Job responsibilities
Providing assessment, screening and treatment services and health education advice
Provide primary care nursing treatments to patients in participation with general practitioners or independently in line with agreed protocols.
Provide general and specific health screenings to the practice patients (within agreed protocols) with referral to general practitioners as necessary.
Advise patients on general health care and minor ailments with referral to GPs as necessary.
Perform cervical screening effectively and in line with current local policies
- Receive, assist and direct patients in accessing their primary healthcare in a courteous, efficient and effective way
Supplies and equipment treatment room and other areas Ensure the maintenance of equipment and stock levels relating to patient care.
- Maintain and control injectable and oral drug stocks in the treatment rooms and doctors consulting rooms. Participate in the monitoring of vaccine fridge temperatures, in line with Practice policies.
Pathological specimens and investigatory procedures Undertake the collection, storage and despatch of pathological specimens including intravenous blood samples, swabs, smears etc and ensure the cleanliness of any equipment so used. Perform any investigatory procedures requested by GPs.
Administrative and professional responsibilities Participate in the administrative and professional responsibilities of the practice team.
Ensure all functions are carried out in accordance with agreed procedures, protocols and time-scales, and maximising Practice income from current QOF, enhanced services, commissioning contracts, etc, and reporting to the practice manager where necessary.
Deputising for other nursing staff members during annual leave, sickness and study leave.
Ensure accurate notes of all consultations and treatments are recorded contemporaneously in the patients notes on the clinical computer system as appropriate, and using clinical templates.
Ensure accurate completion of all necessary documentation associated with patient health care.
Ensure collection and maintenance of statistical information required for regular and ad hoc reports/audits.
- Following Practice protocols on information governance and information security
Attend and participate in practice meetings as required.
Assist in the formulation of practice philosophy, strategy and policy and developing appropriate protocols, liaising with the Nurse Supervisor.
Be competent in administration of childhood immunisation and travel vaccination.
- Be competent and confident in managing people with long term health conditions, including diabetes and respiratory patients
- Assess, diagnose, formulate a management plan, implement and evaluate treatment/interventions and care for patients presenting with an undifferentiated diagnosis, within the limits of your professional training.
- Assess wounds and apply dressings accordingly.
- Assist GPs in minor surgery, family planning procedures etc as required.
- Perform cryotherapy within limits of own competence.
- Support patients to adopt health promotion strategies that promote healthy lifestyles, and apply principles of self-care.
- Maintenance of INR Star system for warfarin monitoring, taking responsibility for areas as detailed in practice protocol, including the measurement of INRs and advising patients accordingly.
- Deal with more complex clinical enquiries from patients.
- Utilise and demonstrate sensitive communication styles, to ensure patients are fully informed and consent to treatment
- Recognise and work within own competence and professional code of conduct as regulated by the NMC.
Asthma/COPD Run the asthma and COPD chronic disease/long term condition clinics, both in clinically assessing and managing patients, and in ensuring that the practice achieves all targets regarding QOF or any other LES/DES/contract areas relevant to these clinical areas.
- 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.
- Work with patients in order to support compliance with, and adherence to, prescribed
treatments.
Diabetes Run the diabetes chronic disease/long term condition clinics, both in clinically assessing and managing patients, and in ensuring that the practice achieves all targets regarding QOF or any other enhanced service/contract areas relevant to these clinical areas.
- 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.
- Work with patients in order to support compliance with, and adherence to, prescribed
Treatments, and to promote effective self care.
Research projects Co-operate and participate as required in any research projects within the practice.
Student/staff education and training Participate in the education and training of students of all disciplines and the induction of all members of practice staff with special responsibility for nursing staff and health care assistants.
Liaison
- Maintain effective liaison with other agencies and staff concerned with patient care and with all other disciplines within the practice, with appropriate regard to confidentiality.
- Facilitate effective communication between patients, members of the primary health care team, secondary care and other associated healthcare agencies
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, including a plan of future training needs.
- Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.
- Maintain continued education by attendance at courses and study days as deemed useful or necessary for professional development, with particular regard to the asthma/COPD and diabetes subject areas.
The above list of duties is not exhaustive and may be subject to change as deemed necessary.
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 implement and lead on a full range of promotion and management of their own and others health and safety and infection control as defined in the practice Health & Safety policy, the practice Health & Safety manual, and the practice Infection Control policy and published procedures. This will include (but will not be limited to):
- Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines
- 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 ongoing correct usage by staff