Job responsibilities
Core Principles
- To ensure confidentiality of information, written/oral or electronic, is preserved at all times whether at or away from work
- To follow practice procedures to ensure that Caldicott Guardian and Security requirements are met at all times
- To follow procedures to ensure compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998
- To follow all practice protocols concerned with the maintenance of ethical practice
- To support and participate in initiatives to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all practice users. This includes following procedures to ensure the control of potential hazards to health and safety
- To respect, support, contribute to and take personal responsibility for implementing commitment to Diversity and Equality of Opportunity including:
- Acting in a way that recognises 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-judgemental and respects their circumstances, feelings, priorities and rights
- To contribute to a culture of continuous improvement
- To deal with complaints promptly and according to organisational protocol
- To perform duties to standards required by the practice in accordance with quality assurance
- To demonstrate commitment to Continuing Professional Development
- To demonstrate computer literacy
Responsibilities
1. Clinical Practice
Assumes a clinical workload dependant on the individual general practice population in collaboration with GP colleagues or as determined by a specific patient group when involved in community Nurse Practitioner-led clinics. This may include patients from residential nursing homes and other establishments
Independently and autonomously assess, diagnose, plan, implement and evaluate treatment/interventions and care for patients presenting with an undifferentiated and undiagnosed problems with attention to physical, emotional, social, cultural and mental health issues
Assess, diagnose, plan, implement and evaluate interventions/treatments for patients with complex needs
Proactively identify, diagnose and manage treatment plans for patients at risk of developing a long-term condition as appropriate
Diagnose and manage both acute and chronic conditions, integrating both drug- and non-drug-based treatment methods into a management plan
Prescribe and review medication for therapeutic effectiveness, appropriate to patient needs and in accordance with evidence-based practice and national and practice protocols, and within scope of practice
Accepts referrals from other disciplines unsupervised
Refer patients to external agencies such as secondary care and social services
Work with patients to support compliance with and adherence to prescribed treatments
Provide information and advice on prescribed or over-the-counter medication on medication regimens, side-effects and interactions
Prioritise health problems and intervene appropriately to assist the patient in complex, urgent or emergency situations, including initiation of effective emergency care
Support patients to adopt health promotion strategies that promote healthy lifestyles, and apply principles of self-care
Support and manage health needs of women presenting for family planning, cervical cytology or sexual health consultation
Assess, identify and refer patients presenting with mental health needs in accordance with the NSF for Mental Health
Assist less experienced practitioners in providing patient care, for example assisting with phlebotomy
2. Administrative and Professional responsibilities
- Participate in the administrative and professional responsibilities of the practice team
- Ensure accurate and legible notes of all consultations and treatments are recorded in the patients records
- Ensure the clinical computer system is kept up to date with accurate details recorded
- 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
- Lead and participate in practice and nursing team meetings as required
- Assist in formulation of practice philosophy, strategy and policy
- To assist in seasonal and special projects as requested e.g. flu and Covid campaigns.
3. Leadership
Take responsibility for own learning and performance including participating in clinical supervision and acting as a positive role mode
Support the development of others in order to maximise potential
Actively promote the workplace as a learning environment, encouraging everyone to learn from each other and from external good practice
Encourage others to make realistic self-assessment of their application of knowledge and skills, challenging any complacency and actions that are not in the interest of the public and/or users of services
Participate in planning and implementing changes within the area of care and responsibility
Contribute and participate in the development of local guidelines, protocols and standards
Take a lead role in planning and implementing changes within areas of care and responsibility
Participate in the planning and engagement of practice-based commissioning or similar initiatives
Ensure awareness of sources of support and guidance (e.g. PALS), and provide information in an acceptable format to all patients, recognising any difficulties and referring where appropriate
Promote the role of the advanced nurse practitioner in general practice
4. Team work
Understand own role and scope, 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
Support the nursing team in attending relevant courses and training modules
Support the nursing team with new clinical information relevant to their roles
Delegate clearly and appropriately, adopting the principles of safe practice and assessing competence
Ensure clear referral mechanisms are in place to meet patient need
Prioritise own workload and ensure effective time-management strategies are embedded within the culture of the team
Work effectively with others to clearly define values, direction and policies impacting upon care delivery
- Discuss, highlight and work with the team to create opportunities to improve patient care
Participate in and support local projects as agreed with the practice management team
Undertake and record annual appraisals for the nursing team
Support the nursing team with action plans following their appraisal
