Lead Practice Nurse

Job description

Job responsibilities

The post holder is responsible for ensuring the delivery of safe and effective nursing care to the whole practice population. As the team leader for the general practice nursing team, the post holder is accountable for nursing service delivery. They will lead and manage all the nursing resources, working closely with the GPs and practice manager to deliver the practice priorities. Clinically the focus of the role is the delivery of evidence-based practice for patients with acute and chronic conditions and management and preventative nursing interventions to all patients. You will work collaboratively with the whole general practice team to meet the needs of patients and support and provide leadership and direction for the nursing team.

PRINCIPAL CONTACTS

Nurses, Doctors, Reception and Administrative teams, Practice Management, Patients, Pharmacies, Secondary Care Providers

GENERAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assist in and perform routine tasks related to patient care as directed by the practice manager and GPs:
• Cervical cytology
• Wound care/ ulcer care/ Doppler
• Removal of Sutures
• Urinalysis
• Travel advice and vaccinations
• Injections eg B12, Prostap, depot
• ECGs
• Hypertension Management
• Chronic disease management
• Ear Syringing
• Adult/ Child immunisations including Flu and covid vaccinations
• Chaperoning and assisting patients where appropriate who are being examined by another clinician.
• Assisting GPs with minor surgery and coil fittings
• Requesting pathology tests, for example urine culture, swabs
• Following agreed clinical protocols with referral to GPs as appropriate

Other tasks will include overseeing

• Maintaining and cleaning equipment used by nurses and GPs
• Maintaining GP and Nurses rooms, stocking and rotating items as required.
• Maintaining general tidiness and cleanliness of nurses and treatment rooms
• Disposal and processing of clinical waste following guidelines
• Ordering of Health Promotion Literature
• Ordering of stock
• Ordering of vaccinations

You will also

• Participate in developing administrative systems for the practice
• Participate in all aspects of yearly Flu campaign
• Maintain accurate records at all times according to NMC rules
• Advise the practice manager of potential problems or errors within a range of assigned tasks
• Attend and participate in any meetings arranged by the practice when required and
• On occasion there may be a requirement to undertake home visits

The post holder may also be required to carry out other duties commensurate with the grade.

MANAGERIAL DUTIES

• Responsible for organising and delivering the nursing service
• Nursing team leader and point of contact
• Participate in management meetings on behalf of your team
• Oversight and achievement of QOF and care targets
• Conducting nurse team appraisals
• Organising nursing team meetings, rotas, keeping records of training and encouraging teamwork within the practice
• Identifying and managing risks
• Participating in audits
• Ensuring all polices and procedures and up to date and followed
• Involvement in nursing team recruitment

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 confidential
• Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons, in accordance with practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data

HEALTH AND 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, 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
• 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
• 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.

EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY

The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues by:

• 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

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

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

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in primary care,
• Experience in clinical supervision and training,
• Experience leading a team,
• Experience in chronic disease management,
• infection control and control measures,
• simple and complex wound care,
• immunisations - routine adult, travel and child,
• cervical cytology,
• general treatment room duties including ECGs and INRs

Desirable

• Experience conducting appraisals

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse ( NMC ),
• Relevant nursing/health degree,
• Evidence of appropriate continuing professional development activity.

Desirable

• Mentor or teaching qualification,
• Leadership training or qualification

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

Otford Medical Practice

Address

Otford Medical Practice

Leonard Avenue

Otford

Sevenoaks

Kent

TN14 5RB

Employer's website

https://www.otfordmedicalpractice.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)