Experienced Practice Nurse

Job responsibilities

Job responsibilities:

Experienced Practice Nurse

• Asthma and COPD
• Assist in and perform routine tasks related to patient care as directed by senior nursing staff and GPs
• Cytology
• Wound care / ulcer care/Doppler
• Removal of Sutures
• New Patient Medicals/Urinalysis
• ECGs
• Venepuncture
• Hypertension Management
• Ear syringing
• Routine immunizations/Childhood immunisations
• Chaperoning and assisting patients where appropriate who are being examined by another clinician
• Assisting GPs with minor surgery and coil fittings
• Requesting pathology tests, for example urine culture, swabs
• Interest Coronary Heart Disease and Contraception.
• Following agreed clinical protocols with referral to senior nurses or GPs as appropriate
• Other tasks will include
• Clean and sterilise equipment using autoclave monitoring autoclave
• Maintaining and cleaning equipment used by the nurses and GPs
• Maintaining GP and Nurses rooms, stocking, and rotating items as required
• Chaperoning and assisting patients who are being examined by another clinician.
• Maintain general tidiness and cleanliness of nurses and treatment rooms
• Maintain stock of waiting room leaflets as instructed by partners and Practice Manager
• Ordering of Health Promotion Literature
• Ordering of vaccinations to maintain stock levels
• Participation in administrative systems in the Practice
• At all times there will be a need to maintain accurate records
• A duty to advise senior nurses of potential problems or errors within a range of assigned tasks
• Attend and participate in any Practice meetings when required.
• On occasion there may be a requirement to undertake home visits
• Any other delegated duties appropriate to the post

Confidentiality

• While 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 confidential
• Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons, in accordance with practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data

Health & safety

The post-holder will implement and lead on a full range of promotion and management their own and others health and safety and infection control as defined in the practice Health & Safety policy, the practice Health & Safety manual, and the practice Infection Control policy and published procedures. This will include (but will not be limited to):

• Awareness of national standards of infection control and cleanliness and regulatory / contractual / professional requirements, and good practice guidelines
• Responsible for the correct and safe management of the specimen's process, including collection, labelling, handling, use of correct and clean containers, storage, and transport arrangements
• Management and maintenance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the practice including provision, ordering, availability, and ongoing correct usage by staff
• Responsible for hand hygiene across the practice
• Ownership of infection control and clinically based patient care protocols, and implementation of those protocols across the practice
• Active observation of current working practices across the practice in relation to infection control, cleanliness, and related activities, ensuring that procedures are followed, and weaknesses / training needs are identified, escalating issues as appropriate
• Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks across clinical and patient process
• Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills, and initiate and manage the training of others across the full range of infection control and patient processes
• Monitoring practice facilities and equipment in relation to infection control, ensuring that provision of hand cleansing facilities, wipes etc are sufficient to ensure a good clinical working environment. Lack of facilities to be escalated as appropriate.
• Safe management of sharps procedures including training, use, storage, and disposal
• Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy, clean, and sterile, and safe way, free from hazards. Initiation of remedial / corrective action where needed or escalation to responsible management
• Actively identifying, reporting, and correction of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised
• Keeping own work areas and general / patient areas generally clean, sterile, identifying issues and hazards / risks in relation to other work areas within the business, and assuming responsibility in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness across the business in consultation (where appropriate) with other sector managers
• Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum twice annually)
• Routine management of own team / team areas, and maintenance of workspace standards
• Waste management including collection, handling, segregation, container management, storage, and collection
• Spillage control procedures, management, and training
• Decontamination control procedures, management and training, and equipment maintenance
• Maintenance of sterile environments
• Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.
• Equality / Diversity / privacy.
• Development / training.
• Be able to communicate on all levels.
• Apply practice policies, standards, and guidance.
• Participate in audits where appropriate.

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse

Desirable

• Mentor or teaching qualification
• Post graduate diploma or degree (Chronic Disease Management)
• Family planning qualification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in primary care as a practice nurse
• Experience of working autonomously
• Experience of infection prevention and control measures

Clinical knowledge and skills

Essential

• 1. Wound care/removal of sutures and staples
• 2. ECGs
• 3. Venepuncture
• 4. New patient medicals
• 5. Immunisations (routine, childhood and travel)
• 6. Womens health (cervical cytology, contraception, etc.)
• 7. Requesting pathology tests and processing the results, advising 8. patients accordingly
• 9. Travel medicine
• 10.Chronic disease management awareness for:
• Diabetes
• Hypertension
• CHD
• Asthma
• Spirometry
• 11.Understanding the importance of evidence-based practice
• 12.Understand the requirement for PGDs and associated policy
• 13.Ability to record accurate clinical notes
• 14.Ability to work within own scope of practice and understanding when to refer to GPs

Desirable

• 1.Broad knowledge of clinical governance
• 2.Knowledge of public health issues in the local area
• 3.Awareness of issues within the wider health arena

Skills

Essential

• 1. Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
• 2. Effective time management (planning and organising)
• 3. Ability to work as a team member and autonomously
• 4. Good interpersonal skills
• 5. Ability to follow clinical policy and procedure
• 6. Strong IT skills, including clinical IT system user skills
• 7. Clear, polite telephone manner

Desirable

• 1. Experience with audit and able to lead audit programmes
• 2. Experience with clinical risk management

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).