Practice Nurse

Job responsibilities

The following are the core responsibilities of the practice nurse. There may be on occasion a requirement to carry out other tasks; this will be dependent on factors such as workload and staffing levels:

Implement vaccination programmes for adults and children

Provide Smears

Provide travel immunisation services

Provide Warfarin monitoring

Provide wound care (ulcer/doppler etc.) to patients

Provide Contraception advice

Develop, implement and embed health promotion and well-being programmes

Provide routine nursing care to patients as required in accordance with clinical-based evidence, NICE and guidelines

Maintain accurate clinical records

Prioritise health issues and intervene appropriately

Support the team in dealing with clinical emergencies within the practice

Delegate clinical responsibilities appropriately (ensuring safe practice and that the task is within the scope of practice of the individual)

Support the clinical team with all safeguarding matters, in accordance with local and national policies

Deliver opportunistic health promotion where appropriate

Please note: may need to use own car to deliver patient care, such as immunisations, INR and LTC assessments for housebound patients

Skills

Essential

• Ability to work as a team member and autonomously
• Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
• Clear, polite telephone manner
• Effective time management (planning and organising)
• Good interpersonal skills
• Problem-solving and analytical skills
• Ability to follow clinical policy and procedure

Desirable

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

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse
• Wound care, removal of sutures and staples
• Cytology
• Requesting pathology tests and processing the results, advising patients accordingly. For example wound swab, cytology
• Understands 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 to understand when to refer to GPs/ACPs
• Knowledge of health promotion strategies
• Understands the requirement for PGDs, PSDs and associated policies

Desirable

• ECGs
• Spirometry
• Venepuncture

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in a primary care environment as a practice nurse/treatment room nurse
• Experience in cytology
• Experience in basic wound care

Desirable

• Experience of chronic disease 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).