Lead Practice Nurse

Job responsibilities

Job Title: Lead Practice Nurse (with Chronic Disease)

Reports to:

• The Partners (Clinically)
• The Practice Manager (Administratively)

Job Summary:

To provide leadership and management of the nursing team, and maintain a high standard of nursing care for patients as well as providing nursing assistance to the doctors and other members of the primary healthcare team. The duties will include all tasks normally undertaken by an experienced RGN and in addition any roles agreed between the nurse and the doctors as appropriate, having regard to current training.

Job Responsibilities:

Professional:

• Undertake a nurse led specialist management service for patients in one or more of the following areas (asthma, COPD, diabetes, sexual health).
• Undertake practice nurse treatment clinics, including the provision of a holistic approach to wound management and care in line with current evidence based guidelines.
• Offer a holistic approach to travel health by providing comprehensive advice to patients prior to travel including; vaccinations and medicines, safe sex, food hygiene, sun protection.
• Offer advice about childhood and adult vaccinations and ensure vaccines are administered under patient group directions.
• Offer health promotion programmes by providing a holistic assessment and lifestyle advice on diet, smoking, alcohol intake and exercise.
• Assessing problems presented opportunistically by patients, dealing with minor illness.
• Hypertension & cholesterol management.
• Chaperoning and assisting patients where appropriate who are being examined by another clinician.
• Requesting pathology tests, for example urine culture, swabs.
• Able to document Consultations according to NMC guidelines
• Ensures awareness of statutory and local clinical protection procedures, including systems of referral. Ability to recognise signs and symptoms of child abuse.
• Perform a holistic assessment of patients attending for ear irrigation.
• Perform venepuncture according to local guidelines
• Perform cervical cytology.
• Suture removal.
• Able to recognise and manage anaphylaxis according to current UK guidelines.
• Able to perform Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation according to current UK guidelines.
• Assist in the provision of minor surgery.
• Ability to obtain and document informed consent (either verbal or written).
• Ensure infection control guidelines are maintained.
• Ability to monitor and manage maintenance of stock and equipment to include refrigeration and emergency equipment.

Confidentially of information gained at work must be preserved at all times.

Managerial:

• To provide leadership and management of the nursing team
• Contribute to the assessment of service needs.
• Assist patients to identify their health needs.
• Manage and organise individual patient consultations.
• Aware of identification and reporting procedures related to professional standards.
• To attend staff meetings.
• Ensure effective relationships and communications with the PHCT and other agencies.
• Support the Practice clinical governance agenda.
• Identify changes to clinical practice that are required to implement evidence-based guidelines.

Educational:

• Identify personal development and training needs in conjunction with the manager.
• Participate in clinical supervision.
• Support others with their training and development needs.
• To participate in continuing education and maintain a contemporary level of professional knowledge and skills.

Personnel:

• Maintain good industrial relations.
• Take reasonable care of his/her own safety and that of other persons who may be affected by his/her act or omission.
• Co-operation with the Practice to ensure all members of the team adheres to statutory regulations/policies and codes of practice and departments safety rules.
• Offer innovative ways of working and opportunities to facilitate learning.
• Facilitates a learning environment within the team.
• Maintains a caring environment through the support of colleagues.

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.
• 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.

Health & Safety:

The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the Practice Health & Safety Policy, to include:

• Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks.
• 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.
• Reporting potential risks identified.

Equality and Diversity:

The post-holder will 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.

Personal/Professional Development:

The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the Practice as part of this employment, such training to include:

• Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development.
• Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.
• Participate in statutory and mandatory training.

Quality:

The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the Practice, and will:

• Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk.
• Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision.
• 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.
• Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs.
• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources.

Communication:

The post-holder should recognize the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

• Communicate effectively with other team members.
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers.
• Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.

Contribution to the Implementation of Services:

The post-holder will:

• Apply, and assist with development of, practice policies, standards and guidance.
• Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work.
• Participate in audit where appropriate.

Qualifications

Essential

• NMC registered nurse
• Relevant nursing/health degree
• Specialist management / chronic disease management

Desirable

• Mentor/teaching qualification
• Independent/
• supplementary nurse prescribing qualification

Experience

Essential

• At least 5 years post qualification experience

Desirable

• At least 2 years recent primary or community nursing experience
• Community nursing specialist qualification or equivalent
• Experience of line management of staff

Skills

Essential

• General nursing skills such as BP recording, urinalysis, BG monitoring, wound care etc.
• Experience in nurse led management of long term conditions (COPD/respiratory and diabetes)
• Experience in implementing protocols and clinical guidelines
• IT skills
• Chronic disease management
• Clinical supervision, training and experience
• Leadership skills

Desirable

• Knowledge of SystmOne
• Awareness of GMS contract
• Audit skills/experience
• Experience in quality initiatives such as clinical bench-marking
• Cervical cytology
• Childhood immunisations
• Phlebotomy
• Travel Health
• Smoking Cessation
• Ear Care
• Minor surgery

Knowledge

Essential

• Awareness of accountability of own and others roles in a nurse led service
• Knowledge of health promotion strategies
• Awareness of local and national health policy
• Knowledge of patient group directions and associated policy
• Knowledge of clinical governance issues in primary care

Desirable

• Knowledge of public health issues
• Wider health economy awareness
• Ability to identify determinants on health in local area

Qualities/attributes

Essential

• Good communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Ability to work well within a team
• Flexible approach to working
• Ability to work under pressure
• Ability to work to targets
• Good attendance record
• Flexibility
• Enthusiasm
• Team player

Desirable

• Willingness to undertake extended training and development

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).