Experienced GP Practice Nurse

Shawbury Medical Practice

In Brief

Are you a looking for an exciting new opportunity?

Due to the retirement of one of our team, we are looking to recruit an experienced Practice Nurse. The successful candidate be supported by our Practice Team which includes another Practice Nurse, HCAs, GPs, Administrators and Dispensers.

We are looking for an experienced Practice Nurse who is friendly and enthusiastic to provide a high quality of care to our patients. Experience and training in chronic disease management, childhood immunisations & smears is essential, ear syringing, spirometry and family planning is preferred.

The successful candidate will also be confident, have excellent organisational skills, be able to self-manage and be IT proficient.

As a patient focused surgery, we are looking for someone with a kind and patient approach and we would envisage the successful applicant would be able to demonstrate:

· previous experience in a clinical setting, whether in general practice or elsewhere

· previous experience of clinical (or comparable) administrative work

· the ability to work well under pressure as part of a rewarding but highly demanding role

· good organisational skills

· good IT / computer skills

All posts at the practice are worked on an agreed rota, within the core hours of 8.00am to 6.00pm.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check – All posts are subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Shawbury Medical Practice

About The Post:

· Hours are part to full time and will be agreed with the successful candidate

· 25 days FTE Annual Leave per year + 8 days Statutory Leave Days (pro rata)

· Salary – commensurate with experience

· The practice nurse is responsible for providing nursing services to the practice population, within the boundaries of the role.

· Supporting patients to be healthy, monitor patients with long-term conditions and deliver health prevention, promotion and screening activities.

· This will include but is not limited to assessing patients; planning and implementing treatment protocols; and reviewing and tracking progress.

· The practice nurse will work collaboratively with the practice team, performing tasks as required by the management team, within the practice’s policy and procedures, and to a defined set of competencies

About You:

The successful candidate will have:

· previous experience in general practice (full role scope detailed below)

· previous knowledge/experience of EMIS web clinical system

· the willingness and drive to develop the post, in partnership with the practice team – including gaining experience and knowledge suitable to the post

· problem solving, proactive approach to the role

· flexible, team working approach

· the ability to work well under pressure as part of a rewarding but highly demanding role

· good organisational skills

· good IT / com

· puter skills

· kind and patient approach with patients, colleagues and visitors

Disclosure and Barring Service Check – All posts are subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Job Description

Job summary and scope

The practice nurse is responsible for providing nursing services to the practice population, within the boundaries of the role. They will support patients to be healthy, monitor patients with long-term conditions and deliver health prevention, promotion and screening activities.

This will include but is not limited to assessing patients; planning and implementing treatment protocols; and reviewing and tracking progress.

The practice nurse will work collaboratively with the practice team, performing tasks as required by management team, within the practice’s policy and procedures, and to a defined set of competencies.

Summary of main duties and responsibilities:

· Chronic disease management

· Wound management including dressings

· Child and adult immunisations

· Screening

· Health promotion

· Ear care

· Child health/child protection

· Performing ECGs

· Venepuncture and requesting pathology testing – predominantly performed by our HCA but supporting this process and providing expertise/experience when needed

· Infection control

· Attend and participate in clinical and practice meetings when required

· Proactive in identifying own needs for personal and professional development

· Ensure all duties are carried out to the highest possible standard and in accordance with any current guidance / legislation

· Provide patient care in accordance with current PGDs and clinical protocols

· Any other duties as required

Key responsibilities in detail – Clinical

Caring for patients

· Implement and evaluate treatment plans for patients with long-term conditions

· Long-term disease management, dependent on skills and experience:

· Running asthma/COPD clinics and supporting patients (including inhaler and nebuliser use and care)

· Managing chronic heart disease

· Managing hypertension

· Running diabetes clinics and supporting patients

· Other chronic disease management/QOF activities

· Support and advise patients in managing their own disease

· Identify and manage treatment plans for patients at risk of long-term conditions

