Job responsibilities
The Advanced Nurse Practitioner will be
the first point of contact for patients with all types of health problems. He/she will make decisions and apply
appropriate nursing interventions to the presenting patient in their own home
or in the surgery. This will include
initial history taking, clinical assessment, diagnosis, treatment and
evaluation of care. He/she will work
autonomously but within the Practices and NMC policies, protocols and
guidelines, demonstrating safe clinical decision-making, high levels of
critical thinking and holistic practice. The post-holder will be expected to
act independently but will have access at all times to a GP for advice and
support as necessary.
Key Responsibilities
Work within
professional boundaries to accurately examine and assess patients with an
undifferentiated diagnosis, from a physiological, psychological and social
perspective, and plan clinical care accordingly.
Diagnose and manage
both acute and chronic conditions, integrating both drug and non-drug-based treatment
methods into a management plan.
Seek
advice and support from a senior clinician as appropriate to inform decision
making around patient care.
Prioritise health
problems and intervene appropriately to assist the patient in complex, urgent
or emergency situations, including initiation of effective emergency care.
Review medication
for therapeutic effectiveness appropriate to patient needs, and administer
medication in accordance with PGD/ Independent Nurse Prescribing.
Provide information
and advice on prescribed or non-prescription medication, on medication regimens,
side-effects and interactions.
Work with patients
in order to support compliance with and adherence to prescribed treatments.
Ensure
full and accurate documentation in patient notes of clinical history, physical
examination, diagnosis and treatment plan.
Communication:
The post-holder should
recognize the importance of effective communication within the team and will
strive to:
Utilise
and demonstrate sensitive communication styles, to ensure patients are fully
informed and consent to treatment.
Communicate
effectively with patients and carers, recognising the need for alternative
methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding,
cultural background and preferred ways of communicating.
Anticipate
barriers to communication and take action to improve communication.
Maintain
effective communication within the practice environment and with external
stakeholders.
Ensure
respect and dignity for patients at all times.
Ensure
awareness of sources of support and guidance and provide information in an
acceptable format to all patients, recognising any difficulties and referring
where appropriate.
Recognize peoples needs for alternative methods of
communication and respond accordingly.
Communicate
effectively with other colleagues and external healthcare providers in
pursuance of continuity and safe delivery of patient care.
Delivering
a quality service:
Recognise
and work within own competence and professional code of conduct as regulated by
the NMC.
Produce
accurate, contemporaneous and complete records of patient consultation,
consistent with legislation, policies and procedures.
Prioritise,
organise and manage own workload in a manner that maintains and promotes
quality.
Deliver
care according to NICE and other local guidelines as well as evidence-based
care.
Assess
effectiveness of care delivery through self and peer review, benchmarking and
formal evaluation.
Initiate
and participate in the maintenance of quality governance systems and processes
across the organisation and its activities.
Utilise
the audit cycle as a means of evaluating the quality of the work of self, the
team, and the experience of patients implementing improvements where required.
In
partnership with other clinical teams, collaborate on improving the quality of
health care responding to local and national policies and initiatives as
appropriate.
Professional
& personal development:
The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented
by the Practice as part of this employment, such training to include:
Maintain
continued education and learning by attending all mandatory training and other
events as deemed necessary by the Practice.
Participate
in the annual performance review (appraisal), including taking responsibility
for maintaining record of own personal and/or professional development for
revalidation purposes.
Understand
own role and scope and identify how this may develop over time.
Take
responsibility for own learning and performance acting as a positive role model.
Prioritise
own workload and ensure effective time-management strategies are embedded
within work.
Work
as an effective and responsible team member, supporting others and exploring
the mechanisms to develop new ways of working.
Delegate
clearly and appropriately, adopting the principles of safe practice and
assessment of competence.
Be
responsible for ensuring own clinical practice complies with Data Protection/Confidentiality/
Caldicott principles.
Critically
evaluate and review innovations and developments that are relevant to the area
of practice.
Agree
plans and outcomes by which to measure quality of own work.
Actively
promote diversity, including race diversity, both in the delivery of the
Practices services and in the management and development of staff within the
clinical area. Generate and sustain relationships that promote dignity, rights
and responsibilities. Identify and take action to address discrimination and
oppression.
Team working:
Work
effectively with others to clearly define values, direction and policies impacting
upon care delivery.
Actively
promote the workplace as a learning environment, encouraging everyone to learn
from each other and from external good practice.
Encourage
others to make realistic self-assessment of their application of knowledge and
skills, challenging any complacency or actions that are not in the interest of
the public and/or users of services.
Enlist
support and influence stakeholders and decision-makers in order to bring about
new developments in the provision of services
Contribute
to the development of local guidelines, protocols and standards.
Support
and assess learners in practice as relevant.
Infection
prevention:
Follow
consistently high standards of infection prevention practice, especially with
reference to hand decontamination.
Be
aware of and follow all Practice infection prevention guidelines and procedures
relevant to the work.
It is the responsibility of all staff, whether clinical or non-clinical,
to familiarise themselves with and adhere to current policy in relation to the
prevention of the spread of infection.
Clinical staff, on entering and leaving clinical areas and between contacts with
patients, must apply alcohol gel to their hands and also wash their hands
frequently with soap and water. Staff are required to communicate any infection
risks to the Infection Control lead.
Research projects
& clinical audits:
Co-operate and participate as required in any research
projects and clinical audits within the Practice.
