Practice Nurse

Job responsibilities

The following are the core responsibilities of the Practice Nurse. There may be, on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks. This will be dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels:

• Conducting health assessments, screening, and triage services, and providing appropriate follow-up care.
• Undertaking a range of clinical procedures, including wound care, immunisations, cervical screening, and phlebotomy.
• Assessing and supporting patients with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, asthma, and COPD.
• Administration of medication in accordance with national patient group directions or patient specific directions.
• Implementing vaccination programmes for adults and children..
• Reviewing patient medications to enhance compliance
• Providing health education and promoting preventative care to patients.
• Maintaining accurate and up-to-date patient records and documentation.
• Supporting the clinical team with administrative tasks and participating in the development and implementation of clinical protocols and guideline.
• Ensuring that all clinical activities are conducted in line with relevant regulations, standards, and guidelines.
• Maintaining accurate clinical records in conjunction with extant legislation.

Immunisations:

• Weekly ordering of vaccines
• Vaccine stock take and rotation of stock
• Maintenance of Cold Chain and reporting any breaches
• Ensure data loggers and fridge temperature records are uploaded to TeamNet
• Review of QOF targets and working with care coordinator for recalls
• Arrange seasonal immunization clinics
• Maintain the medicines management and cold chain policies

Infection Prevention and Control:

• Undertake routine IPC audits in accordance with local policy
• Promote best practice in infection prevention control, supporting other members of staff to uphold local IPC policy.
• Regular infection control updates for staff

Diabetes:

• Undertake annual diabetes review including results interpretation, patient education and medication optimisation
• Participate in the diabetes working group
• Organise group consultations for patients
• Organise health promotion sessions for diabetes
• Organise diabetes consultant sessions and DSN sessions

Asthma:

• Undertake annual asthma reviews including reviewing diagnoses, asthma control, medication use, inhaler technique, and regime changes to improve symptom control.
• Participate in the asthma working group
• Plan and support implementation of robust call/recall system with care coordinators

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.
• 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

This job description is not exhaustive and may be adjusted periodically after review and consultation. You will also be expected to carry out any reasonable duties which may be requested from time-to-time.

Skills

Essential

• Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
• Effective time management
• Ability to work as a team member and autonomously
• Good interpersonal skills
• Problem solving and analytical skills
• Strong IT skills
• Polite and confident
• Punctual and committed to supporting the team effort
• Problem solver with the ability to process information accurately and effectively, interpreting data as required
• Ability to work under pressure/in stressful situations

Other requirements

Essential

• Flexibility to work outside of core office hours
• Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check
• Meet the requirements and produce evidence for nurse revalidation
• Evidence of continuing professional development (CPD) commensurate with the role of a Practice Nurse

Experience

Essential

• Minimum of one years experience working as a practice or community nurse
• Evidence of working autonomously and as part of a team
• Experience in using clinical systems and electronic patient records including Docman and EMIS
• Proven ability to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of their own clinical practice
• Interpreting and implementing local and national policy agendas for health

Desirable

• Experience of working in a primary care environment
• Experience in management of long-term conditions e.g. asthma, COPD, diabetes, CHD

Qualifications

Essential

• Current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)

Desirable

• Post graduate diploma or degree (Chronic Disease Management)

Clinical knowledge

Essential

• Wound care/removal of sutures and staples
• Immunisations (routine, seasonal, childhood or travel)
• Understanding the importance of evidence-based practice
• Understand the requirement for PGDs and associated policy
• Ability to record accurate clinical notes
• Ability to work within own scope of practice and understanding when to refer to GPs
• Chaperone procedure
• Knowledge of clinical governance

Desirable

• Compression bandaging and ABPI
• Womens health (cervical cytology, contraception, etc.)
• NHS Health Checks
• Chronic disease 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).