• To ensure co-ordination of ongoing patient care by assisting and co-operating with other healthcare professionals in the hospital and community; to include situations whereby oral anticoagulants may need to be temporarily interrupted and be able to assess the need for referral to a GP.
• To ensure all care is given in accordance with agreed protocols.
• To use computerised dosing software to an advanced level and ensure the database is up-to-date to facilitate clinical decision making by other users.
• To be aware of the national, regional and practice guidelines relating to anticoagulation and ensure that they are applied to clinical practice.

Sexual Health

Advise patients on the National and Local Cervical Cytology and Mammography screening programmes

Undertake accredited training and perform cervical cytology sampling under supervision until competent

Audit a minimum of 20 consecutive smears each year (inadequacy rate should be <12.7%)

Promote breast self-awareness, demonstrate breast self-examination and provide supporting literature

Advise patients about reducing the risk of sexually transmitted diseases and make appropriate referrals

Take swabs for microscopy as directed

Give advice about peri-menopausal and post-menopausal symptoms and make appropriate referrals. Also advising on increased risk of osteoporosis and heart disease and offering health promotion/lifestyle advice

Family Planning

• Has appropriate training and work to practice protocols
• Advise patients on available methods of contraception and refer patients as appropriate
• Advise patients about reducing the risk of sexually transmitted diseases and make appropriate referrals
• Perform interval health checks for patients using hormonal contraception
• Support patients attending for emergency contraception, including future contraception advice; refer patients as appropriate

Vaccinations & Immunisations

• Provide an adult and child immunisation service
• In collaboration with the Administrative and Reception Teams, help to maintain the call and recall of patients
• Develop and work to practice protocols (inc. cold chain, anaphylaxis etc)
• Ensure the cold chain protocol is maintained
• Ensure anaphylaxis training every 3 years
• Administer injections under an individualised prescription or Patient Group Direction
• Maintain accurate records as per practice protocol
• Work within the team to identify at risk groups for influenza and pneumococcal
• Work to increase the uptake of vaccine by at risk groups in accordance with DoH guidelines
• Offer the range of travel vaccinations available on the NHS

Ear Care

• Will have received appropriate training
• Work to practice protocols for ear care and irrigation
• Undertake ear irrigation after full assessment
• Advise patients about safe ear care

Wound Management

• Manage minor injuries
• Perform suture and clip removal as needed
• Assist with Minor Surgery as needed

Clinical Governance

• Monitor and audit various aspects of the nursing service as required
• Adhere to the highest standards of clinical care
• Follow practice protocols, professional codes of conduct and local policies
• Follow Health & Safety Principles at all time
• Take responsibility and accountability for own actions
• Seek GP support if unsure about the management of a patient
• Be prepared to undergo clinical supervision
• Contribute to clinical meetings, particularly using significant event audit
• Ensure adequate professional indemnity insurance and NMC registration is in place

Miscellaneous

• Contribute to nurse, triage and clinical meetings as required
• Take part in the annual performance appraisal system and undertake such training deemed necessary by the practice
• Keep up-to-date with issues relating to primary care and job role
• Actively participate in the teaching/supervision of other qualified or unqualified staff, patients and carers if required
• Perform other tasks as required by the GPs or Practice Manager which are reasonable and in line with the principles of this job description

Other nursing duties

• Take part in the annual flu immunisation programme
• Support the work of other nursing staff during slack periods
• Provide cover for other clinics within your hours (or as overtime if possible) if required by the Practice Manager
• Keep skills up-to-date for all nursing duties you might be required to undertake including smear-taking and wound care, etc
• Carry out new patient checks as required
• Carry out over 75 checks as required
• Act as a chaperone for GPs as required
• Provide emergency nursing services, such as ECGs, bloods etc

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

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.

Person Specification

Personal Attributes

Essential

• - Friendly and approachable manner
• - Professional in approach
• - Calm and able to work under pressure
• - Good use of initiative
• - Able to work as part of a multi-skilled team (with and/or without direct supervision)
• - Willing to undergo any training related to the job role
• - Flexible with working hours (and to cover sickness and annual leave)

Experience

Essential

• - 2 years post qualification experience
• - Experience of computers and clinical systems
• - Competent in basic Practice Nurse Duties (including ECGs, wound care, flu vaccinations,)
• - Able to work without direct supervision and determine own workload priories.
• - Understands the need to maintain data security and confidentiality of information.

Desirable

• - Practical knowledge of SystmOne (clinical system)
• - Experience of working in a General Practice

Qualifications

Essential

• - Registered General Nurse.
• - Recognised Training/ Qualification in Diabetes Management.
• - Recognised Training/ Qualification in Cervical Cytology screening.
• - Recognised Training/ Qualification in Anti coagulation management.

Desirable

• - Recognised Training/ Qualification in Women's Heath (including Contraception and HRT)
• - Recognised Training/ Qualification in administering adult and childhood vaccination.
• - Recognised Training/ Qualification in Chronic Disease Management (including Asthma and COPD)

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Appletree Medical Practice

Address

47a Town Street

Duffield

Belper

Derbyshire

DE56 4GG

Employer's website

https://appletreemedical.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)