Practice Nurse

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job role -The post holder is a Practice Nurse who, acting within their professional boundaries, will provide care for the presenting patient from initial history taking, clinical assessment, treatment and evaluation of care. They will demonstrate safe, clinical decision-making and expert care, including assessment and diagnostic skills, for patients within the general practice. They will work collaboratively with the general practice team to meet the needs of patients, supporting the delivery of policy and procedures, and providing leadership as required.

Key Duties -

Assist in and perform routine tasks related to patient care as directed by senior nursing staff and GPs

Cytology

Wound care

Removal of Sutures

New Patient Medicals/Urinalysis

Travel Clinic

ECGs

24HR ABPM

72HR ECG

QOF Reviews

Disease Management

Venepuncture

Hypertension Management

Ear syringing

Routine immunisations/Childhood immunisations

Chaperoning and assisting patients where appropriate

Assisting GPs with minor surgery and Gynae

Requesting pathology tests, for example urine culture, swabs

Interest in Diabetes, Asthma, COPD, Coronary Heart Disease and Contraception.

Following agreed clinical protocols with referral to senior nurses or GPs as appropriate

Other tasks will include

Maintaining and cleaning equipment used by the nurses and GPs

Maintaining GP and Nurses rooms, stocking and rotating items as required

Maintain general tidiness and cleanliness of nurses and treatment rooms

Maintain stock of waiting room leaflets as instructed by partners and Practice Manager

Ordering of Health Promotion Literature

Ordering of stock from the Hospital

Ordering of vaccinations to maintain stock levels

Vaccine/cold chain storage, monitoring and recording

Participation in administrative systems in the Practice

At all times there will be a need to maintain accurate records

Attend and participate in any Practice meetings when required.

On occasion there may be a requirement to undertake home visits

This list is not exhaustive, and you may be asked to carry out additional roles in the practice when necessary.

Communication/ Relationships

To be an active and engaged team player, supporting Hazelwood and with its aims and objectives.

To actively participate in team meetings.

To read and respond to emails and messages

Utilise and demonstrate sensitive communication styles, to ensure patients are fully informed and consent to treatment

Communicate with and support patients who are receiving bad news

Communicate effectively with patients and carers, recognising the need for alternative methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding, cultural background and preferred ways of communicating

Anticipate barriers to communication and take action to improve communication

Maintain effective communication within the practice environment and with external stakeholders

Act as an advocate for patients and colleagues

Ensure awareness of sources of support and guidance (eg PALS) and provide information in an acceptable format to all patients, recognising any difficulties and referring where appropriate

Performance standards

Demonstrate a positive attitude.

To deliver against your agreed objectives.

To actively engage in the appraisal process

To be honest and have integrity.

To followpractice policies and procedures

Delivering quality service

Recognise and work within own competence and professional code of conduct as regulated by the NMC.

Produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete records of patient consultation, consistent with legislation, policies and procedures

Prioritise, organise and manage your own workload in a manner that maintains and promotes quality

Deliver care according to NICE guidelines and evidence-based care

Assess effectiveness of care delivery through self and peer review, benchmarking and formal evaluation

Initiate and participate in the maintenance of quality governance systems and processes across the organisation and its activities

Utilise the audit cycle as a means of evaluating the quality of the work of self and the team, implementing improvements where required

Evaluate patients response to health care provision and the effectiveness of care

Support and participate in shared learning through the practice and wider organisation

Use a structured framework (eg root-cause analysis) to manage, review and identify learning from patients complaints, clinical incidents and near-miss events

Assess the impact of policy implementation on care delivery

Understand and apply legal issues that support the identification of vulnerable and abused children and adults, and be aware of statutory child/vulnerable patients health procedures and local guidance

Support staff development in order to maximise potential

Critically evaluate and review innovations and developments that are relevant to the area of work

Enlist support and influence stakeholders and decision-makers in order to bring about new developments in the provision of services

Contribute to the development of local guidelines, protocols and standards

Team working

Understand your 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

Delegate clearly and appropriately, adopting the principles of safe practice and assessment of competence

Create clear referral mechanisms 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

Agree plans and outcomes by which to measure success

Management of risk

Manage and assess risk within the areas of responsibility, ensuring adequate measures are in place to protect staff and patients

Monitor work areas and practices to ensure they are safe and free from hazards and conform to health, safety and security legislation, policies, procedures and guidelines

Apply infection-control measures within the practice according to local and national guidelines

Advocate for policies that reduce environmental health risks, are culturally sensitive and increase access to health care for all

Interpret national strategies and policies into local implementation strategies that are aligned to the values and culture of general practice

Managing information

Use technology and appropriate software as an aid to management in planning, implementation and monitoring of care, presenting and communicating information

Review and process data using accurate Read codes in order to ensure easy and accurate information retrieval for monitoring and audit processes

Manage information searches using the internet and local library databases

Understand responsibility of self and others to the practice and primary care trust regarding the Freedom and Information Act

Disseminate learning and information gained to other team members in order to share good practice and inform others about current and future developments (eg courses and conferences)

Assess own learning needs and undertake learning as appropriate

Provide an educational role to patients, carers, families and colleagues in an environment that facilitates learning

Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development

Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work

Confidentiality

While 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. Post-holders must adhere to the following principles:

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 careers, 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 authorized 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, the health & safety manual, and the practice infection control policy and published procedures. This will 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.

Active reporting of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognized.

Keeping own work areas generally clean and assisting the Practice Manager in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness consistent with the scope of their role.

Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum annually).

Reporting potential risks identified to the Practice Manager

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience with working in a nursing team

Desirable

• Working in a GP practice

Qualifications

Essential

• Level 2 registered Nurse
• Cytology
• Would care
• Health promotion
• Phlebotomy
• ECG
• Immunisations including baby and travel
• Ear care
• BLS

Desirable

• Disease management

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Hazelwood Group Practice

Address

27 Parkfield Road

Coleshill

Birmingham

North Warwickshire

B46 3LD

Employer's website

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