Practice Nurse

We are looking for a Practice Nurse who will provide care and demonstrate a safe and high professional standard of nursing care forpatients within general practice. They will work collaboratively with thegeneral practice team to meet the needs of patients and should have the abilityto prioritise, be flexible and responsive to patient needs. The support anddelivery of practice policies and procedures is essential. Main duties of the job As a Practice Nurse, you will assist in andperform routine tasks related to patient care as directed by senior nursingstaff and GPs. Such tasks may include : Removal of sutures Urinalysis ECGs Cervical screening Peak flow readings Venepuncture Blood pressure measurements Routine immunisations and vaccinationsincluding adults, children / babies, travel and seasonalflu. Chaperoning and assisting patients whereappropriate who are being examined by another clinician Administering swabs including MRSA swabs Requesting basic pathology tests, forexample urine culture, swabs Following agreed clinical protocols withreferral to senior nurses or GPs as appropriate Working independently of other clinicalstaff Caring for a patient with a long termcondition. Other tasks including : Maintaining and cleaning equipment used bythe nurses and GPs Undertake housekeeping duties including,general tidiness and cleanliness of nurses and treatmentrooms Ordering of vaccinations to maintain stocklevels Attend and participate in any Practicemeetings when required, Assist in and perform routine tasks related to patient care as directedby senior nursing staff and GPs. Such tasks may include : Removal ofsutures Urinalysis ECGs Cervicalscreening Peak flowreadings Venepuncture Bloodpressure measurements Caring fora patient with a long term condition. Routineimmunisations and vaccinations including adults, children / babies, travel and seasonal flu. Chaperoningand assisting patients where appropriate who are being examined by another clinician Administeringswabs including MRSA swabs Requestingbasic pathology tests, for example urine culture, swabs Followingagreed clinical protocols with referral to senior nurses or GPs as appropriate Workingindependently of other clinical staff Other tasks including : Maintainingand cleaning equipment used by the nurses and GPs Undertakehousekeeping duties including, general tidiness and cleanliness of nurses and treatment rooms Orderingof vaccinations to maintain stock levels Attend andparticipate in any Practice meetings when required Quality, administration and professional responsibilities Anunderstanding, acceptance and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality. Ability touse own judgment, resourcefulness and common sense. Effectively manage own time, workload and resources. Acommitment to maintain a high professional standard of nursing care and keep upto date with all aspects ofnursing care relevant to the post. Ensure accurate and legible notes of all consultations and treatmentsare recorded in the patients notes. Acommitment to ensure all Health and Safety requirements and Infection Controlmeasures are met and to reportany problems to management. Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk. Anawareness of own limitations, experience and recognise and work within own competence and professional code ofconduct as regulated by the NMC. To have awritten professional development plan and to maintain an up to date portfolioto meet the requirements of registration. Co-operatewith annual appraisals. Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, eitherdirectly or under supervision. Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own andteam activities and makingsuggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance. Produceaccurate and complete records of patient consultation, consistent withlegislation, policies and procedures and ensure the clinical computer system is kept up to date. Understandand apply legal issues that support the identification of vulnerable and abused children and adults, and be aware ofstatutory child / vulnerable patients health procedures and local guidance. Communication The post-holdershould recognise the importance of effective communication within the team andwill strive to : Communicate effectively with other team members Communicate effectively with patients and carers Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication andrespond accordingly Personaland people development Support staff development in order to maximisepotential. Actively promote the workplace as a learningenvironment, encouraging everyone to learn from each other and from externalgood practice. Encourage others to make realistic self-assessmentof their application of knowledge and skills, challenging any complacency oractions that are not in the interest of the public and / or users of services. Teamworking Understand own role and scope and identify howthis may develop over time. 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 theprinciples of safe practice and assessment of competence. Create clear referral mechanisms to meet patientneed. Managementof risk Manage and assess risk within the areas ofresponsibility, ensuring adequate measures are in place to protect staff andpatients. Monitor work areas and practices to ensure theyare safe and free from hazards and conform to health, safety and securitylegislation, policies, procedures and guidelines. Ensure appropriate supervision of safe storage,rotation and disposal of vaccines and drugs. Oversee the monitoring, stockcontrol and documentation of controlled drug usage according to legalrequirements where appropriate. Advocate for policies that reduce environmentalhealth risks, are culturally sensitive and increase access to health care forall. Managinginformation Use technology and appropriate software as an aidto management in planning, implementation and monitoring of care, presentingand communicating information. Review and process data using accurate read codesin order to ensure easy and accurate information retrieval for monitoring andaudit processes. Understand responsibility of self and others tothe practice regarding the Freedom and Information Act. Trainingand personal development Training requirementswill be monitored by yearly appraisal and will be in accordance with practicerequirements. Personal development will be encouraged and supported by thePractice. It is the individuals responsibility to remain up to date withrecent developments. Participate in theeducation and training of students of all disciplines and the introduction ofall members of the Practice staff where appropriate. Maintain continuededucation by attendance at courses and study days as deemed useful or necessaryfor professional development. If it is necessary toexpand the role to include additional responsibilities, full training will begiven. Develop and maintain aPersonal Learning Plan. Confidentiality In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allowus to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and othermatters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff willrespect their privacy and act appropriately. In the performance of the duties outlined in this job description, thepost-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patientsand their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may alsohave 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 healthcareworkers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorisedpersons in accordance with the practice policies and procedures relating toconfidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data. Health & Safety The post-holder will implement and lead on afull range of promotion and management of their own and others health andsafety and infection control as defined in the Practices Health & Safetypolicy / manual and the Practices Infection Control policy and publishedprocedures. This will include (but will not be limited to) : Awareness of nationalstandards of infection control and cleanliness and regulatory / contractual / professionalrequirements and good practice guidelines. Responsible for the correctand safe management of the specimensprocess including collection, labelling, handling, use of correct and cleancontainers, storage and transport arrangements. Responsible for thecorrect use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Responsible for own handhygiene Active observation ofcurrent working practices across the practice in relation to infection control,cleanliness and related activities, ensuring that procedures are followed andweaknesses / training needs are identified, escalating issues as appropriate. Identifying the risksinvolved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way thatmanages those risks across clinical and patient process. Monitoring practicefacilities and equipment in relation to infection control, ensuring thatprovision of hand cleansing facilities, wipes etc. are sufficient to ensure agood clinical working environment. Lack of facilities to be escalated asappropriate. Safe management ofsharps procedures including training, use, storage and disposal. Using appropriateinfection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy, clean andsterile, and safe way, free from hazards. Initiation of remedial / correctiveaction where needed or escalation to responsible management. Actively identifying,reporting, and correction of health and safety hazards and infection hazardsimmediately when recognised. Waste managementincluding collection, handling, segregation, container management, storage andcollection. Spillage anddecontamination control procedures and equipment maintenance. Equality and Diversity The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights ofpatients, carers and colleagues, to include : Acting in a way that recognises the importance ofpeoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practiceprocedures and policies, and current legislation. Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefsof patients, carers and colleagues. Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and ofthe individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelingspriorities and rights. Contribution to theImplementation of Services Apply practice policies, standards and guidance. Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards andguidelines will affect own work. Participate in audit where appropriate.

