Practice Nurse

The job is available from the beginning of January 2025.

JOB SUMMARY

Responsible for attending to patients who wish to be seen by a health care professional; diagnosing and treating patients presenting with minor illness; seeing and advising people in respect of their continuing medical and nursing needs. These patients will have booked appointments at 15-minute intervals. There is a requirement to see extra or emergency patients. Patients with problems needing referral to secondary care should be discussed with the registered GP before making such referral (ex. Tissue viability, TB vaccination).

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Diagnosing and treating patients presenting with minor illness

• Ensure clinical practice is safe and effective and remains within boundaries of competence, and to acknowledge limitations.
• Advise patients on general health care and minor ailments, with referral to other members of the primary and secondary health care team as necessary.
• Work with patients in order to support compliance with, and adherence to, prescribed treatments.
• Support patients in adopting health promotion strategies that promote healthy lifestyles and applying principles of self-care.
• Utilise and demonstrate sensitive communication styles, to ensure patients are fully informed and consent to treatment.
• 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 that are consistent with legislation, policies, and procedures.
• Prioritise, organise and manage own workload in a manner that maintains and promotes quality.
• Deliver care according to NSF, NICE guidelines and evidence-based care.

Providing assessment, screening treatment services and health education advice:

• Chronic Disease Management (Diabetes, COPD, Asthma, Hypertension).
• Foot check.
• Dietary advice.
• Blood pressure checks.
• Urinalysis.
• Health screening.
• Cervical screening.
• Contraception review.
• General wound care and management.
• Leg ulcer management.
• Compression bandaging.
• Phlebotomy.
• Injections: B12, Depo-Provera, Clopixol, Prostap, Zoladex, etc.
• Minor injuries.
• Routine immunisations and vaccinations.
• Baby immunisations.
• First registration checks / health surveillance / general health advice.
• Assisting with minor procedures in the treatment room.
• Organise and coordinate the provision of nursing services for the practice to include the delegation of duties to other members of the practice nurse team as appropriate.
• Provide general and specific health screenings to the practice patients (within agreed protocols) with referral to other members of the primary and secondary health care team as necessary.

Pathological specimens and investigatory procedures

• Undertake the collection of pathological specimens, including intravenous blood samples, swabs, etc. Perform investigatory procedures requested by the GPs.

Administration and professional responsibilities

• Participate in the administrative and professional responsibilities of the practice team.
• Ensure accurate and legible notes of all consultations and treatments are recorded in the patient’s notes.
• Ensure the clinical computer system is kept up to date, with accurate details recorded and amended.
• Ensure appropriate items of service claims are made accurately, reporting any problems to the practice administrator.
• Ensure accurate completion of all necessary documentation associated with patient health care and registration with the practice.
• Ensure collection and maintenance of statistical information required for regular and ad hoc reports and audit.
• Attend and participate in practice meetings as required.
• Restocking and maintenance of clinical areas and consulting rooms.
• Training and supervision of Health Care Assistants.

Supplies and equipment

• Maintenance of equipment and stock relating to patient care.

Training and personal development

• Training requirements will be monitored by yearly appraisal and will be in accordance with practice requirements. Personal development will be encouraged and supported by the practice. It is the individual’s responsibility to remain up to date with recent developments.
• Participate in the education and training of students of all disciplines and the introduction of all members of the practice staff where appropriate.
• Maintain continued education by attending courses and study days as deemed useful or necessary for professional development and ensuring that Revalidation requirements are met.
• If it is necessary to expand the role to include additional responsibilities, full training will be given.
• Develop and maintain a Personal Learning Plan.

Meetings

• It will be necessary to attend and contribute to various practice meetings as requested. The only reason for not attending will be annual, study or sick leave.

Confidentiality:

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.

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 handbook and 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 regulatory/contractual/professional requirements, and good practice guidelines.
• Responsible for 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 about 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 and maintaining work areas in a tidy, clean, sterile, and safe way, free from hazards. Initiation of remedial/corrective action where needed or escalation to responsible management.
• Actively identifying, reporting, and correcting of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised.
• Keeping own work areas and general/patient areas generally clean, and sterile, identifying issues and hazards/risks in relation to 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, to include:

• 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 that is 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/or 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 own work.
• Participate in audits where appropriate.

Summary of admin duties:

• Supporting IPC Lead (Business Manager) in IPC audits:
• Infection Control Audit checklist.
• Hand hygiene and handwashing.
• Sharp bins Audit.
• Waste Management Audit.
• Smears management and recalls.
• Immunisation management and recalls.
• PPE management.
• Emergency drug monitoring, oxygen and defibrillator.
• Vaccines and drugs stocktake.
• Vaccines ordering.
• Medical equipment ordering.

The above is not an exhaustive list of duties and you will be expected to perform different tasks as necessitated by your changing role within the organisation and the overall business objectives of the organisation.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: £50,000.00-£57,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company pension.
• Employee discount.

Schedule:

• Day shift.
• Monday to Friday.

Experience:

• General Practice: 4 years (required).

Licence/Certification:

• NMC (required).

Work Location: In person.

Application deadline: 30/11/2024
Reference ID: Practice Nurse_2024-11