Lead Practice Nurse Maternity Leave Cover

Job responsibilities

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Leadership / Clinical

• To be responsible for the day-to-day delivery of Lead Nurse services to the practice population. Supporting and mentoring the wider practice nurse team within the boundaries of the role.
• To support the delivery of QOF strategy, and PCN DES, as well as delivery for LTC management.
• To support and maximise targets (childhood immunisations, flu campaigns, smears etc).
• Work collaboratively with the Executive Lead for Nursing, other lead Nurses and management team to meet CQC standards and supporting the delivery of policies and SOPs (Standard Operating Procedure). Lead and coordinate the development of additional protocols and patient pathways where needed.
• To develop and provide health promotion programmes and screening for chronic diseases; offering health education and lifestyle advice in the areas of smoking, alcohol, diet, exercise, and sexual health/contraception to promote health and prevent disease.
• To review patients with chronic diseases and provide monitoring, management, follow up, supporting patients to adopt health promotion strategies that encourage healthy lifestyles and apply principles of self-care and referral in accordance with practice protocol and national guidelines.
• Facilitate nursing team meetings and promote a collaborative working environment.
• To supervise and support Health Care Assistants and act as a mentor to students, assessing competence against set standards as requested.
• To respond to and provide emergency nursing care within the surgery when the situation arises.
• To work independently and autonomously, flexibly and competently, and refer to the GP or other health care professionals, either in primary or secondary care as the need arises.
• To maintain knowledge base and keep updated in all relevant clinical areas and attend all mandatory training and updates as recommended by the ICB and NHSE.
• To attend practice meetings as required and to participate in development sessions.
• To undertake any additional clinical nurse duties, as may be required, according to competence and prior training and undertake other work and general duties as deemed necessary by the practice and for on-going personal development.
• Work within own competencies and professional code of conduct as regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
• Ensure all nursing staff maintain their professional registration and complete mandatory training.

2. Professional & Administrative

• To clearly document all consultations, treatments, tests and advice in the patients computer records.
• To input any other relevant information regarding the patients health and care into the computer records.
• To ensure read codes are used effectively by all members of the nursing team.
• To provide a telephone advice service to patients to give symptomatic advice or urgent GP appointments/or refer to other services. Make appointments where necessary.
• To participate in the development of practice protocols and guidelines in accordance with Clinical Governance and partake in clinical audit where appropriate.
• To inform relevant staff of any faulty equipment within the surgery and make sure it is not used until fixed i.e. all equipment is working correctly and is regularly checked and calibrated.
• Report potential hazards of equipment and/or furnishings.
• To make sure relevant person aware of need to re-order stock as necessary.
• Report any untoward/critical incidents and participate in debriefs as required.
• To ensure the appropriate maintenance and use of chronic disease registers.
• To ensure compliance with the practice chaperone policy.
• To support the clinical team with all safeguarding matters, in accordance with local and national policies
• Work collaboratively with the other lead Nurses and management team to support the Executive team in the planning and implementation of changes within the nursing team, enhancing the provision of services to patients.
• Continually review clinical practices, responding to national policies and initiatives where appropriate.

3. Training and Development

• Promote a positive and creative, no blame culture of learning and planned care team development, underpinned by the Six Cs (Care, Compassion, Competence, Communication, Courage and Commitment).
• Take responsibility for own development, learning and performance including participating in clinical supervision and acting as a positive role model.
• Encourage personal and professional growth through feedback and focus on team support.
• Lead others to make realistic self-assessment of their knowledge and skills, challenging any complacency and actions that are not in the interest of the public and/or users of service.
• Responsible for own professional practice and accountability according to NMC guidelines and to maintain effective registration.

• To acknowledge clinical limitations and not undertake any procedures for which one is not adequately trained and shows competency.

• Maintain knowledge and skills by attending educational updates and courses as required in accordance with continuing professional development.

• Support all members of the nursing team, providing guidance when necessary, conducting appraisals and training needs analyses as required.

Clinical knowledge and skills

Essential

• Wound care/removal of sutures and staples
• ECGs
• Venepuncture
• Requesting pathology tests and processing the results, advising patients accordingly
• 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
• Womens health (cervical cytology, contraception, etc.)
• Immunisations (routine, childhood)
• Chronic disease management
• Spirometry

Desirable

• Travel Medicine
• Broad knowledge of clinical governance
• Knowledge of public health issues in the local area
• Awareness of issues within the wider health arena
• Knowledge of health promotion strategies

General Skills

Essential

• Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
• Effective time management (planning and organising)
• Ability to work under pressure whilst delivering high quality care
• Ability to work as a team member and autonomously
• Good interpersonal skills
• Problem solving and analytical skills
• Ability to follow clinical policy and procedure
• Strong IT skills and competent in Systmone

Desirable

• Experience with audit and able to lead audit programmes
• Experience with clinical risk management
• Clear, polite telephone manner

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse

Desirable

• Mentor or teaching qualification
• Leadership & management qualification
• Post graduate diploma or degree (Chronic Disease management)
• Nurse Prescriber
• Completed (or working towards) formal infection prevention & control training
• Family planning qualification

Experience

Essential

• Significant experience of practice nursing at Band 6 or above
• Experience of leading a nursing team in a primary care environment
• Experience of chronic disease management
• Experience of working autonomously and ability organise and prioritise workload
• Experience of infection prevention and control measures

Desirable

• Experience of managing elderly and housebound patients
• Experience of quality initiatives (ie benchmarking)

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Polite and confident
• Flexible and co-operative
• High levels of integrity and loyalty
• Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations
• Effectively able to communicate and understand the needs of the patient
• Commitment to ongoing professional development
• Punctual and committed to supporting the team effort

Desirable

• Motivated, forward thinker
• Problem solver with the ability to process information accurately and effectively, interpreting data as required
• Ability to work under pressure/in stressful situations
• Effectively utilise resources

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).