North Cumbria Primary Care Alliance
Practice Nurse
Hours: Negotiable – Various available
Salary: Depending on experience
Job summary:
To provide and maintain a high standard of nursing care for patients, as well as providing nursing assistance to the GPs and other members of primary healthcare team. The duties will (in time and with training where necessary) include all tasks normally undertaken by an experienced practice nurse and any additional roles agreed between the nurse and the GP Salaried Partners.
Main duties and responsibilities:
- Assist and perform routine tasks related to patient care as directed by the lead nurse and GPs. Such tasks may include (list not exclusive):
- Interest in long term condition management and willing to undertake chronic disease training including diabetes, vascular and respiratory disease
- Administration of childhood and adult vaccinations
- Running well person clinics and health promotions programmes, facilitating change by providing assessment and lifestyle advice on diet, smoking, alcohol intake and exercise
- Contribute to Quality and Outcomes Framework and other quality indicators as appropriate
- Perform holistic assessment of patients and attending for cervical cytology smear tests
- Perform venepuncture according to local guidelines
- Provide holistic approach to wound management and implement would care in line with current evidence-based guidelines including the use of Doppler and leg ulcer management
- Assessing problems presented opportunistically by patients, dealing with minor illness
- Assist patients to identify their health needs, incorporating the use of care plans
- Removal of Sutures
- New Patient Medicals/Urinalysis
- ECGs
- Venepuncture
- Hypertension Management
- Requesting pathology tests, for example urine culture, swabs
- Contraception
- Offer a holistic approach to travel health by providing comprehensive advice to patients prior to travel
- Following agreed clinical protocols with referral to senior nurses or GPs as appropriate
- Maintaining and cleaning equipment used by the nurses and GPs
- Chaperoning and assisting patients who are being examined by another clinician.
- Maintain general tidiness and cleanliness of nurses and treatment rooms
- 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
Special Requirements of the Post:
- To have completed, or be willing to complete, chronic disease training
- An understanding, acceptance and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality
- Ability to use own judgment, resourcefulness and common sense
- A commitment to maintain a high professional standard of nursing care and keep up to date with all aspects of nursing care relevant to the post
- A commitment to ensure all Health and Safety requirements and Infection Control measures are met and to report any problems to the practice manager
- A commitment to the effective use of practice and NHS resources
- An awareness of own limitations and experience
- To work only in accordance with the UKCC Code of Conduct and within the scope of professional practice
- To have a written professional development plan and to maintain an up to date portfolio which meets the requirements of registration with the UKCC
- Cooperate with annual appraisal meetings
Communication:
The post-holder should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:
- Communicate effectively with other team members
- 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, including those receiving “bad news” and respond accordingly
- Act as an advocate when representing patients and colleagues
- Participate in nurse and practice team meetings
- Produce written documents that evidence the contribution of the nursing team to the practice priorities
Governance:
- Undertake DBS check at regular intervals
- Able to recognise 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 and contribute to infection control audits and policies
- Ensure awareness of statutory and local protection procedures, including systems of referral
- Support the Practice clinical governance agenda
- Identify changes to clinical practice that are required to implement evidence-based guidelines
- Produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete records of patient consultation, consistent with legislation, policies and procedures· Work within all NCPC policies and procedures
- Aware of identification and reporting procedures related to professional standards
- An understanding, acceptance and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality
- To work only in accordance with the UKCC Code of Conduct and within the scope of professional practice
- To have a written professional development plan and to maintain an up to date portfolio which meets the requirements of registration with the UKCC
- Cooperate with annual appraisal meetings
Administrative and Educational:
- A commitments to maintain a high professional standard of nursing care and keep up to date with all aspects of nursing care relevant to post
- Identify personal development and training needs in conjunction with the nurse manager
- To participate in continuing education and maintain a contemporary level of professional knowledge and skills
- Contribute to the assessment of service needs
- Contribute a nursing perspective to the practice development plan
- To attend staff meetings
- Completion of regular mandatory and otherwise specified learning
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
- 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 strictly confidential
- Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data
- The Employee must adhere to all practice policies, which includes; Information Governance, Data Protection, Confidentiality, Caldecott and Safeguarding Policies.
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):
- 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 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
- Routine management of own team / team areas, and maintenance of work space 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 which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.
· Identify patterns of discrimination and take action to overcome this and promote diversity and equality of opportunity· Support people who need assistance in exercising rights· Monitor and evaluate adherence to local chaperoning policies· Accept the rights of individuals to choose their care providers, participate in care and refuse care· Assist patients from marginalised groups to access quality care
Safeguarding of Children & Vulnerable Adults:
- To adhere to the principals of effective safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults
Training / Personal/professional development:
The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, with 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
- Complete mandatory training modules, Health And Safety periodically as per practice protocols
- To complete all mandatory training required to complete the job role including attendance of Practice protected learning time (PLT) sessions, complete Blue stream eLearning training and completion of practice HR policies, standards and working practices
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
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 audit where appropriate
Other Information:
This appointment will be subject to DBS checks and completion of a 6-month probationary period for new starters to the organisation.
Practice Nurse - Person specification
Knowledge and Experience- Essential
- RGN/RN
- Minimum 2 years post-registration experience
- Knowledge of needs of patients with long term conditions
- Knowledge of chronic disease management
- Aware of accountability of own role and other roles in a nurse led service
- Knowledge of health promotion strategies
- Awareness of clinical governance issues in primary care
- Knowledge of patient group directives and associated policies
- Evidence of appropriate continuing professional development
- Proven ability to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of own practice
Knowledge and Experience- Desirable
- Ability to identify determinants on health in the local area
- Chronic disease diplomas in Asthma, COPD, Hypertension, Diabetes or vascular management
- Knowledge of public health issues in the local area
- Awareness of local national health policy
- Awareness of issues in the wider health economy
- Knowledge or experience in Audit participation and CQC Compliance
- Mentor/teaching qualification
Skills- Essential
- Communication skills, both written and verbal
- Ability to communicate difficult messages to patients and families
- Change – management skills and ability to support patients to change lifestyle
- Negotiation and conflict
- IT Skills
- Uses own initiative
- Independent and team work
- Negotiation and conflict management skills
- Ability to collect, analyse and interpret data and to use that information to promote good patient care
Skills-Desirable
- Clinical Skills – cervical cytology, immunisation and vaccination, ear care, minor surgery, travel health, BLS, Spirometry, childhood immunisations
- Experience of using Emis Web, ICE, INR Star, Blue Stream, Intradoc.
Qualities/
Attributes- Essential
- An understanding , acceptance and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality
- Ability to use own judgement, resourcefulness and common sense
- Ability to work without direct supervision and determine own workload
- Evidence and ability to grasp new concepts and work on a self-directed basis
- Able to work under pressure in a changing environment
- Ability to self-direct/motivate, organise and prioritise own workload
- Empathy for the health care / public service environment
- Enthusiastic, adaptable, innovative, forward looking
- Ability to work as part of an integrated multi-skilled team
- Strategic thinking with vision
- Personable, hardworking, reliable and resourceful
- Get on well with people at all levels
Other- Essential
Other-Desirable
- Flexible to work at desired times including late evenings, weekends and bank holidays to cover a 7- day operation.
Work Location: In person
