Practice Nurse

Job responsibilities

St. Georges Medical Practice

Job Description

Job Title: Practice Nurse

Hours: 25 to 37.5 hours

Reports to: The Partners (Clinically)

Practice Manager (Administratively)

Education and Experience

Registered General Nurse with valid NMC registration and minimum of 2 years post registration experience.

Ability to manage time effectively.

Possess good interpersonal, organisation and communication skills.

Job Summary

To work in conjunction with or independently of the other members of the practice team, according to practice policy and protocols, to assess the nursing needs of the practice population and provide high standards of appropriate care and evaluation, whilst maintaining professional conduct in accordance with NMC standards.

Principle Duties

Professional

• Carry out treatment room skills such as suture removal and wound care management/dressings.
• Administer childhood and adult immunisations accordingly and within the guidelines of PGDs.
• Provide travel health service to the practice population.
• To assess individual health needs of practice population, including the social, ethnic and cultural influences, and provide holistic nursing care based on these assessments.
• Provide well person checks including health promotion, self-examination awareness and screening as appropriate.
• Provide a cervical cytology service to all eligible women within the practice.
• To assist in the delivery of chronic disease management programmes for patients with asthma, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, COPD.
• Perform venepuncture.
• Liaise with other members of the primary health care team and other agencies accordingly, to maintain provision of appropriate care.
• Ensure all nursing care, interaction and procedures are recorded accurately and within 24hours, into patients medical records according to practice protocol, including opportunistic QOF requirements.
• Provide audit information in accordance with practice policy and the Care Quality commission (CQC).
• Work according to Health and Safety regulations as specified in the Health and Safety policies.
• Maintain confidentiality at all times with regard to both patients and staff.

Managerial

• Contribute to the assessment of service needs.
• Assist patients to identify their health needs.
• Contribute a nursing perspective to the practice development plan.
• Manage and organise individual patient consultations.
• Aware of identification and reporting procedures related to professional standards.
• To attend staff meetings.
• Ensure effective relationships and communications with the ICB and other agencies.
• Support the practice clinical governance agenda.
• Identify changes to clinical practice that are required to implement evidence-based guidelines.

Educational

• Identify personal development and training needs in conjunction with the manager.
• Participate in clinical supervision.
• Support others with their training and development needs.
• To participate in continuing education and maintain a contemporary level of professional knowledge and skills.

Personal

• Maintain good industrial relations.
• Take reasonable care of his/her own safety and that of other persons who may be affected by his/her act or omission.
• Be aware of, and comply with, all policies and processes relating to infection control.
• Co-operation with the practice to ensure all members of the team adheres to statutory regulations/policies and codes of practice and departments safety rules.
• Offer innovative ways of working and opportunities to facilitate learning.
• Facilitates a learning environment within the team.
• Maintains a caring environment through the support of colleagues.

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 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 teams 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.
• Assist in the development of practice protocols and policies
• Participate in audit where appropriate.

Job Revision

It is the policy of the practice to periodically evaluate employees job descriptions and update them as appropriate to ensure that they reflect the job as it is performed and to allow for any changes to be made or proposed. This procedure is jointly conducted by both doctors and those working directly with them. Your input is therefore required when such decisions are made, and although it is the aim of this practice to reach agreement on reasonable changes, if agreement cannot be made, the partners reserve the right to insist on changes to your job description in accordance with your level within the practice.

Skills

Essential

• IT skills (MS Office, Internet etc)
• Interpersonal skills
• Time Management

Behaviours

Essential

• Smart, polite and confident
• Planning and organising
• Performing under pressure
• Adaptability
• Using initiative
• Team working
• Self motivated
• Reliability
• Flexibility
• Confidentiality

Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of clinical governance

Desirable

• Knowledge of clinical audits

Qualifications

Essential

• RGN Qualification
• Current NMC registration

Desirable

• Accredited training in chronic disease management
• Accredited training in anticoagulation management
• Cervical cytology qualification

Experience

Essential

• Up-to-date training in childhood immunisations
• Health promotion
• Family planning
• Smoking cessation
• Evidence of recent updating in primary care
• Working with (Clinical system)

Desirable

• 2 years post-registration

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).