• Willingness to learn and acquire new skills
• Ability to be reflective, accept criticism and act constructively
• Good interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written
• Highly motivated and enthusiastic
• Team player
Experience Essential
• Recent primary / community nursing experience
• Evidence of working with a multidisciplinary team
• Involvement in implementing and using protocols and clinical guidelines
Additional Requirements Essential
• Full Driving licence and car / transport
• Ability to work core hours and flexibility for cover
Knowledge Essential
• Post-registration study in topics allied to general practice
• Clinical skills cervical screening, ear syringing, immunisation and vaccination, venepuncture, spirometry, ECG, nurse-led triage (see job description for other essential clinical skills)
• Interest and basic knowledge in long-term conditions
• Accountability of own role in a nurse-led service
• Insight and understanding of current issues in nursing and the NHS
Desirable
• Management of long term conditions
• Knowledge / experience in chronic disease management
• Knowledge of EMIS Web
Qualifications Essential
• Relevant nursing degree
• Evidence of appropriate knowledge base
Desirable
• Minimum 2 years post registration
• Undertaken mentorship training
• Basic / advanced certificate of life support
  
  We are a large rural practice with over 35,000 patients. As a single-practice Primary Care Network, we have a wonderful opportunity to transform care for our patients.
  
  We offer a welcoming practice environment, 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays and access to the NHS pension scheme