Practice Nurse

Job responsibilities

Specific Nursing Duties (as qualified to do so)

Nursing procedures to include but not limited to

Diabetes management

Basic and complex wound management

Leg ulcer management to include Doppler, measuring and ordering of hosiery

Clip and suture removal

ECGs

Venepuncture

Monitoring of blood pressure

Routine injections

Childhood and adult immunisations. Including reading and reviewing Patient Group Directives (PGDs) and Patient Specific Directives (PSDs)

Cervical screening

Taking and despatching of laboratory specimens

Undertaking diagnostic tests including:

blood sugars

peak flow

Spirometry

Family planning including pill checks, other methods of contraception, assisting in coil fitting.

Participate and mentor the practice learning outcomes for student nurses

Participate in the management of chronic disease clinics

Asthma

COPD

CHD

To be responsible for the efficient running of the treatment room and equipment maintenance

To adhere to strict infection prevention and control in line with guidelines and policies

To keep up to date with resuscitation techniques and to ensure emergency drugs and equipment are in date

Giving telephone advice when required and when appropriate

Monitoring Practice Tasks at regular intervals

All nurses are responsible for checking their duty rota, ensuring where possible holiday and sickness cover is provided.

Completing prescriptions for all items and drugs used in the treatment room.

Working towards maintaining the QOF & Enhanced Services requirements undertaking training and running of appropriate clinics as required

Administration and professional responsibilities

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

Participate in the administrative and professional responsibilities of the practice team

Ensure clinical systems kept up to date, recording and/or amending accurate details

Ensure accurate completion of all necessary documentation associated with patient health care and registration with the practice

Make new and follow-up appointments for patients to attend surgeries and clinics and record this appropriately

Answer telephone as promptly as possible, handling each call appropriately.

Keep all rooms tidy

In participation with the nursing team to ensure the maintenance of equipment and stock levels relating to patient care.

At the end of duty, leave information regarding unresolved or urgent problems for incoming colleagues.

Attend and participate in practice meetings as required

Conduct any other duties, which may be required and agreed with the partnership.

Training and personal development

Maintain up to date skills and knowledge, maintaining awareness of professional issues.

Training needs will be monitored by yearly appraisal and will be in accordance with practice requirements. Personal development will be encouraged and supported by the practice.

Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work and ensure own educational commitment is at least sufficient to maintain revalidation requirements.

Develop and maintain a Personal Learning Plan.

Confidentiality:

In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust practice staff with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters.

Comply with Legislation with regards to data protection act and ensure confidentiality is maintained at all times.

The post-holder must regard all information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers (as well as information relating to the practice as a business organisation) 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, data protection legislation and the protection of personal and sensitive data, as well as other related healthcare legislation (e.g. the NHS Confidentiality Code of Practice)

Health & Safety:

The post-holder will comply with practice policies, procedures and clinical guidelines for self and others. This includes (but not limited to):

Identifying, reporting, and correcting health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised

Identifying issues and hazards / risks in relation to other work areas within the business

Awareness of national standards of infection control and cleanliness, as well as ownership of infection control and clinically based patient care protocols and implementing them across the practice.

Active observation of current working practices across the practice in relation to infection control, cleanliness and related activities, ensuring that procedures are followed and weaknesses / training needs are identified, escalating issues as appropriate.

Identifying the risks involved in work activities, raising them with appropriate management and managing those risks across clinical and patient processes.

Safe management of sharps procedures, including training, use, storage and disposal

Keeping own work areas and general / patient areas generally clean, sterile, assuming responsibility in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness across the business in consultation (where appropriate) with other managers

Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

Routine management of own team / team areas, and maintenance of work space standards;

o Waste management, including collection, handling, segregation, container management, storage and collection

o Spillage control procedures, management and training

o Decontamination control procedures, management and training, and equipment maintenance

Equality and 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
• Identify patterns of discrimination and take action to overcome this and promote diversity and equality of opportunity.
• Behaving in a manner that is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.
• Support people who need assistance in exercising their 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
• Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs
• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources

Communication:

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

• Communicate effectively with other team members
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers
• Recognize peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly

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.

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 audit where appropriate.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in a community development context, adult health and social care, learning support or public health/health improvement
• Substantial experience (post registration) working in a healthcare setting supervising and/or mentoring junior staff
• Evidence of professional/clinical knowledge in an area supplemented by specialist clinical and/or managerial training
• Portfolio of CPD with evidence of ability to maintain professional registration
• Experience and training in management of diabetes
• Experience of initiating insulin/GLP1 therapies

Desirable

• Experience of working in primary care
• Experience of GMS contract and QOF requirements

Other Requirements

Essential

• Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check
• Occupational Health clearance
• Meet the requirements and produce evidence for nurse revalidation
• Evidence of continuing professional development (CPD)

Desirable

• Flexibility to work outside core office hours

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse with Nursing and Midwifery Council
• Minimum 2 years experience post registration
• Diabetic specialist qualification
• Mentoring qualification

Desirable

• Competence to undertake some or all of Asthma, COPD, Cardio and Diabetic clinics/reviews and hold relevant certificates
• Chronic disease management qualifications

Knowledge and skills

Essential

• Evidence of clinical skills and experience in treatment room consultation
• Assess complex health and wellbeing needs and develop, monitor and review care plans to meet specific needs
• 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 understand when to refer to GPs
• Understanding of the wider determinants of health, including social, economic and environmental factors and their impact on communities
• Polite and confident, flexible and cooperative
• Motivated, forward thinker
• Problem solver with the ability to process information accurately and effectively, interpreting data as required
• High levels of integrity and loyalty
• Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations as well as ability to work under pressure/in stressful situations

Desirable

• Knowledge/experience of SystemOne
• 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).