Practice Nurse

Job responsibilities

Clinical Responsibilities:

• Assess, plan, develop, implement and evaluate treatment programmes that promote health and well being
• Assess, plan, implement, and evaluate individual treatment plans for patients with known long term conditions
• Proactively identify, diagnose and manage treatment plans for patients at risk of developing a long term condition as appropriate
• Review medication for therapeutic effectiveness, appropriate to patient needs and in accordance with evidence based practice and national and practice protocols
• Work with patients to support adherence to prescribed treatments
• Prioritise health problems and intervene appropriately to assist the patient in complex, urgent or emergency situations including initiation of effective emergency care
• Support patients to adopt health promotion strategies that promote them to live healthily and apply principles of self-care
• Support and manage health needs of women presenting for family planning and cervical cytology consultations
• Assess, identify and refer patients presenting with mental health needs in accordance with the NSF for mental health as required. Administer appropriate prescribed therapies
• Implement and participate in vaccination and immunisation programmes for both adults and children

• Advise, support and, where appropriate, administer vaccinations for patients travelling abroad.
• Promote and deliver evidence based care for patients presenting with aural conditions
• Assess and manage routine wounds and support good wound management in complex cases.
• Understand and apply legal policy that supports the identification of vulnerable and abused children and adults, being aware of the statutory child/vulnerable adult health procedures and local guidance.

Team working

• Understand own role and scope in the practice and identify how this may develop over time
• Work as an effective and responsible team member, supporting others and exploring mechanisms to develop new ways of working.
• Delegate appropriately, adopting the principles of safe practice and assessment of competence
• Prioritise own and others workload and ensure effective time management strategies are embedded within the culture of the team
• Work effectively with others to clearly define values, direction and policies impacting upon care delivery
• Participate in team activities that create opportunities to improve patient care

COMMUNICATION:

The post-holder should recognize the importance of effective communication and develop and maintain communication with people on complex matters, issues and ideas and/or in complex situations.

• Demonstrate sensitive communication styles to ensure patients are fully informed and consent to treatment
• Communicate and support patients who are receiving bad news
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers. Is proactive in seeking out different styles and methods of communicating to assist longer term needs and aims recognising the needs for alternative methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding, cultural background and preferred ways of communicating
• Anticipate barriers to communication and take action to improve communication
• Maintain effective communication within the practice environment and develop communication networks
• Participate in meetings, delivering the nurse agenda

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT:

The post-holder will develop oneself and contribute to the development of others.

In addition to maintaining continued education through attendance at any courses and/or study days necessary to ensure that NMC professional development requirements for PREP are met, participate in any training programme implemented by the Practice as part of this employment.

• Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development
• Act as a positive role model and support members of the nursing/HCA team to undertake mandatory and statutory training
• Actively promote the workplace as a learning environment, encouraging everyone to learn from each other and from external good practice
• Identifies development needs for others from emerging work demands and future career aspirations
• Enable opportunities for others to apply their developing knowledge and skills
• 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 patients
• Act as a clinical leader in the delivery of nurse services to patients, ensuring the needs of the patients are the priority and share expertise with less experienced team members
• Participate and planning in implementing changes within a specified area of responsibility
• Appropriate mentorship (and induction when necessary on appointment).

Health Safety & Security:

The post-holder will promote, monitor and maintain 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 e.g manual handling
• 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
• Ensure the safe storage, rotation and disposal of vaccines
• Reporting potential risks identified.

Service Improvement:

The post-holder will:

• Appraise, interpret and apply suggestions, recommendations and directives to improve Practice policies, protocols, standards and services
• Identifies and evaluates potential improvements to the service
• Discuss improvement ideas with Management and The Partnership and agree a prioritised plan of implementation to take forward agreed improvements
• Support and work with other members of the nursing/HCA teams to help them understand the need for change and to adapt to it e.g the development and the implementation of new Enhanced Services
• Enable and encourage others to suggest change, challenge tradition and share good practise with others
• Evaluate the changes made and suggest further improvements where needed
• Participate in audit where appropriate.

QUALITY

The post-holder will contribute to improving quality within the Practice, and will:

• Recognise and work within own competence and professional code of conduct as regulated by the NMC
• Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision. Understand own role, its scope and how this may change and develop over time in developing a high quality organisation
• Deliver care as an individual and team according to NSF, NICE guidelines and evidence based care
• Alert and promote other team members to issues of quality and risk
• Evaluate and report on complaints and/or significant events to Practice Manager and identify learning from incidents/near misses

• 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
• Lead on the maintenance and supports change within nursing/HCA teams that improves the quality of systems and processes
• Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs
• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources.

EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY

The post-holder will promote and 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.
• Acting as a role model in observance of equality and diversity good practice
• Enable others to promote equality and diversity in a non-discriminatory culture
• Manages people and applies internal processes in a fair and equal way

CONFIDENTIALITY AND RECORD KEEPING:

Observe a strict code of confidentiality at all times.

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.

IM&T

All information/data to be used only in line with Hucknall Road Medical Centre IM&T policies, procedures and protocols. In particularly record all patient contact contemporaneously onto the EMIS patient Electronic Medical Record using the appropriate read code.

Additional

• Nursing and Midwifery Council registration maintained

Employment Policy & Procedures

The post holder will ensure that they read and abide by the Employment Policies and procedures.

Qualifications

Essential

• First level nurse
• Current NMC

Desirable

• Specialist Practitioner Practice Nursing degree
• Degree
• Nurse prescribing
• Teaching qualification e.g. 998
• Triage training

Additional

Essential

• Flexible working to ensure business and service continuity.
• Logical/lateral thinker.
• Calm manner.
• Reliable.
• Honest.
• Trustworthy.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision.
• Self-motivation.
• Able to manage own workload.

Desirable

• Car driver desirable

Experience

Essential

• Minimum of 5 years post registration experience.
• 2 years experience at band 5 or above within practice nursing.
• Relevant primary care nursing working experience.
• Experience in chronic disease management (including coronary heart disease, diabetes, rheumatology and respiratory).
• Minor injuries and Treatment Room experience
• Evidence of working as an autonomous practitioner in the health care setting.
• Evidence of working within clinical guidelines and quality standards.
• Knowledge of NMC Scope of Professional Practice.
• Ability to assess and identify care needs.
• Evidence of reflective practice.
• Knowledge and experience of protocol development according to recognised best practice.

Desirable

• Management National Service Frameworks (QOF).
• Commitment to clinical supervision.
• Participation in clinical audit.
• Experience of appraising evidence.
• Understanding of risk/issues of liability and accountability.
• Teaching/assessing experience.

General & Special Knowledge

Essential

• Diabetes.
• COPD.
• Asthma.
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Family Plannning.
• Cervical cytology.
• INR.
• Immunisation vaccination.
• Travel health.
• Mens / Womans Health.
• Mental Health issues.
• Health Promotion Education.

Skills & Abilities

Essential

• IT Literacy & read coding.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure, unsupervised at all times and prioritises own workload.
• Be competent in all aspects of first contact care.
• Use own initiative to promote the service.
• Effective communicator & listener, decision-making skills.
• Critical analysis abilities. Flexible and adaptable to change.
• Effective team worker.
• Autonomous worker.
• Ability to prioritise own workload.
• Use of practice protocols and resource access.
• Ability to exercise professional autonomy and critical judgement.

Desirable

• Leadership skills.
• Audit skills.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).