· Appropriately support patients in complex, urgent or emergency situations, and initiate emergency care as required

· Support and encourage patients to adopt a healthy lifestyle

· Give advice on prescribed or over-the-counter medications

· Support and advise women with family planning needs, including contraception and safe sex advice

· Carry out, support and advise women with regards to cervical smear tests

· Support and advise men with health/lifestyle advice and appropriate referrals

· Support and refer patients with mental health needs

· Conduct new patient health checks (delivering opportunistic health promotion at the same time)

· Carry out testing/screening, including (but not limited to):

· Urine testing/analysis

· Blood pressure measurement/monitoring

· ECG

· Take and test pathology samples from patients for analysis (blood, sputum, urine, etc.)

· Care for patients with uncomplicated wounds, including (but not limited to):

· Removal of sutures

· Wound cleaning and dressing

· Management of burns and scalds

· Management of minor injuries (sprains, bruising, cuts, etc.)

· Management of skin conditions and referral where necessary

· Implement and participate in vaccination and immunisation programmes for both adults and children, including (but not limited to):

· Routine immunisations

· Pertussis immunisation for pregnant women

· Flu immunisation

· Pneumococcal immunisation

· Perform other clinical duties as required, within the scope of the practice nurse’s competencies and training

· There maybe an occassional requirement to undertake Home Visits

Communication with patients

· Ensure patients and carers are aware of and acknowledge the practice nurse’s role, including its scope and limits

· Advise and process referrals for patients who need to be seen by a GP or other appropriate member of the clinical team

· Use communication that is appropriate to the situation, including communicating sensitively with patients and carers when delivering bad news

· Establishing appropriate communication methods to suit patients’ and carers’ level of understanding, cultural/language needs, and preferred communication method

· Anticipating and overcoming barriers to communication, seeking support from other staff members where necessary

· Use appropriate communication skills and style to make patients aware of risk, to obtain consent where necessary, and to ensure patients comply with treatment

Delivering high-quality services

· Provide services to the practice’s patient population, to the highest possible standard, in line with competencies and professional code of conduct

· Monitor and maintain the standard of care provided, taking appropriate action if standards are not met, through audit, self- and peer-review, benchmarking and evaluation

· Participate in clinical governance and clinical audit activities to ensure the continual improvement of service delivery

· Where appropriate, participate in reviewing and responding to complaints, significant events and other shared learning activities within a structured framework

· Support and mentor staff in training to ensure they deliver the highest standards of care

· Support the performance of team members and collaborate in improving the quality of healthcare and service provision, in line with local and national policy and strategy

· Work within the practice’s legal framework for identifying vulnerable patients and apply policies relating to the treatment of vulnerable patients

Key responsibilities – non-clinical

Practice-related duties

· Making and maintaining accurate, contemporaneous records of encounters with patients

· Keeping nursing team records accurate and up to date, in collaboration with the rest of the nursing team

· Labelling patient samples accurately and processing for collection and analysis

· Maintain a safe working environment, in accordance with health and safety protocol, including (but not limited to):

· Keeping clinical and non-clinical working areas tidy and free of hazards, minimising the risk to everyone in the practice

· Adhering to policies relating to infection control, cold chain, spillages, decontamination, handling of specimens, handling sharps and clinical waste, etc.

· Maintaining up-to-date knowledge on health and safety protocol

· Attending mandatory training when required

· Maintenance of stock and supplies, including clinical supplies, vaccines and health information literature, and providing timely and accurate purchasing records to the practice manager

· Maintenance of clinical equipment, including contributing to the care and calibration of equipment, managing repairs and regular maintenance, and ensuring accurate record-keeping

· Perform other non-clinical duties as required, within the scope of the practice nurse’s competencies and training

Personal and professional development

· You will comply with the Nursing and Midwifery Council Code of Conduct and maintain up-to-date registration and documentation.

· Act as a mentor and positive role model to students and more junior members of staff, sharing information and good practice.

