Practice Nurse

Job responsibilities

Job Summary:

To assist medical personnel in the care of Practice patients to include treatment, preventative care, screening and patient education.

Job Responsibilities:

Providing assessment, screening and treatment services and health education advice

Organise and co-ordinate the provision of nursing services for the Practice to include the delegation of duties to other staff as appropriate.

Provide nursing treatments to patients in participation with general practitioners or independently to agreed protocols.

Provide general and specific health screenings to the Practice patients (within agreed protocols) with referral to general practitioners as necessary.

Administer immunisations according to the latest guidance, giving advice regarding after effects and travel health where appropriate.

Provide regular reviews of patients chronic conditions according to latest guidance giving advice regarding conditions and obtaining additional guidance and advice from clinicians where necessary.

Supplies and equipment Treatment room and other areas

In participation with the Practice Manager, ensure the maintenance of equipment and stock levels relating to patient care.

Pathological specimens and investigatory procedures

Following appropriate training, undertake the collection, storage and despatch of pathological specimens including intravenous blood samples, swabs, smears etc and ensure the cleanliness of any equipment so used. Perform any investigatory procedures requested by the GPs.

Administrative and professional responsibilities

Participate in the administrative and professional responsibilities of the Practice team.

Ensure accurate notes of all consultations and treatments are recorded in the patients notes on the clinical computer system as appropriate.

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.

Attend and participate in Practice meetings as required.

Assist in the formulation of Practice philosophy, strategy and policy and develop appropriate protocols.

Research projects

Co-operate and participate as required in any research projects within the Practice.

Student/staff education and training

Participate in the education and training of students of all disciplines and the induction of all members of Practice staff with special responsibility for nursing staff.

Liaison

Maintain effective liaison with other agencies and staff concerned with patient care and with all other disciplines within the Practice, with appropriate regard to confidentiality.

Professional development

Maintain continued education by attendance at courses and study days as deemed useful or necessary for professional development.

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 assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the Practice Health & Safety Policy, to include:

Using personal security systems within the workplace according to Practice guidelines

Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks

Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills

Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards

Reporting potential risks identified

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 audit where appropriate

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse
• Minimum 2 years post registration experience
• Evidence of appropriate knowledge base

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in accordance with the NMC Code of Professional Conduct
• Experience of working in a primary care environment
• Experience of Microsoft Office software
• Understanding of clinical coding in general and Read coding in particular

Desirable

• Experience of multi-skilled approach to Chronic Disease Management
• Experience of working in a complex organisation
• Experience of diagnosis and treatment of minor illnesses
• Evidence of involvement in Research and Developing
• Experience of working with new technologies in health care practice

Personal Attributes and Qualities

Essential

• Ability to listen, empathies with people and provide person centered support in a non-judgmental way
• Able to get along with people from all backgrounds and communities, respecting lifestyles and diversity
• Commitment to reducing health inequalities and proactively working to reach people in all communities
• Able to support people in a way that inspires trust and confidence, motivating others to reach their potential
• Able to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with people, their families, carers, community groups, partner agencies and stakeholders
• Ability to identify risk and assess/manage risk when working with individuals
• Have a strong awareness and understanding of when it is appropriate or necessary to refer people back to other health professionals/agencies, when what the person needs is beyond the scope of the link worker role, e.g. when there is a mental health need requiring a qualified practitioner
• Able to work from an asset based approach, building on existing community and personal assets
• Able to provide leadership and finish work tasks
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships and to promote collaborative practice with all colleagues
• Demonstrates personal accountability, emotional resilience and works well under pressure
• Ability to organise, plan and prioritise on own initiative, including when under pressure and meeting deadlines
• High level of written and oral communication skills
• Ability to work flexibly and enthusiastically within a team or on own initiative
• Knowledge of and ability to work to policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance and health and safety

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• Broad knowledge of clinical governance
• Knowledge of Infection Prevention Control including Public Health issues in the local area
• Understands the requirement for PGDs, PSDs and associated policy
• Requesting pathology tests and processing the results, advising patients accordingly
• LES/DES/QoF/CQC related clinical and administrative work
• Ability to record accurate clinical notes
• Insight and understanding of current issues in nursing and the NHS
• Immunisations (routine, childhood and travel)
• Venepuncture
• Management of Diabetes, Hypertension, Asthma, Spirometry and CHD
• Understanding of the wider determinants of health, including social, economic and environmental factors and their impact on communities
• Interest and basic knowledge in long-term conditions
• Evidence of problem-solving and decision-making skills

Desirable

• Knowledge of the personalised care approach
• Knowledge of community development approaches

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).