Practice Nurse

Job responsibilities

Principle Duties & Responsibilities

Clinical

1. Provide a high standard of nursing care for patients

2. Provide Chronic Disease Management and screening in line with current evidence based guidelines in at least two of the following areas:

• Asthma
• COPD
• Diabetes
• Coronary Heart Disease
• Reproductive and Sexual Health/Contraception
• Management of Menopause
• Cervical Cytology

3. Offer a complete approach to travel health and provide comprehensive advice to patients prior to travel including:

• Vaccinations & Medicines
• Safe Sex
• Food Hygiene
• Sun Protection

4. Ensure vaccines are administered under Patient Group Directives

5. Provide a holistic approach and provide lifestyle advice on:

• Diet
• Smoking
• Alcohol intake
• Exercise; and facilitate appropriate changes.

6. Ability to undertake telephone triage sessions for the prioritisation of urgent appointments and to provide general medical advice to patients.

7. Able to document consultations in accordance with NMC guidelines.

8. Awareness of statutory and local clinical protection procedures, including:

• Systems of referral
• Recognition of signs and symptoms of abuse

9. Able to document consultations in accordance with NMC guidelines

10. Can recognise and manage anaphylaxis according to current UK guidelines

11. Trained to perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation according to current UK guidelines

12. Perform venepuncture according to local guidelines

13. Lead Nurse for infection control and ensure infection control guidelines are adhered to throughout the Practice and implement changes as necessary

14. Monitor and manage maintenance of stock and equipment to include refrigeration, sterilisation and emergency equipment and drugs

15. Undertake wound management and implement wound care in line with current guidelines

16. Knowledge and application of statutory requirements in respect of informed consent (either written or verbal)

17. Assist in the provision of minor surgery

Managerial

1. Contribute to the assessment of service needs

2. Assist patients to identify their health needs

3. Contribute a nursing perspective to the Practice Development Plan

4. Manage and organise individual patient consultations

5. Aware of identification and reporting mechanism related to professional standards

6. To attend staff meetings and liaise with the Nurse Practitioner/Practice Manager

7. Ensure effective relationships and communications with other members of the PHCT (Primary Health Care Team) and other agencies

8. Support the Practice Clinical Governance agenda

9. Identify changes to clinical practice that are required to implement evidence-based guidelines

Educational

1. Identify personal development and training needs in conjunction with the manager as part of the appraisal process
2. Participate in clinical supervision and significant event reporting procedures
3. Support others with their training and development needs, including medical and nursing students and Health Care Assistants
4. Actively participate in continuing education and maintain a contemporary level of professional knowledge and skills in line with PREP requirements

Personnel

1. Take reasonable care of his/her own safety and that of other persons who may be affected by his/her act or omission

2. Co-operate with the Practice to ensure that all members of the Team adheres to statutory regulations/policies and codes of practice and the Practice’s safety rules

3. Offer innovative ways of working and opportunities to facilitate learning

4. Facilitate a learning environment within the Practice

5. Maintain a caring environment through the support of colleagues

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in a primary care environment
• Experience of working as a Practice Nurse or Community Nurse
• Experience of chronic disease management
• Experience of infection prevention and control measures

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered nurse

Desirable

• Post graduate diploma or degree (Primary Care)

Skills

Essential

• Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
• Strong IT skills
• Clear, polite telephone manner
• Competent in the use of Microsoft Word and Outlook
• Effective time management
• Ability to work as a supportive team member and autonomously when required
• Good interpersonal skills
• Problem solving and analytical skills
• Ability to follow clinical policy and procedure

Desirable

• Knowledge of IT systems including
• EMIS Web/Docman/Cyberlab
• Experience undertaking clinical audits and able to lead audit programmes
• Experience with clinical risk management

Clinical knowledge and skills

Essential

• Wound care/removal of sutures and staples
• Venepuncture
• Chaperone procedure
• Requesting pathology tests and processing the results, advising patients accordingly
• Diabetes
• Immunisations (routine, childhood and travel)
• Understanding the importance of evidence based practice
• Broad knowledge of clinical governance
• Ability to record accurate clinical notes
• Ability to work within own scope of practice and understand when to refer to GPs
• Understanding of infection prevention and control measures
• Knowledge of health promotion strategies
• Understand the requirement for PGDs and associated policy

Desirable

• New patient medicals
• ECGs
• Travel medicine
• Chronic Disease Management:
• Hypertension
• Asthma
• CHD
• Spirometry
• Women's health (cervical cytology, contraception etc)
• Knowledge of public health issues in the local area
• Awareness of issues within the wider health arena

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).