Practice Nurse

Job responsibilities

Patient care

• New patient health checks
• Free NHS Health checks
• Venepuncture
• Blood pressure measurement/monitoring, and treatment following protocol.
• ECG
• Ear Irrigation
• Adult & Childhood immunisations
• Take pathology samples from patients for analysis (blood, sputum, urine, etc)
• Travel clinic (vaccination, medication, malaria prophylaxis and avoidance, safe sex, food hygiene,)
• Assessment, management, and treatment of conditions within competence including Chronic Disease conditions including patients with Diabetes, Hypertension, Coronary Heart Disease, etc.
• Wound care/dressings/tissue viability
• Ulcer care including Doppler assessment & compression bandaging
• Seasonal vaccinations to include Flu, Pneumovax and Shingles
• Vitamin B12 injections
• Prostap/Zoladex Injections
• Womens health/lifestyle advice including contraception and HRT advice
• Mens health/lifestyle advice and appropriate referrals
• Medicals
• Chaperoning

Drugs will only be administered on the basis of written and signed medical authorisation in form of a current PGD or PSD

Emergency Management

• To be competent in anaphylaxis and resuscitation techniques.

Attend updates when required

Record keeping and administration

• Make accurate and contemporaneous records of all patient encounters within, the practices clinical system, in accordance with practice record protocols and coding protocols
• Accurately label and document patient samples and submit for collection and analysis.
• Contribute to nursing team record-keeping (clinical, administrative, Health & Safety related records).
• Maintain skills in using patient appointment systems.
• Administrative duties including ordering, stock control, and keeping rooms stocked with equipment.

Health Promotion

• Measure and record patients' BMI & Blood pressures opportunistically.
• Understand patients motivation to adapt their lifestyle.
• Offers lifestyle advice on smoking and exercise and refer as appropriate.
• Offer advice on Sexual Health to include STIs, arrange and take swabs as necessary.
• Repeat prescription for oral contraception issued by GP following Practice protocol
• Repeat prescriptions of Hormone replacement therapy following practice protocol

Child Health/ Child Protection

• Recognise the signs, symptoms, and categories of child abuse.
• Understand the importance of recognition, observation, documentation, and communication.
• Be aware of child health procedures, statutory local procedures, and points of referral.
• Have knowledge of other practitioners and agencies roles.
• Understand basic legal issues around child abuse.
• Attend updates when required.

Maintaining a safe clinical environment

General: Be aware of and comply with the practices Health and Safety Policy. This will include:

• Minimising risk to self and others in the workplace.
• Identifying and reporting hazards/risks and contributing to control measures.
• Adhering to all relevant policies including infection control, cold chain
• Contributing to keeping the working area and patient areas tidy and free from hazards.
• Using protective equipment and clothing provided and in accordance with the practices policy.
• Handling specimens and clinical waste/sharps in accordance with practice policy.
• Applying correctly spill control and decontamination policies
• Ensuring sufficient supplies of all cleansing and infection control materials.
• Attending regular health and safety training.

Specific:

• Record fridge temperatures, clean fridges, promptly report temperature variations from standard.
• Rotate stock according to date, maintain appropriate records and discard out of date stock in accordance with the practice protocol.
• Prepare clinical areas between patients in accordance with infection control procedures including cleaning surfaces and equipment.
• Dispose of all clinical waste/sharps in accordance with practices infection control protocol.
• Clean/maintain all equipment in accordance with infection control and equipment maintenance policies.
• Take action to manage spills or decontaminate affected areas.

Infection Control

Support patients and colleagues in adopting sound infection controlmeasures. Apply infection control measures within the practice accordingto local and national guidelines.

This includes:

• Universal hygiene precautions.
• The collection and handling of laboratory specimens.
• Segregation and disposal of waste materials.
• Decontamination of instruments and clinical equipment.
• Reporting and treatment of sharps injuries.
• Dealing with blood and body fluid spillages

Supplies management

• Check stock in all clinical rooms.
• Order replacement stock and restock clinical rooms.
• Order vaccines to maintain stock levels and store according to practice cold chain and storage policies.
• Maintain accurate stock records, including liaison with Practice Manager by providing order confirmations for invoice checking.
• Order most economic supplies available and use with the economy.
• Order and maintain stock of health information leaflets and keep displays up to date.

Equipment maintenance and calibration

• Contribute to care and maintenance of equipment.

