PCN Practice Nurse / Nurse Practitioner

Job description

Job responsibilities

Diagnosing and treating patients presenting with minor illness

• Triage and treat patients wishing to see a health care professional using a variety of techniques to elicit and interpret the history of an event/illness, including past medical history and drug history in order to reach a clinical decision, provide appropriate care and/or make any necessary referrals to other members of the primary health care team.
• Disseminate test results to patients and counsel them accordingly.
• Ensure clinical practice is safe and effective and remains within boundaries of competence and to acknowledge limitations.
• Advise patients on general health care and minor ailments with referral to other members of the primary and secondary health care team as necessary.
• Provide a minor injury service.

Management of Chronic Disease

• Contribute to chronic disease management by assessing, planning, monitoring and reviewing progress. Assessments should include spirometry, foot examination, lifestyle screening, pulse oximetry etc.
• To support the clinical team in identifying and targeting patients for assessment and treatment.

Providing assessment, treatment, screening services and health education advice

• Chronic Diseases including asthma, COPD and diabetes
• Health screening
• Minor injuries/illnesses
• HRT
• Contraception/Depo injections/Pill check
• Removal of IUCD / IUS
• HVS
• Pessary
• Routine immunisations and vaccinations
• Childhood immunisations
• Routine injections
• Zoladex implants
• Travel Advice/Travel f/u vaccine
• Dressing
• Removal of sutures / clips
• Breath Test
• First registration checks / health surveillance / general health advice
• Dietary advice
• Blood pressure checks
• Urinalysis
• Ear syringing
• ECG
• Phlebotomy
• Assisting with minor procedures in the treatment room

Therapeutic Monitoring

• Prescribe and 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
• Checking compliance with and adherence to appropriate treatments using holistic patient centred approach.
• Use of appropriate teaching methods to enable patients to maximise health, such as inhaler techniques, blood/urine monitoring, lifestyle changes.
• Recognising abnormalities.

Risk Assessment

• Recognising issues and gathering sufficient information to refer (eg drugs, domestic violence, child protection, vulnerable adults, senior patients, social problems)

Administration and professional responsibilities

• Take responsibility for own learning and performance including participating in clinical supervision and acting as a positive role mode.
• Participate in the administrative and professional responsibilities of the practice team.
• Ensure accurate and legible notes of all consultations and treatments are recorded in the patients notes.
• Ensure the clinical computer system is kept up to date with accurate details recorded and amended.
• Ensure appropriate items of service claims are made accurately, reporting any problems to the practice administrator.
• 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 and audit.
• Attend and participate in practice meetings as required.
• Restocking of clinical areas and consulting rooms.

Supplies and equipment

• Maintenance of equipment and stock relating to patient care.

Training and personal development

• Training requirements will be monitored by yearly appraisal and will be in accordance with practice requirements. Personal development will be encouraged and supported by the practice. It is the individuals responsibility to remain up to date with recent developments.
• Participate in the education and training of students of all disciplines and the introduction of all members of the practice staff where appropriate.
• Maintain continued education by attendance at courses and study days as deemed useful or necessary for professional development ensuring PREP requirements are met.
• If it is necessary to expand the role to include additional responsibilities, full training will be given.
• Develop and maintain a Personal Learning Plan.

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.

• The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:
• Acting in a way that recognizes 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-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

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:
• 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

• 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

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

Contribution to the implementation of services

• 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.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• NMC Registered Nurse

Desirable

• Experience using EMIS Web, Docman, Accurx

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

NORTH SHROPSHIRE PRIMARY CARE NETWORK

Address

Bridgewater Street

Whitchurch

Shropshire

Sy13 1QH