Practice Nurse (Band 5/6)

Job responsibilities

Key Responsibilities:

• Assessing problems presented opportunistically by patients
• Support patients to adopt health promotion strategies that encourage patients to live healthily, and encourage principles of self care with referral to appropriate agencies as required.
• Perform venepuncture according to local guidelines
• Provide a holistic approach to wound management and implement wound care in line with current evidence based guidelines, and locally agreed formulary.
• Suture removal.
• Perform Electrocardiograms (ECG)
• Able to recognize and manage anaphylaxis according to current UK guidelines.
• Able to perform Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation according to current UK guidelines. Updates regularly provided.
• Offer advice about childhood and adult vaccinations and ensure vaccines are administered under patient specific and patient group directions/ Practice policy guidelines once adequate training completed.
• Offer a holistic approach to travel health by providing comprehensive advice to patients prior to travel including; vaccinations (once appropriate training undertaken)
• Perform a holistic assessment of patients attending for ear irrigation, once appropriate training completed
• Ensure infection control guidelines are maintained.
• Ability to monitor and manage maintenance of stock and equipment to include refrigeration, single use equipment and general Treatment room equipment and emergency equipment.
• Able to document Consultations according to NMC guidelines, updating computer by coding activities appropriately and at the time of the consultation using templates where appropriate. Comply with computer based information requirements
• Understand and adhere to the policies and procedures of the practice
• Participate in a duty rota system within the clinical team to ensure the service requirements are being met
• Provide cover for colleagues undertaking extra hours/shifts when required
• Assist in the management of patients with Asthma, COPD, Bronchiectasis, CKD, Hypertension, CHD and Stroke in line with the Practice, local and national guidelines. Undergo training in management of Asthma and COPD. Also, an interest in and willingness to train in Diabetes management. You would be expected to manage these CDM patients following agreed clinical protocols with referral to senior nurses or GPs as appropriate.

• Quality:

  • Recognise and work within own competence and professional code of conduct as regulated by the Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC)
  • Produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete records of patient consultation ,consistent with legislation, policies and procedures
  • Prioritise, organise and manage own workload in a manner that maintains and promotes quality
  • 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
  • Utilise the audit cycle as a means of evaluating the quality of the work of self and the team, implementing improvements where required
  • In partnership with other clinical teams, collaborate on improving the quality of healthcare, responding to local and national policies and initiatives as appropriate
  • Understand and apply legal policy that supports the identification of vulnerable and abused children and adults, being aware of statutory child/vulnerable adult health procedure and local guidance
  • Ensure all significant events are reported and discussed as appropriate and facilitate a full understanding of clinical governance requirements within the practice
  • Maintain records of specific adverse incidents, complaints and near misses and work with local colleagues and the clinical governance team to ensure lessons are learnt and practices adapted to avoid future incidents

  Personal/Professional development

  • Maintain professional development in line with post registration education and practice.
  • The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the Practice as essential or beneficial to the role and take responsibility for identifying own learning needs
  • Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development

  Team working

  • Understand own role and scope in the organisation and identify how this may develop over time
  • Work as an effective and responsible team member, supporting others and exploring the mechanisms to develop new ways of working
  • Ensure clear understanding and utilisation of referral mechanisms within the practice
  • Accept delegation from other nurses, prioritise own workload and ensure effective time-management strategies are embedded in own practice
  • Work effectively with others to clearly define values, direction and policies impacting upon care delivery
  • Participate in team activities that create opportunities to improve patient care

  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
  • 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

  Information Governance

  • Information is vitally important for the safe clinical management of patient care and the efficient administration of services and resources, including our workforce.
  • Information Governance is a framework to enable the Practice to handle personal and corporate information appropriately.
  • It is the responsibility of our entire workforce, regardless of employment status, to ensure they abide by the requirements of Information Governance

Transport

Essential

• Ability to use own roadworthy vehicle and have a legal driving licence for home visiting.

Experience

Essential

• RGN Registration with minimum 2 years experience
• To have drive and enthusiasm for continued development within the team to be able to support the delivery of services to provide the best care for our practice population and maintain the highest standards of care .

Desirable

• Previous General Practice Nurse experience
• Previous treatment room experience
• Experience in managing COPD, asthma and paediatric asthma ,Diabetes, CHD, CKD
• Experience in reviewing and managing Long Term Conditions - a desire and willingness to do additional training in long term conditions dependant on current experience
• Immunisation and Vaccination trained

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered General Nursing qualification with valid registration with NMC
• Minimum 2 years experience

Desirable

• Immunisation and Vaccination trained
• ARTP registered Spirometry in performance and interpretation
• Other long term conditions qualifications i.e. Diabetes, Asthma, COPD
• Cervical Cytology

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Excellent Communication skills, effective time management , ability to work autonomously and as a team member
• Pro active and motivated , endeavour all types of challenges

Desirable

• Longer term - an interest in developing within the managerial side of leading the nursing service , supporting and development within the team .
• Familiar with using System One
• Familiar with using Ardens Templates

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).