Job responsibilities
Parkwood
Surgery
Hemel
Hempstead
Job
description for Practice Nurse
Hours To
be agreed
Qualifications RGN
with education to level 1 or 2
Experience Ideally some post registration
experience or previous primary care experience
Accountable to GP partners
Reports to Lead Nurse / Practice Manager
The post holder may
occasionally be asked to be flexible in their work schedule to
provide holiday &
training cover for other members of the practice nursing team
Job
Summary
To
assist in the provision of nursing services to a well defined practice
population,
including
health promotion, chronic disease management, screening & treatment in
line
with the professional competence of the post holder & current practice
protocols.
Professional Responsibilities & Duties
General
The
post holder shall act in such a manner to justify public trust & confidence
& safeguard the interest of the patient. They shall be accountable for
their own professional practice in line with NMC guidelines
Strict
confidentiality should be maintained at all times
The
philosophy of equal opportunities should be observed
The
postholder should be aware of the Health & Safety at Work Act (1984) &
the implications for clinical practice
High
standards with regard to infection control should be maintained
Computer literacy
including EMIS, MS outlook email & MS word is required
To
maintain & improve professional knowledge & competence through keeping
abreast of current developments in nursing & attending in-house training
& if appropriate external study sessions
Play
an active role in own professional development in line with the practice
development plan & develop & maintain a professional portfolio
Clinical
Wound care - be able to work independently in
assessing wounds & selecting
appropriate wound dressings. Trained
& competent in compression bandaging and the use of Doppler measurements
for guiding leg ulcer care.
Ear syringing be able to identify when ear
syringing is appropriate & carry out ear
syringing or aural toilet safely & within current
guidelines
New patient checks carry out new registration
health assessments as per practice
protocol, identifying opportunities for health
promotion advice & making
referrals to other members of the multi-disciplinary
team if necessary within an
appropriate time frame depending on severity of need
ECGs - Record
routine & urgent ECGs, discussing them immediately with GPs if
indicated
Venepuncture- Take blood for laboratory testing &
request laboratory tests as
appropriate within defined protocols (BP protocol,
chronic disease management
clinics). Ensure samples are collected for
transportation to hospital.
Undertake
urinalysis as indicated and as part of a medical examination or new patient
interview. Action any abnormal results appropriately
Assist
at IUD insertions and minor operations to cover holiday/absence of HCA colleague
Child
immunisation Give child immunisations in line with current national
guidelines and patient group directions & ensure that documentation (EMIS,
red book & child health) is completed
Warfarin
monitoring Work alongside other practice nurses in providing near patient
testing & warfarin dosing using the coaguchek meter & Dawn
Anti-Coagulation monitoring system. Check the pathlogy inbox for INR results on
scheduled days & input INR results into the dawn system, calculating the
warfarin dose & ensuring the patient is notified. Share responsibility for
quality control of the coaguchek meter ensuring calibration is carried out as
per protocol & a weekly laboratory calculated INR is sent & compared to
the meter reading. Ensure documentation related to meter is completed &
that any results or tests outside the expected range are discussed with a GP.
Womens
health - Take cervical smears &
provide advice to women about breast awareness. Take part in maintaining
records for smear adequacy audit.
Near
Patient Testing for Methotrexate, Penicillamine, sulphasalazine, Myocrisin and
Auronofin. Ensure patients attending for injections have the appropriate blood
tests taken at the correct intervals. Patients attending for blood tests should
be given the form for their next blood test & date due.
Give
injections including vitamin B 12, depot neuroleptics, sustanon and Decapeptyl safely and in line with manufacturers
instructions and practice protocols
Perform
other practice nursing duties within areas of expertise
Health Management
Health
promotion work alongside practice nurse & community nurse colleagues in
increasing health awareness amongst the practice population. Share information
about local health promotion activities with colleagues & patients. Give
advice to patients relating to health promotion both opportunistically & as
an ongoing programme of planned care for individuals and/or groups.
Chronic Disease Management-
assist in the running & refining of diabetic clinics at the practice in
collaboration with lead diabetic nurse & GP partners. See patients with
established diabetes in line with agreed protocols including the extended role
of examining foot pulses and assessing foot ulcer risk. Refer to podiatry as
appropriate. See patients for BP review in line with practice protocol.
Flu Clinic - take part in the
annual flu campaign & share responsibility for achieving the practice
target. Work alongside the district nursing team in achieving this.
Act
as a chaperone during GP or nursing consultation if asked.
Management & Communication
Work collaboratively
with other members of the primary care team
Attend &
participate in practice, primary health care team & nursing meetings
Participate in the
development of protocols in collaboration with lead nurse &
GP partners within
own areas of expertise
Audit &
Evaluation participation in the monitoring and evaluation of standards &
protocols within
areas of expertise. Perform EMIS searches to identify unmet health
need within the
practice population & plan care in collaboration with lead nurse & GPs
in response
Maintain
accurate patient records on the EMIS computer system
General
administrative / support duties relative to the duties of a practice nurse to
ensure smooth organisation & efficiency
Participate
in in-house educational sessions & offer support & teaching to
colleagues where appropriate
This
job description will be subject to periodic review and amendment in
consultation with the post holder
