Practice Nurse

Job responsibilities

Duties and responsibilities:

1. Working autonomously and using sound clinical judgement and knowledge to provide a wide range of nursing services within agreed practice protocols, guidelines (both local and national), PGDs and PSDs including the following areas:

Respiratory disease management

Has a thorough understanding of asthma care; its diagnosis, asthma treatments and the principles of self-management.

Use a spirometer to aid the diagnosis and management of COPD

Know about the factors which contribute to the development of COPD

Manage emergency treatment of asthma attacks

Advise patients on their asthma control including the use of self-management

Plans.

Advising on treatment changes for Asthma and COPD.

Teach and advise patients how to use various inhalers and peak flow meters

Contribute to the maintenance of the practice respiratory register

Make appropriate referrals

Work within agreed local/BTS guidelines and patient group directions to manage patients with asthma, aiding diagnosis, reviewing inhaler technique and advising on treatment changes

Cardiovascular Disease

Works with patients to set action plans for changes of lifestyle

Works within agreed protocols when managing risk factors to enable patients to

manage their own disease

Provides psychological support by discussing interventions and treatments

Contribute to the maintenance of the practice CHD register

Advise patients on lifestyle management and drug compliance for reducing the

risk factors of:

Hypertension

Angina

Myocardial infarction

Cerebrovascular accident

Contraceptive checks, family planning and sexual health advice, monitoring and administration.

Womens Health: Cervical cytology programme, promotion of screening programmes, basic advice about peri-menopausal and menopausal symptoms, incontinence management, and make appropriate referrals.

• Mens Health: Raise awareness and give basic advice on issues covering Testicular self examination, Incontinence and prostatic disease, Family Planning, Sexual Health. Make appropriate referrals

Investigations including swabs, urinalysis, venepuncture, capillary blood testing, BP measurement, 24hour BP monitoring, ECGs, assessing and dealing with results with appropriate onward referral to other members of the clinical team.

Immunisations; including childhood, adult, travel, flu and any additional immunisation programmes, as directed.

Care within the Local Enhanced and Direct Enhanced Service contracts including, Health Checks, Near Patient Testing, Prostate and PSA, Alcohol Monitoring, Post-Operative care, Minor Surgery and Minor Injury services.

INR/Warfarin monitoring, warfarin dosing service based on practice protocol, INR Star computer dosing program, ensuring safe patient management and appropriate onward referral if results are outside of safe levels.

Wound assessment; provide care using appropriate dressing treatments to promote healing. Ongoing management assessing for progress or deterioration and acting on findings appropriately to promote healing and minimise discomfort and distress to the patient.

• Screening; Undertake opportunistic screening BP checks, height, weight, BMI, urinalysis,

smoking status, undertake opportunistic venepuncture

Chronic disease monitoring and management in regular clinics which includes Diabetes, CHD, Stroke, Hypertension, Mental Health, Learning Disability, Peripheral Vascular Disease, CKD and Rheumatoid Disease, ensuring that patients with a change in condition or bloods/measurements outside of target range are dealt with appropriately through action or onward referral.

To take an active role in developing innovations to improve care and admission avoidance for this group of patients.

Urgent care for patients who may be present at surgery with breathing difficulties such as asthma or COPD, or chest pain ensuring help has been summoned. Maintain competency in anaphylaxis and resuscitation techniques

Ear syringing, ear care and advice.

Health Promotion; Recognise and support patients readiness to change unhealthy behaviour provide healthy eating advice to individuals or to groups, including the underweight, provide individual advice to patients about increasing activity or exercise, offer advice on recommended safe limits for alcohol consumption. Develop and maintain the Health Promotion material within the practice.

2. To continually improve the reputation of Coltishall Medical Practice for its nursing services by:

Meeting accepted standards of best practice.

Working effectively and efficiently with clinicians, other staff, suppliers and community colleagues.

• Adhering to the approved infection control policy, using appropriate PPE, handwashing and taking an active part in clinical cleaning procedures, dealing with blood and body fluid spillages, and clinical checks to ensure a safe environment in which to provide patient care. Educate colleagues in adopting sound control measures
• Providing timely assessment of patients raising concerns and/or discussing symptoms during a consultation ensuring appropriate advice/feedback and/or onward referral to other members of the health care team.

Recognising and reporting Safeguarding concerns for both adults and children.

Demonstrating effective time management, organising and prioritising regular workload within timings of clinics and accommodating urgent patients where needed.

Recording all data in patient records in a timely manner as required by the NMC code using accurate read coding to allow audit and statistical assessment.

Recognising barriers to effective communication in patients, such as altered perception, hearing loss, pain, fear and making allowances for this.

Providing support and training to less qualified members of the nursing team and taking an active role in practical training of medical students and GP Registrars.

• Implement strategies for quality assurance and undertake audits as required
• Assistance with the training of GP trainees and medical students as required

3. To alert the Nurse Manager, Doctors and/or the Practice Manager to any potential problems and to consider/suggest/take corrective action as and when required.

4. To read and follow all standard operating procedures, including CQC protocols, at all times maintaining the highest levels of service delivery to patients, doctors, staff and external providers.

5. To read and follow the approved Information Governance policy, at all times maintaining the highest levels of confidentiality regarding patient, colleague and commercial information and to report any breach or suspected breach immediately.

6. At all times, to maintain the highest standards of behaviour, to comply with and follow practice policies, protocols and procedures e.g. health & safety, equality & diversity and to report any breach or suspected breach immediately.

7. To provide cover for members of the nursing team during periods of sickness and annual leave.

8. To undertake regular mandatory training and personal development, to keep PDP and professional registration up to date and to attend staff meetings. To achieve Level 2 in safeguarding children training within 6 weeks of being in post.

9. To undertake any other activities that may from time to time be reasonably requested by the Nurse Manager, the Practice Manager or the Partners.

Information Technology:

Have full understanding of the clinical system (Emis Web)

Have a working knowledge of the clinical software and hardware used

Ensure that you are regularly checking and taking appropriate action in response to all electronic communications issued (Tasks, Notifications and emails etc.).

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.

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:

In addition to maintaining continued education through attendance at any courses and/or study days necessary to ensure that NMC professional development requirements for Revalidation are met, the post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, such training to include

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
• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources.

Skills

Essential

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

Desirable

• EMIS user skills
• Experience with audits and able to lead audit programmes
• Experience with clinical risk management

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered nurse with up to date NMC registration
• Qualifications relative to Respiratory disease management COPD & Asthma
• Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) Check
• Occupational Health Clearance
• Meet the requirements and produce evidence for nurse revalidation

Desirable

• Post graduate diploma or degree (primary care)
• Qualifications relative to Respiratory disease management Diabetes

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in a primary care environment
• Experience of Respiratory disease management, COPD & Asthma
• Experience of chronic disease management

Desirable

• Experience of working as a practice nurse or community nurse

Knowledge

Essential

• Wound care/removal of sutures and staples
• ECGs
• Venepuncture
• Chaperone procedure
• Requesting pathology tests, processing the results, advising patients accordingly
• Travel medicine
• Diabetes
• Hypertension
• Asthma, COPD
• Spirometry
• CHD
• Immunisations (routine, childhood and travel)
• Womens health (cervical cytology, contraception, etc.)
• Understand 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
• Knowledge of health promotion strategies
• Understand the requirement for PGDs and associated policy

Desirable

• 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).