Practice Nurse

Job responsibilities

1. Clinical Care Delivery

Such tasks may include (once appropriately trained):

Patient health checks; obtaining appropriate information using a lifestyle questioning approach. Working with patients to develop a management plan where health problems or potential health problems are identified

Blood Pressure & Pulse Monitoring, Height, Weight, BMI, Smoking Status, Alcohol Status, Q-risk calculations

24 hour BP & ECG Monitoring

Promote health and well-being through the use of health promotion, lifestyle advice health education, screening and therapeutic communication skills

Phlebotomy/Venepuncture

Travel health, undertake a travel health assessment prior to administering injections and providing guidance in accordance with guidelines using PGD/PSD

Immunisation (adult and child), childhood and adult injections & immunisations as per Patient Group Directives (PGD) or Patient Specific Direction (PSD)

Requesting pathology tests: e.g. urine culture, urinalysis, swabs

Interpretation of pathology test results as per Clinical Protocols & Training

Therapeutic monitoring, checking compliance with and adherence to appropriate treatments using an holistic patient-centred approach

Health screening, recognising issues in addition to cervical cytology and contraceptive pill checks

Mental health; administering prescribed therapies and monitoring for side effects. Communicating with key workers as appropriate.

Wound & Ulcer Care assessing routine wounds including trauma, including dressings compression Bandaging & stocking measurements

Post-operative wound care, clip & suture removal

Management of chronic disease Patient Health & Chronic Disease Checks as per Clinical Protocols & Training e.g. Diabetic Foot Checks

Ear care, providing routine ear care and ear Irrigation

Refer patients directly to other services/agencies as appropriate e.g. District Nurses, Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Contribute to the practice achieving its QOF targets to sustain the high standards of patient care and service delivery

Be professionally accountable for any actions or omissions

Other clinical service delivery duties

2. Professional Role

Work as an effective and responsible team member, supporting others and exploiting the mechanisms to develop new ways of working

Delegate clearly and appropriately, adopting the principles of safe practice and assessment of competence of those taking on delegated duties

Accept delegation from other nurses, prioritise own workload and ensure effective time-management strategies are embedded in own practice

Support the locality lead nurse to ensure that the locality nursing team operates effectively e.g. up to date PGDs, immunisation cold chain monitoring, emergency equipment and infection control policies.

Act as a practice assessor for pre-registration students and will work closely with the locality lead nurse and nurse manager to ensure that the learning objectives are consistent with the requirements of their educational programs.

Participate in team activities that create opportunities to improve patient care and attend planned nurse meetings, nurse forums and protected learning time meetings.

Report all nursing clinical or managerial concerns to the locality lead nurse promptly

Undertake a lead role if delegated by the Nurse Manager e.g. infection control link, cold chain compliance, emergency equipment monitoring.

Support the locality lead nurse with the setting, monitoring and maintaining of standards of care within the team and deputise and provide cover in their absence. This may at times require some of the operational management responsibilities should the need arise

Promote evidence-based practice through the use of the latest research-based guidelines and the development of practice-based research

Monitor the effectiveness of own clinical practice through the quality assurance strategies such as the use of audit and peer review

Maintain professional registration and work within the latest NMC Code of Professional Conduct

Participate in continuing professional development opportunities to ensure that up-to-date evidence-based knowledge and competence in all aspects of the role is maintained

Record accurate consultation data in patients records in accordance with the latest NMC guidance and other pertinent standards

Work collaboratively with colleagues within and external to the practice

Participate in audits and inspections as appropriate

Ensure that all practice policies are fully implemented

3. Communication:

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

• Communicate effectively with other team members, including the Community team, Social Services and Voluntary Organisations staffs as required.

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

4. 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 appraisal, 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.

Attending relevant professional courses and study days.

Ensure they are carrying out regular clinical audits of their own and nursing team clinics and consultations

5. Safeguarding Children and Adults

The Sutton GP Practices are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people (anyone under the age of 18) and adults. It expects all staff to share this commitment and act in such a way that safeguards and promotes the health and wellbeing of children, young people and adults.

• Staff must ensure that they are familiar with the signs and symptoms of abuse and know what to do if any such concerns are raised.

• Staff are expected to know about and how to follow safeguarding children and safeguarding adult policies.

• All employees working have a contractual right and a duty to raise genuine concerns they have with their employer about malpractice, patient safety, financial impropriety or any other serious risks they consider to be in the public interest. Sutton GP Practices have local policies in place that emphasise that it is safe and acceptable for staff to raise concerns.

6. Confidentiality

• The post holder must endorse confidentiality in their role. 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.

7. 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 in line with the Health & Safety at Work act (1974) and Infection Control policy, to include (but not limited to):

• 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
• 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
• Ensure safe management and disposal of sharps and clinical waste
• Follow spillage control procedures and management

This job description reflects the current situation. It is subject to review and updating in the light of changing service needs. Details may be changed in consultation with the role holder and/or reviewed at their annual appraisal.

Job descriptions are not designed to be all-inclusive although they will, as far as practicable, be a reasonably accurate and understandable specification of duties. The nature of the organisation demands a flexible approach in order to provide efficient and modern services to our patients. This job description may be amended by the Practice and the post holder may be required to carry out additional or other duties as may be reasonably required.

This job description may be subject to periodic review and amendment in consultation with the postholder.

Qualifications

Essential

• Current NMC Registration
• Membership of a professional body e.g. RCN

Desirable

• Nursing Degree Qualification BSc or MSc or working towards
• Chronic Disease Management Qualifications (e.g. Diploma, Degree)
• Cervical Cytology and Childhood Immunisation Training
• ENB 998 Teaching and assessing in clinical practice (or equivalent e.g. mentorship)

Experience

Essential

• Previous primary care experience and knowledge of the working of general practice
• Clinical skills (cervical cytology, immunisation and vaccination, ear care, minor surgery)
• Experience of managing chronic disease clinics
• Change management skills and ability to support patients to change lifestyle

Desirable

• Change management skills and experience of leading a team initiative or change
• Motivational interviewing
• Worked within teaching or training environment

Skills & Abilities

Essential

• Awareness of the structure and working of a GP Surgery
• A sound understanding of the national and local health agenda
• Awareness of the legal and ethical issues of the role
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary team as a key player
• Knowledge of needs of patients with long-term conditions
• Aware of accountability of own role and other roles Knowledge of health promotion strategies
• Knowledge of patient group directions and associated policy
• IT experience / computer skills

Desirable

• Willingness to participate in clinical supervision and performance review
• Willingness to undertake training at a higher level if necessary
• Worked within a multicultural environment
• Awareness of clinical governance issues in primary care

Personal

Essential

• Ability to work autonomously
• Ability to work effectively with other members of the team and other partners and agencies.
• Commitment to ongoing personal and professional development

Desirable

• Ability to be self directed and self motivated
• Innovator

Competency skills

Essential

• Communication and relational skills
• Team working
• Decision making
• Quality of Practice / CQC Compliance
• Handling patient complaints
• Self management
• Time keeping & reliability
• IT & Record keeping skills
• Learning 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).