Quality

• Provide services to the practices patient population to the highest possible standard.
• Work to agreed standards, monitor and maintain the standard of care offered.
• Take action if standards are not met (self or others).
• Contribute to clinical governance activities/clinical audit to ensure continual improvement of service delivery.
• Contribute to complaints responses/reviews, significant events, peer reviews,s, and other shared learning activities.
• Support and mentor staff in training.
• Support the performance of team members including giving and receiving effective feedback.

Communication

• Advise patients of the Practice Nurse role, its extent, and limits.
• Appropriately advise and refer on patients if they require the services of a GP or other clinical team member.
• Communicate effectively, promptly, and appropriately with patients and team members.
• Modify method of communication with patients to suit the situation, recognise problems/barriers, and take action or seek help at an early stage when they arise.
• Communicate risk to patients and ensure proper consent gained where appropriate.
• Contribute to practice and nursing team meetings.

Personal development

• Comply with The Code from the NMC and keep registration up to date, documented and checked in the practice on an annual basis, including revalidation when required.
• Behave as a positive role model.
• Prioritise own work and work effectively with others to prioritise team and practice workload.
• Undertake training needed to ensure competencies for delivering all responsibilities.
• Maintain awareness of current evidence-based approaches to patient care and update practice accordingly and in consultation with the team
• Attend and contribute to in-house training events.
• Take responsibility for own development including maintenance of a Personal Development Plan and record of learning, clinical supervision, staff appraisals, giving and receiving feedback, performance .management with the support and supervision of qualified staff
• Undertake regular mandatory training (child protection, vulnerable adults, basic life support, moving and handling, etc).

Individual responsibility for:

• Working within own scope of practice and according to experience and liaising with GPs or Lead Nurse if needing support or advice.

• Actively build and maintain effective communication links with the whole practice team to ensure efficient liaison and patient care.

• Attending meetings as requested by the Partners/Practice Manager.

• Attending annual appraisal and working towards objectives set under the personal development plan.

• Any other duties as reasonably requested by the Partners/Practice Manager.

Additional skills required for the post

• An ability to prioritise and balance routine administrative tasks against important management issues of the surgery.
• Ability to contribute to future practice policies and growth.
• Excellent communication skills written and verbal.
• Use available resources effectively.
• Make balanced and appropriate decisions.
• Develop and implement new ideas to improve performance.
• Communicate effectively with the Doctors, Nurses, Practice Manager, the team, colleagues, and outside agencies.
• Perform in a cost-effective manner to eliminate waste and to help the organisation to run economically.

Other Duties

From time to time the postholder may be asked to undertake other reasonable duties, with appropriate training. It is important that all members of staff are prepared to undertake additional or relinquish current duties to maintain service delivery to patients. It is expected that requests from the Partners/Management Team/Lead Treatment Room/Practice Nurse will not be unreasonably refused.

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered General Nurse (Currently registered with the Nursing & Midwifery Council)

Desirable

• Teaching / Mentoring experience and /or qualification
• Asthma / COPD
• Diabetes

Experience

Essential

• Evidence of appropriate continuing professional development activity to maintain up-to-date knowledge and ongoing competence in all aspects of the practice nurse role.
• Evidence of working autonomously and as part of a team
• Proven ability to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of their own clinical practice

Desirable

• Interpreting and implementing local and National policy agendas for health.
• Experience in management long term conditions e.g. Asthma, Diabetes, Hypertension, CHD

Knowledge

Essential

• Understanding and knowledge of policy developments related to the delivery of primary care services including General Practice, the GMS/PMS contract, Clinical Governance, Quality & Outcomes Framework
• Understanding of systems to gain an understanding of the health needs of the Practice population as they relate to primary care
• Understanding of evidence-based practice
• Knowledge of national standards that inform practice (eg National Service Frameworks, NICE guidelines etc)
• Understanding of their accountability arising from the NMC Code of Professional Conduct (2018) and medico-legal aspects of the Practice Nurse role
• Understanding of equal opportunity and diversity issues

Skills

Essential

• Ability to assess and manage patient risk effectively and safely
• Well developed word processing/data collection/IT skills
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills
• Reflective practitioner
• Time management and ability to prioritise workload
• Able to analyse data and information, drawing out implications for the individual patient/impact on care plan
• Able to establish and maintain effective communication pathways within the organisation, the local CCG and with key external stakeholders

Desirable

• Experience of use of a EMIS Web
• Proven record of effective use of networking and influencing skills
• Ability to think strategically
• Experience of presenting information to wider audience

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).