Job responsibilities
The following are the core responsibilities of
the Advanced Nurse Practitioner. There may be, on occasion, a requirement to
carry out other tasks; this will be dependent upon factors such as workload and
staffing levels:
Clinical Practice
Assess, diagnose, plan, implement and evaluate
treatment / interventions and care for patients presenting with an
undifferentiated diagnosis.
Clinically examine and assess patient needs
from a physiological and psychological perspective, and plan clinical care
accordingly.
Assess, diagnose, plan, implement and evaluate
interventions / treatments for patients with complex needs.
Proactively identify, diagnose and manage
treatment plans for patients at risk of developing a long-term condition (as
appropriate).
Diagnose and manage both acute and chronic
conditions, integrating both drug and non-drug-based treatment methods into a
management plan.
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.
Work with patients to support compliance with,
and adherence to, prescribed treatments.
Provide information and advice on prescribed or over-the-counter
medication on medication regimens, side-effects and interactions.
Prioritise health problems and intervene
appropriately to assist the patient in complex, urgent or emergency situations,
including initiation of effective emergency care.
Support patients to adopt health promotion
strategies that promote healthy lifestyles and apply principles of self-care.
Communication
Utilise and demonstrate sensitive communication
styles, to ensure patients are fully informed and consent to treatment.
Communicate with and support patients who are
receiving bad news.
Communicate effectively with patients and
carers, recognising the need for alternative methods of communication to
overcome different levels of understanding, cultural background and preferred
ways of communicating.
Anticipate barriers to communication and take
action to improve communication.
Maintain effective communication within the
practice environment and with external stakeholders.
Act as an advocate for patients and colleagues.
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.
Delivering a Quality Service
Recognise and work within own competence and
professional code of conduct as regulated by the NMC.
Produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete
records of patient consultations, consistent with legislation, policies and
procedures.
Prioritise, organise and manage own workload in
a manner that maintains and promotes quality.
Deliver care according to NICE guidelines and
evidence-based care.
Assess effectiveness of care delivery through
self and peer review, benchmarking and formal evaluation.
Initiate and participate in the maintenance of
quality governance systems and processes across the organisation and
activities.
Utilise the audit cycle as a means of
evaluating the quality of the work of self and the team, implementing
improvements where required.
In partnership with other clinical teams,
collaborate on improving the quality of health care responding to local and
national policies and initiatives as appropriate.
Evaluate the patients response to health care
provision and the effectiveness of care.
Support and participate in shared learning
across the practice and wider organisation.
Use a structured framework (e.g. root-cause
analysis) to manage, review and identify learning from patient complaints,
clinical incidents and near-miss events.
Assess the impact of policy implementation on
care delivery.
Understand and apply legal issues that support
the identification of vulnerable and abused children and adults and be aware of
statutory child/vulnerable patients health procedures and local guidance.
Leadership and Personal Development
Take responsibility for own learning and
performance including participating in clinical supervision and acting as a
role model.
Support staff development in order to maximise
potential.
Critically evaluate and review innovations and
developments that are relevant to the area of work.
Enlist support and influence stakeholders and
decision-makers in order to bring about new developments in the provision of
services.
Contribute to the development of local
guidelines, protocols and standards.
Market the role of the Advanced Nurse
Practitioner in general practice.
Team Working
Understand own role and scope and identify how
this may develop over time.
Work as an effective and responsible team
member, supporting others and exploring mechanisms to develop new ways of
working.
Delegate clearly and appropriately, adopting
the principles of safe practice and assessment of competence.
Create clear referral mechanisms to meet
patient need.
Prioritise own workload and ensure effective
time-management strategies are embedded within the culture of the team.
Work effectively with others to clearly define
values, direction and policies impacting upon care delivery.
Discuss, highlight and work with the team to
create opportunities to improve patient care.
Manage and lead on the delivery of specifically
identified services or projects as agreed with the practice management team.
Agree plans and outcomes by which to measure
success.
Management of Risk
Manage and assess risk within the areas of
responsibility, ensuring adequate measures are in place to protect staff and
patients.
Monitor work areas and practices to ensure they
are safe and free from hazards and confirm to health, safety and security
legislation, policies, procedures and guidelines.
Apply infection-control measures within the
practice according to local and national guidelines.
Advocate for policies that reduce environmental
health risks, are culturally sensitive and increase access to health care for
all.
Interpret national strategies and policies into
local implementation strategies that are aligned to the values and culture of
general practice.