· Be able to prioritise own workload and collaborate effectively with others to prioritise team and practice workload.

· Be required to undertake training as required to ensure competencies for delivering all responsibilities, including attending and contributing to in-house training, and including (but not limited to):

· Maintaining personal development and CPD plans and records of learning, clinical supervision, appraisals of more junior staff and feedback on performance

· Keep up to date with current evidence-based approaches to patient care and service delivery, in line with NICE and the National Service Framework

· Undertake regular mandatory training, such as relating to emergency life support, manual lifting and handling, safeguarding vulnerable patients, child protection, etc.

Other important aspects of the role

Maintaining confidentiality

The practice nurse will, as an integral part of and in the course of carrying out his/her role, have access to confidential and sometimes sensitive information relating to patients, carers and family members, as well as similar information about colleagues. The practice nurse might also have access to confidential commercial information about the practice and its business. All such information, in whatever format and howsoever made available, must be treated with the strictest confidence. All such information held both within and outside of the practice will be shared only as necessary, and in accordance with the practice’s confidentiality/data-sharing policies, and in line with relevant legislation.

Equality and diversity

The practice nurse will comply with the practice’s own Equality and Diversity Policy and legislation relating to equality and diversity, including (but not limited to):

· Recognising the rights of patients, carers, family members and colleagues, and respecting their needs, beliefs, privacy and dignity

· Not discriminating against patients, carers, family members or colleagues on the grounds of any of the protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010 (or its amendments or later legislation)

· Supporting people who need help understanding and exercising their rights

· Acting as a role model in relation to promoting equality, diversity and non-discriminatory practices

· Identifying discriminatory practices and patterns of discrimination, taking appropriate action to tackle it, and instead promoting equality

· Complying with, promoting and evaluating chaperoning policies

· Recognising and promoting the right of patients to choose their care provider, and to participate in or refuse care

Key relationships and contacts

Internal

· Partners

· GPs

· Healthcare assistants

· Clinical staff in training

· Dispensary staff

· Practice manager

· Reception and administration staff

External

· Patients

· Patients’ carers and family members

· Community nursing and pharmacy teams

· Suppliers

· External trainers

Person Specification – Practice Nurse

Essential

Desirable

Academic/

Vocational Qualifications

· Registered General Nurse

· A demonstrable commitment to professional development

· Recognised diabetes qualification to diploma level or above

· Asthma/COPD recognised qualification.

· Mentor qualification for Nursing Students

Experience

· Experience of working in accordance with the NMC Code of Professional Conduct

· Experience with IT systems to record patient care episodes

· Experience of dealing with the public/patients

· Experience of multi-skilled approach to Chronic Disease Management (Diabetes)

· Experience of working in a complex organisation

· Experience of System One Software

· Evidence of involvement in Research

Knowledge/ Skills

· Possess excellent verbal and written communication skills, be confident, professional and compassionate at all times.

· Knowledge and understanding of current national developments and trends in health care, quality assurance and practice development

· Assess and develop risk management protocols

· Implement strategies for quality assurance and quality audit

· Evidence of innovative practice

· Computer literate

· Experience of working with new technologies in health care practice eg Microsoft teams/webcam use

· Understanding of clinical coding and recall systems

· Understanding of the health needs assessment process

· Experience of EMIS clinical system

Qualities/Attributes

· An understanding, acceptance and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality

· Able to demonstrate enthusiasm to developing nursing skills

· Ability to use own judgement,

· resourcefulness and common sense

· Act as a mentor to Health Care Assistants and Nursing Students

· Ability to work without direct supervision and determine own workload priorities

· Ability to work as part of an integrated multi-skilled team

· Pleasant and articulate, caring

· Be able to remain calm under pressure and work in a constantly changing environment.

· Be able to work on own initiative and without direct supervision.

Other

· Have previous experience of Primary Care

· Car driver/clean licence

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Work Location: In person

Reference ID: PN23022023