Treatment Room Nurse

Job responsibilities

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE: TREATMENT ROOM NURSE - BAND 5

REPORTS TO: NURSE MANAGER/THE PARTNERS (Clinically)

PRACTICE MANAGER (Administratively)

HOURS: 30 hours per week (3.5 days) plus holiday and sick cover

Job Summary

To provide and maintain a high standard of nursing care for patients, as well as providing nursing assistance to the doctors, nurses, and other members of the primary healthcare team.

Job Responsibilities

Assist in and perform routine tasks related to patient care as directed by senior nursing staff and GPs. Such tasks may include:

• Wound care / ulcer care
• Temperature, pulse, oxygen and respiration measurements
• Removal of sutures/clips
• Urinalysis
• ECGs
• Venepuncture
• Blood pressure measurements
• Routine immunisations (adults and children)
• Follow-up contraceptive pill checks
• Cervical smears and swabs
• Injections
• D-Dimer
• Doppler
• Spirometry
• Near patient INR testing
• Stop smoking support.
• Weight reduction support
• NHS Health Checks
• Learning Disability Health Checks
• Chaperoning and assisting patients where appropriate who are being examined by another clinician.
• Assisting GPs with minor surgery and coil fittings
• Requesting basic pathology tests, for example urine culture, swabs
• Following agreed clinical protocols with referral to senior nurses or GPs as appropriate
• Ordering and maintaining adequate stock levels

Other tasks including:

• Maintaining and cleaning equipment used by the nurses and GPs.
• Undertake housekeeping duties including, general tidiness and cleanliness of treatment rooms.
• Ordering of stock from the local hospital in collaboration with the HCA
• 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 senior nurses of potential problems or errors within the range of assigned tasks.
• Attend and participate in any practice meetings when required.

Any other delegated duties appropriate to the post.

Special Requirements of the Post

• An understanding, acceptance, and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality
• Ability to use own judgment, resourcefulness, and common sense.
• A commitment to maintain a high professional standard of nursing care and keep up to date with all aspects of nursing care relevant to the post.
• A commitment to ensure all Health and Safety requirements and Infection Control measures are met and to report any problems to the practice manager/ nurse manager.
• A commitment to the effective use of practice and NHS resources
• An awareness of own limitations and experience
• To work only in accordance with the NMC Code of Conduct and within the scope of professional practice
• Revalidation with the NMC (3 yearly)
• To have a written professional development plan and to maintain an up-to-date portfolio which meets the requirements of registration with the NMC.
• Cooperate with annual appraisal meetings.
• Associate membership with the practice indemnity provider

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.
• 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 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
• 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.
• Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks across clinical and patient process.
• 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, 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
• Undertaking periodic infection control training (annually)
• 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, 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

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 audits where appropriate.

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse

Desirable

• Relevant nursing degree

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in accordance with the NMC Code of Professional Conduct and The Scope of Professional Practice.
• Experience of dealing with the public / patients.
• Experience of quality initiatives such as QOF & NICE.

Desirable

• Experience of primary and / or Community care.
• Audit experience.
• Experience of quality initiatives such as QOF & NICE.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Knowledge of IT Microsoft, outlook, word.
• Wider health economy awareness.
• Knowledge of accountability of own role and other roles in the nurse led service.
• Observations: temperature, pulse, respirations, BP.
• Wound care/ dressings, blood glucose monitoring, ECGs.
• Communication skills, both written and verbal.
• IT skills, ability to move quickly around the keyboard.

Desirable

• Knowledge of IT clinical systems e.g., TPP, ICE, results, and pathology systems.
• Public health initiatives about diet, activity, alcohol, and support to stop smoking.
• Venepuncture, immunisations, vaccinations, cervical smears, suture removal, compression bandaging and other treatment room procedures.
• Health promotion skills e.g., Stop Smoking, weight reduction.
• INR star near patient testing.

Other

Essential

• Flexibility of working hours / able to work at the desired times.
• Highly motivated.
• Able to demonstrate enthusiasm to developing nursing skills.
• An understanding, acceptance, and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality.
• Ability to use own judgement, resourcefulness, and common sense.
• Ability to work without direct supervision and determine own workload priorities.
• Ability to work as part of an integrated multi-skilled team.
• Pleasant and articulate.
• Able to work under pressure.
• Able to work in a changing environment.
• Able to use own initiative.
• Car driver / clean licence.
• Ability to work across boundaries e.g., with GPs, District nurses, Health Visitors, admin, and reception staff.

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).