Experienced Practice Nurse

Job responsibilities

Practice Responsibilities

Contributes to the evaluation/audit and clinical standard setting with colleagues.

Records data in patient records systems promptly and accurately and to agreed standards.

Ensures appropriate use of read codes.

Participates in the auditing of practice activity as required.

Responsible for health and safety of themselves and others and actively co-operates with Health and Safety Policies and procedures.

Processes and actions incoming patient and hospital correspondence.

Attends in-house meetings, significant event audit meetings and other meetings as deemed necessary.

Ensures that the practice complaints system is adhered to at all times.

Awareness and compliance with all relevant guidelines e.g. data protection, confidentiality and health and safety.

Maintain current CPR and anaphylaxis certification and child/adult safeguarding training in line with local policies.

Training & Development

Fully participates in training and development

Engages in a programme of ongoing support and feedback to maximise the benefit of the training and development plan.

Confidentiality

In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately.

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:

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

Using appropriate infection control procedures particularly those relating to needlestick injuries, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards.

Ensuring that all accidents or dangerous accidents are reported and investigated, and follow up action taken where necessary.

Maintain training in line with local policies. Applicable to Practice Staff including GPs and nurses.

Equality and Diversity

The post-holder will support the quality, 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 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-judgemental and respects their circumstances, feelings, priorities and rights.

Quality

The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the Practice, and will:

Alert the Practice Manager / Lead Nurse GP or 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 enhanced 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 recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

Communicate effectively with other team members.

Communicate effectively with patients and carers.

Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.

The employer is Sunderland GP Alliance and the post-holder is expected to comply with the Alliances employment policies and procedures

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Polite and confident
• Flexible and cooperative
• Motivated, forward thinker
• Problem solver with the ability to process information accurately and effectively, interpreting data as required
• High levels of integrity and loyalty
• Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations
• Ability to work under pressure/in stressful situations
• Able to communicate effectively and understand the needs of the patient
• Commitment to ongoing professional development
• Effectively utilises resources
• Punctual and committed to supporting the team effort

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in a primary care environment
• Experience of working as a practice nurse or community nurse
• Experience of chronic disease management

Other

Essential

• Flexibility to work outside core office hours
• Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check
• Occupational Health clearance
• NMC registration active
• Car Driver

Desirable

• Mentoring qualification

Qualifications

Essential

• NMC Registration

Desirable

• Postgraduate diploma or degree (Primary Care)
• Non-Medical Prescribing
• Clinical Skills Primary Care

Clinical Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Venepuncture
• Asthma
• CHD
• Diabetes
• Hypertension
• Infection Control
• Immunisations (routine, childhood and travel)
• Womens health (Cervical cytology, contraception etc.)
• Understands the importance of evidence-based practice
• Broad knowledge of clinical governance
• Ability to record accurate clinical notes
• Ability to work within own scope of practice and to understand when to refer to GPs
• Knowledge of health promotion strategies
• Understands the requirement for PGDs and associated policy

Desirable

• ECGs
• New patient medicals
• Chaperone procedure
• Requesting pathology tests and processing the results, advising patients accordingly
• Travel medicine
• Spirometry
• Knowledge of public health issues in the local area
• Awareness of issues within the wider health arena

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).