Practice Nurse

Job description

Job responsibilities

The role will involve all the typical aspects of Practice Nursing in primary care

Professional

• Chronic Disease management with a specific focus on respiratory care.
• Offer advice about childhood and adult vaccinations and ensure vaccines are administered under patient group directions
• Offer a holistic approach to travel health by providing comprehensive advice to patients before travel, including; vaccinations and medicines, safe sex, food hygiene, sun protection
• Running well-person clinics and health promotion programmes, facilitating change by providing holistic assessment and lifestyle advice on diet, smoking, alcohol intake and exercise
• Assessing problems presented opportunistically by patients dealing with minor illnesses.
• Able to document Consultations according to NMC guidelines
• Ensures awareness of statutory and local clinical protection procedures, including referral systems. Ability to recognize signs and symptoms of child abuse.
• Perform a holistic assessment of patients attending for cervical cytology smear tests.
• Take ECGs
• Able to recognize and manage anaphylaxis according to current UK guidelines
• Able to perform Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation according to current UK guidelines
• Ability to obtain and document informed consent (either verbal or written)
• Ensure infection control guidelines are maintained
• Ability to monitor and manage the maintenance of stock and equipment, including refrigeration, sterilizer and emergency equipment

Confidentiality

• Patients entrust us with or allow us to gather sensitive information concerning their health and other matters in seeking treatment. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately
• In performing 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 pertaining to the practice as a business organization. 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 authorized persons following the practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data

Health & Safety

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

• Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines
• 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 specimens process, including collection, labelling, handling, use of accurate and clean containers, storage and transport arrangements
• Management and maintenance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the practice, including provision, ordering, availability and correct ongoing 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 concerning 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 concerning infection control, ensuring that provision of hand cleansing facilities, wipes etc., are sufficient to provide an excellent 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 and maintaining tidy, clean, sterile, and safe work areas free from hazards. Initiation of remedial/corrective action where needed or escalation to responsible management
• Actively identifying, reporting, and correcting health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognized
• Keeping own work areas and general/patient rooms generally clean and sterile, identifying issues and hazards/risks about other work areas within the business, and assuming responsibility for 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 and diversity:

The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, including:

• Acting in a way that recognizes the importance of people's 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 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 professional development
• Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work

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 team's 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
• Recognize people's needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly

Contribution to the implementation of services:

The post-holder will:

• Apply practice policies, standards and guidance
• Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect your work
• Participate in audits where appropriate

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Essential
• Registered Nurse qualification with an up-to-date NMC registration.
• Practice Nurse experience
• Comfortable with the use of IT in the context of a care setting EMIS Web, MS office, and web-based applications.
• Possessing a growth mindset.
• Excellent interpersonal skills facilitate relationships of trust and support with patients and colleagues.
• A proven team-player.

Desirable

• Desirable
• Accredited training in chronic disease management, particularly respiratory care.
• Cervical cytology qualification.
• Up-to-date training in childhood immunisations.
• Experience in travel health.
• Experience in health promotion.
• Knowledge of clinical governance.
• Knowledge of clinical audits.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working within a nursing team
• Experience of dealing with vulnerable patients

Desirable

• Experience of working in a GP Practice

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Ainsdale Medical Centre

Address

66 Station Road

Southport

Merseyside

PR8 3HW

Employer's website

https://www.ainsdalemedicalcentre.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)