Practice Nurse

Job responsibilities

Practice Nurse

Salary: Dependent upon skills and competencies

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full-time or Part-time hours available

Location: Cirencester and Tetbury

JOB TITLE: Practice Nurse

REPORTS TO: Nurse Manager

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. The duties will include all tasks normally undertaken by an experienced RGN, and any roles agreed between the nurse and the doctors as appropriate, having regard to current training.

Professional:

• Provision of long-term condition care for our patients and running a nurse led long term condition clinic with suitable training.
• Offer advice about childhood and adult vaccinations and ensure vaccines are administered under patient group directions.
• Offer a holistic approach to travel health by providing comprehensive advice to patients prior to travel including; vaccinations and medicines, safe sex, food hygiene, sun protection.
• Perform a holistic assessment of patients attending for cervical cytology smear tests and perform cervical cytology when trained.
• Perform venepuncture according to local guidelines
• Provide a holistic approach to wound management and implement wound care in line with current evidence based guidelines.
• Suture /clip removal
• Perform ECGs
• Provide contraceptive advice and services to patients, in line with training.
• Zoladex and other hormonal injection administration
• Able to recognize and manage anaphylaxis according to current UK guidelines.
• Able to perform Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation according to current UK guidelines.
• Take a holistic approach to lifestyle advice on diet, smoking, alcohol intake and exercise.
• Ensure awareness of statutory and local clinical protection procedures, including systems of referral. Ability to recognise signs and symptoms of child and adult abuse.
• Ability to obtain and document informed consent (either verbal or written).
• Able to document consultations according to NMC and practice guidelines.
• Ensure infection control guidelines are maintained.
• Ability to monitor and manage maintenance of stock and equipment to include refrigeration and emergency equipment.
• Confidentially of information gained at work must be preserved at all times.
• Carry out other duties as required which are commensurate with the skills and knowledge required by the post, and for which training has been provided.

Developmental:

• 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 and Protected Learning Time events.
• Ensure effective relationships and communications with the PHCT 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.
• Undertake mandatory and other suggested training

Personal:

• Maintain good working relationships
• Take reasonable care of his/her own safety and that of other persons who may be affected by his/her act or omission.
• Co-operate with the practice team members to adhere to statutory regulations/policies, codes of practice and safety rules.

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 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.

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse Level 1 with current NMC registration

Desirable

• Undergraduate degree in Nursing, Science or Health related discipline

Skills / Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of Information Governance and Caldicott Principles
• Understanding of Clinical Governance
• Excellent keyboard and computer skills
• Excellent communication skills, written and oral with the ability to communicate confidently.
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information
• Excellent interpersonal skills

Qualities & Attributes & Other

Essential

• Ability to use own judgement, resourcefulness and common sense
• Ability to work without direct supervision and determine own workload priorities
• Ability to work as part of an integrated multi skilled team across a number of sites
• Able to work under pressure, remaining professional at all times
• Good time management and ability to work to deadlines and plan and prioritise effectively
• Ability to use own judgement, resourcefulness and common sense
• Ability to work without direct supervision and determine own workload priorities
• Ability to work as part of an integrated multi skilled team across a number of sites
• Able to work under pressure, remaining professional at all times
• Good time management and ability to work to deadlines and plan and prioritise effectively
• Flexible to meet the demands of the post and the ability to adapt to a changing environment.
• Able to work on own initiative, but recognise and asking for support when required
• Trustworthy
• Self-motivated
• Ability to be flexible in working times to meet needs of service
• Able to cover for colleagues planned and unplanned absence
• Ability to travel to other sites as required.

Experience

Essential

• Broad knowledge and experience of clinical nurse practice within a primary care environment
• Use of clinical IT systems
• Competent user of Microsoft Office software

Desirable

• Experience in long term condition management/Diabetes/Respiratory

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).