Job responsibilities
Job summary:
The practice nurse will work as part of the primary healthcare team providing Personal Medical Services to the patients of practice.
Job responsibilities:
- Assist in and perform routine tasks related to patient care as directed by senior nursing staff and GPs
- Smears / Cytology
- Wound care / Ulcer care/Doppler
- Removal of Sutures
- New Patient Medicals
- Adult and General Health Checks
- Learning Disability Health Checks
- Urinalysis
- Travel Clinic
- ECGs
- INR Testing
- Asthma/Peak Flow Readings/Spirometry
- Venepuncture / bloods
- Hypertension Management / Blood Pressure Checks
- Ear syringing
- Routine immunizations
- Childhood immunisations
- B12 Injections
- Chaperoning and assisting patients where appropriate who are being examined by another clinician
- Assisting GPs with minor surgery
- Assisting with coil fittings
- Smoking Advise
- Pill checks
- Interest in Respiratory, Diabetes, Coronary Heart Disease and Contraception. Able to manage and participate in:
- Asthma & COPD Clinics
- Diabetic Clinics
- Requesting pathology tests, for example urine culture, swabs
- Following agreed clinical protocols with referral to senior nurses or GPs as appropriate
- Assisting and taking the lead where appropriate in ensuring that the Practice maintains and improves Infection Control standards
- Maintaining and cleaning equipment used by the nurses and GPs (updating cleaning schedule)
- Maintain general tidiness and cleanliness of nurses and treatment rooms
- Maintaining GP and Nurses rooms, stocking and rotating items as required
- Chaperoning and assisting patients who are being examined by another clinician.
- Ordering of Health Promotion Literature and promoting with patients and in waiting rooms
- Ordering of stock from the District Hospital
- Ordering of vaccinations to maintain stock levels
- Participation in administrative systems in the Practice
- At all times there will be a need to maintain accurate records
- A duty to advise management team of potential problems or errors within a range of assigned tasks
- Attend and participate in any Practice meetings when required.
- On occasion there may be a requirement to undertake home visits
- Any other delegated duties appropriate to the post
Health & safety
The post-holder will implement and lead on a full range of promotion and management 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):
The post-holder will implement and lead on a full range of promotion and management 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
- 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
- Responsible for hand hygiene across the practice
- Ownership of infection control and clinically based patient care protocols, and implementation of those protocols 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 and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks across clinical and patient process
- 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
- Actively identifying, reporting, and correction of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised
- Keeping own work areas and general / patient areas generally clean, sterile, identifying issues and hazards / risks in relation to other work areas within the business, and assuming responsibility in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness across the business in consultation (where appropriate) with other sector managers
- Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum twice annually)
- Routine management of own team / team areas, and maintenance of work space standards
- 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
- Maintenance of sterile environments
- Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.
Personal/Professional development:
The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, such training to include:
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
- 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
Quality:
The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practice, and will:
The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practice, and will:
Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk
- 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 patient confidentiality and data protection at all times
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