Practice Nurse

Job responsibilities

Clinical:

Develop, implement, and evaluate personalised treatment plans for chronic disease patients (e.g., diabetes, asthma, COPD, hypertension).

Provide wound care (e.g. leg ulcers, Doppler assessment, suture removal, dressings).

Deliver cervical cytology screening.

Deliver adult and childhood immunisations and vaccination programmes, including travel vaccinations.

Provide travel health advice and vaccinations, in line with current national guidance.

Request and interpret basic pathology services (e.g. bloods, swabs, urine), and process results appropriately, escalating to the GP or clinician as required.

Provide health promotion and lifestyle advice (e.g. smoking cessation, weight management, sexual health, contraception advice within scope of practice).

Identify, manage, and support patients at risk of developing long-term conditions.

Provide support for patients with acute and minor illness presentations, escalating when necessary.

Assist GPs with minor surgery and procedures.

Undertake phlebotomy, ear care, and ECGs (if required by practice). Chaperone patients where appropriate.

Recognise, assess, and refer patients with mental health needs and other conditions requiring specialist input, ensuring timely referral to secondary care or community services.

Provide advice on safe use of medicines, including over-the-counter options, within scope of practice.

Maintain accurate, contemporaneous clinical records using the practice IT system (e.g. SystmOne), ensuring compliance with QOF/IIF, CQC, and NMC standards.

Safely manage vaccines, medicines, and consumables, including cold chain, stock rotation, and disposal. Governance & Quality:

Adhere to the NMC Code of Conduct and maintain professional registration.

Work within evidence-based practice, NICE, NSF, and local guidelines.

Lead or participate in audits, quality improvement projects, and service evaluations.

Contribute to achievement of QOF, IIF, and enhanced service targets.

Participate in multidisciplinary team meetings, case reviews, and shared learning, including Business meetings.

Contribute to CQC compliance and inspection readiness. - 6 - Education & Leadership:

Mentor and support junior nurses, HCAs, students, and trainees.

Participate in induction and supervision of new staff.

Act as a role model, demonstrating high standards of clinical practice and professional behaviour. Collaboration & PCN Involvement:

Work with the Primary Care Network (PCN) to deliver enhanced access clinics, anticipatory care, population health projects, and other local initiatives.

Liaise with external agencies, community services, and secondary care to support patients, particularly vulnerable groups. Professional Responsibilities

Maintain active NMC registration and meet revalidation requirements.

Maintain up-to-date clinical knowledge and competencies relevant to general practice nursing.

Work within scope of practice at all times, escalating appropriately when care needs fall outside own competence.

Take responsibility for own continuing professional development and reflective practice.

Personal qualities

Essential

• -Flexible, motivated, and forward-thinking
• -Professional integrity, reliability, and resilience
• -Empathetic and sensitive in difficult situations
• -Commitment to lifelong learning and improvement
• -Punctual and committed to supporting the team effort

Experience

Essential

• - Willingness to be trained a and mentored, where previous experience is not available
• - Minimum 2 years of post-registration experience
• - Experience of chronic disease management
• - Involvement in implementing and using protocols and
• clinical guidelines
• - Experience of telephone consultations
• - Experience of audit
• - Participation in quality initiatives such as clinical
• benchmarking

Desirable

• - At least 1 year recent primary and community nursing experience

Skills

Essential

• -Excellent communication and consultation skills (written
• and oral)
• -Competent IT user: Office, Outlook, SystmOne, AccuRx,
• Ardens
• -Effective time management (planning and organising)
• -Ability to work independently and within a team
• -Audit, governance, and risk management experience
• -Trained in Basic Life Support

Other requirements

Essential

• -Flexibility to work extended hours if required
• -Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) clearance
• -Occupational Health clearance
• -NMC registration

Desirable

• -Willingness to lead projects (CQC, QOF, ICB) if required

Qualifications

Essential

• -Registered Nurse
• -Relevant Nursing/Health Degree
• -Clinical supervision training and experience

Desirable

• -Mentor/teaching qualification
• -Independent Prescriber qualification

Clinical knowledge and skills

Essential

• -Wound care/removal of sutures and staples
• -ECGs
• -Venepuncture
• -New patient medicals
• -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 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 to
• understand when to refer to GPs
• -Knowledge of health promotion strategies, including
• change-management skills and ability to support patients
• to change lifestyle
• -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

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).