Practice Nurse

Job responsibilities

JOB DESCRIPTION

NAME: JOB TITLE: Practice Nurse

REPORTS TO: Lead Nurse - ANP

HOURS: 28 Hours per week

Job Summary

To provide and maintain a high standard of nursing care for patients, as well as providing nursing assistance to the doctors and other members of the primary healthcare team.

Job Responsibilities

Assist with and perform routine tasks related to patient care as directed by Lead Nurse, Allied Professional Team and the GPs. Tasks may include:

• Basic wound care / ulcer care
• Removal of sutures
• Urinalysis
• ECGs
• Cervical cytology
• Peak flow readings
• Venepuncture
• Blood pressure measurements
• Ear syringing when clinically required
• Routine immunisations and travel immunisations
• Chronic disease management Diabetes, hypertension, COPD, and Asthma Care including annual reviews (dependant on knowledge and skills)
• Chaperoning and assisting patients where appropriate who are being examined by another clinician
• Requesting basic pathology tests, for example urine culture, swabs
• Following agreed clinical protocols with referral to senior nurses, ANPs or GPs as appropriate

Other responsibilities including:

• Maintaining and cleaning equipment used by the nurses and GPs
• Maintaining GP and nurses rooms, stocking, clinical waste disposal and rotating items as required
• Conducting Infection Control Inspections for the Surgery (training provided if required)
• Chaperoning and assisting patients who are being examined by another clinician
• Undertake duties including, general tidiness and cleanliness of nurses and treatment rooms
• Ordering of vaccinations to maintain stock levels
• Participation in administrative systems in the practice, such as fridge audit data entry
• Maintain detailed and accurate records for each encounter
• A duty to advise senior nurses of potential problems or errors within the range of assigned tasks
• Attend and participate in any practice meetings when required.

To conduct any other delegated duties commensurate to the post.

Special Requirements of the Post

• An understanding, acceptance and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality
• Ability to use own judgment, resourcefulness and seek advice when appropriate
• A commitment to maintain a high professional standard of nursing care and keep up to date with all aspects of nursing relevant to the post
• A commitment to ensure all Health and Safety requirements and Infection Control measures are met and to report any problems to the Line Manager
• A commitment to the effective use of practice and NHS resources
• An awareness of own limitations and experience
• To work only in accordance with the UKCC Code of Conduct and within the scope of professional practice
• To have a written professional development plan and to maintain an up to date portfolio which meets the requirements of registration with the UKCC
• Participate in annual appraisal processes

Confidentiality

• In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us, or allow us to gather sensitive information in relation to their health and related 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, 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 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. This relates to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data legislation.

Health & safety

The post-holder will participate in a full range of promotion and management of their own and others health and safety and infection control needs, as defined in the practice Health & Safety Policy and the Infection Control Policy This will include (but will not be limited to):

• Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines
• Awareness of national standards of infection control and cleanliness and regulatory / contractual / professional requirements, and good practice guidelines
• Responsible for the correct and safe management of the specimens process including collection, labelling, handling, use of correct and clean containers, storage and transport arrangements
• Management and maintenance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the practice including provision, ordering, availability and ongoing correct usage by staff
• Responsible for hand hygiene across the practice
• Ownership of infection control and clinically based patient care protocols, and implementation of those protocols across the practice
• Active observation of current working practices across the practice in relation to infection control, cleanliness and related activities, ensuring that procedures are followed and weaknesses / training needs are identified, escalating issues as appropriate
• Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks across clinical and patient process
• Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills, and initiate and manage the training of others across the full range of infection control and patient processes
• Monitoring practice facilities and equipment in relation to infection control, ensuring that provision of hand cleansing facilities, wipes etc are sufficient to ensure a good clinical working environment. Lack of facilities to be escalated as appropriate.
• Safe management of sharps procedures including training, use, storage and disposal
• Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy, clean and sterile, and safe way, free from hazards. Initiation of remedial / corrective action where needed or escalation to responsible management
• Actively identifying, reporting, and correction of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised
• Keeping own work areas and general / patient areas clean, sterile, identifying issues and hazards / risks in relation to other work areas within the business, and assuming responsibility in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness across the business in consultation (where appropriate) with other colleagues
• Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum twice annually)
• Routine management of own team / team areas, and maintenance of work space standards
• Waste management including collection, handling, segregation, container management, storage and collection
• Spillage control procedures, management and training
• Decontamination control procedures, management and training, and equipment maintenance
• Maintenance of sterile environments
• Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

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 recognises the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and 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
• Annual completion of Mandatory Training in order to remain operational

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 is to 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

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

Experience

Essential

• 1.Experience of working in accordance with the NMC Code of Professional Conduct
• 2.Experience of System One clinical system
• 3.Experience of dealing with the public/patients in a primary ca\re setting

Desirable

• 1.Caring for patients in the QOF Cohorts

Qualifications

Essential

• Education and Qualifications - Essential
• 1.Registered General Nurse
• 2.Qualifications/Certificates demonstrable in chronic disease management / long term conditions
• 3.A demonstrable commitment to professional development

Desirable

• Desirable
• 1.Recognised qualification to diploma level or above
• 2.Specialist in a Chronic Disease Illness subject

Personal Qualities

Essential

• 1.Communication:
• a.Demonstrate good listening
• b.Has a range of interpersonal skills
• c.Able to make oneself understood
• d.Demonstrate conflict resolution skills
• 1.Competent in nursing duties required for the post
• 2.Demonstrate enthusiasm to develop nursing skills
• 3.An understanding, acceptance and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality
• 4.Demonstrate decision making
• 5.Ability to work without direct supervision and determine own workload priorities
• 6.Work as part of an integrated multi-skilled team
• 7.Ability to work under pressure

Desirable

• 1.Advocate of change management

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).