Practice Nurse

Job description

Job responsibilities

JOB TITLE: Practice Nurse (Band 4-6 depending on experience)

JOB HOLDER:

LOCATION: Burlington Primary Care

Burlington Road

Ipswich

IP1 2EU

REPORTS TO: Advanced Nurse Practioner lead Clinical Issues

Practice Manager Administrative Issues

ACCOUNTABLE TO: Partners

HOURS: Specific hours between 7.00am 6.30pm Monday Friday; as agreed

1. DESCRIPTION OF THE ROLE:

• To provide and maintain a high standard of nursing care, in conjunction with nursing team colleagues, to the practice population.
• To focus both in the delivery of evidence-based practice for patients presenting with long-term conditions and the provision of preventative health care to the practice population.
• To provide nursing care to practice patients to include primary care treatment, preventative care, screening and education.

2. DIMENSIONS:

• The post holder will be required take an active role to support efficient and effective service delivery to the practice population of approximately 16,500 patients.
• To take an active role in supporting the practice to maximise achievement against local and national targets in respect of the PMS contract, QOF and Enhanced Services.
• To attend any relevant Practice meetings

3. KEY RESULTS AREAS:

• To provide assessment, screening treatment services and health education advice.
• To provide assessment, diagnosis and treatment of any specific clinical specialism / pathway advertised for the post (e.g. asthma, diabetes etc.)
• To work as an integral part of the practice nursing team in organising the provision of nursing services (where applicable) for the practice.
• Provide nursing treatments to patients.
• Provide general health screenings and health promotion to the practice patients.
• Advise patients on minor ailments with referral to GPs as necessary.
• Provide general wound care (no compression), post operative, wound packing, lower leg
• Participate in national screening work such as cervical cytology and delivery of national immunisation and vaccination schedules.
• Provision of effective chronic disease management programmes to the practice population according to agreed protocols.
• Undertake the collection of pathological specimens including venepuncture, swabs, smears etc.
• Perform investigative procedures e.g. ECG and spirometry.
• Provide family planning and sexual health screening and advice.

4. 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 contemporaneously in the patients computerised record and where appropriate, in their written notes using SystmOne.
• 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.

5. Treatment room supplies and equipment.

• Clean relevant equipment and maintain supplies of appropriate consumables in accordance with the Practice infection control policy

6. Liaison

• Maintain effective communication and coordination with other members of the practice nursing team.
• Maintain effective liaison with other agencies and staff concerned with patient care and all other disciplines within the practice, with appropriate regard to confidentiality.

7. Professional Development

• Attend and participate in meetings with other members of the practice team.
• Maintain continued education by attendance at courses and study days as deemed useful and necessary for professional development or the work being undertaken by the practice.
• To undertake a yearly annual review in accordance with the Practice Performance Management System.
• To maintain any status / registrations required to undertake the duties of the role (e.g. re-validation)
• To ensure all CCG and Practice structured learning programmes are kept up-to-date (e.g. Mandatory training, e-Learning etc)

8. Infection Control

• Awareness of national standards of infection control and cleanliness and regulatory / contractual / professional requirements, and good practice guidelines
• Responsible for the correct and safe management of the specimens process including collection, labelling, handling, use of correct and clean containers, storage and transport arrangements
• Management and maintenance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the practice including provision, ordering, availability and on-going correct usage by staff

Hand hygiene

• Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills, and initiate and manage the training of others across the full range of infection control and patient processes
• Monitoring practice facilities and equipment in relation to infection control, ensuring that provision of hand cleansing facilities, wipes etc are sufficient to ensure a good clinical working environment. Lack of facilities to be escalated as appropriate.
• Safe management of sharps procedures including training, use, storage and disposal
• Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy, clean and sterile, and safe way, free from hazards. Initiation of remedial / corrective action where needed or escalation to responsible management
• Undertaking periodic infection control training
• Routine management of own team / team areas
• Waste management including collection, handling, segregation, container management, storage and collection
• Spillage control procedures, management and training
• Decontamination control procedures, management and training, and equipment maintenance

9. GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF ALL PRACTICE STAFF:

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.

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 any potential risks that may be identified.
• All accidents must be reported immediately to the Commercial Administrator. The post holder has a responsibility to submit a completed accident/incident report form.
• All adverse incidents concerned with equipment or premises must be reported immediately to the Commercial Administrator. The post holder has a responsibility to submit a completed accident/incident report form.

Equality & Diversity:

The post holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues to include:

• 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.

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.
• Contribute to and comply with the Practice policy for significant events and clinical audits.
• Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet the needs of patients.
• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources.

Communication:

The post holder should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

• Communicate effectively with other team members.
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers.
• Recognise 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 audits where appropriate.

10. COMMUNICATIONS & WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:

Internal:

GP Partners

Locum Doctors

Practice Staff

Attached Staff ie. Community Matron, District Nurses, Midwives, Health Visitor, Physiotherapist etc.

Patients of the practice

External:

Hospital Departments/Clinics

Pharmacists

Ipswich & East Suffolk CCG

NHS England

Social Services

Ambulance Service

11. CHALLENGES OF THE ROLE:

• To maintain a high standard of health care provision to the practice population in a changing Primary Healthcare environment, whilst meeting local and national targets.
• To provide evidence based nursing care appropriate to the needs of the individual patient.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• KNOWLEDGE SKILLS & EXPERIENCE:
• Experience of working in a busy Primary Care setting.
• Experience of chronic disease management within general practice.
• Ability to identify own learning needs and those of other members of the practice nurse team.
• Ability to crucially review and communicate clinical information to both patients and healthcare professionals.
• Knowledge of Patient Group Directives and associated policy.
• Sound knowledge and experience in use of clinical IT systems.
• Confident, positive attitude towards the responsibilities of the role.
• Methodical approach.
• Able to take a proactive approach towards health promotion in the practice to support patients in accordance with their individual needs and to promote good health to the wider practice population.
• Flexibility to provide cover for absences of other members of the practice nurse team and to attend training sessions outside normal working hours.

Desirable

• Experience of working in a GP practice
• Experience of using SystmOne

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse with sufficient demonstrable experience post qualification.
• GCSE grade A to C in English and Maths

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

Burlington Primary Care

Address

14 Burlington Road

Ipswich

Suffolk

IP1 2EU

Employer's website

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