Job Description

The Practice Nurse is to support new-to-practice nurses and other healthcare professionals within the organisation and across the wider network to enhance integration with community, secondary, and social care services.

This role is responsible for the delivery of evidence-based nursing services, working as part of the practice multi-disciplinary team, delivering care within their scope of practice to the entitled patient population.

Working autonomously, the Practice Nurse will be responsible for a number of clinical areas such as public health and screening programmes, including infection prevention and control, chronic disease management, immunisations, health promotion and prevention, well man/woman clinics and cervical screening, Furthermore, they embed population health management approaches within general practice, targeting health inequalities and improving access.

The post-holder will be an integral part of the general practice team, as well as supporting the wider practice nurse network and multi-disciplinary team. They are to participate in formal training events and to promote best practice in their area of expertise as well as supporting the practice management team in the reviewing and delivery of clinical policy and procedure.

This organisation must ensure that the post-holder has access to appropriate clinical supervision and an appropriate named individual in the organisation to provide general advice and support on a day-to-day basis. Further information on clinical supervision can be sought within the organisation's Clinical Supervision Policy.

Mission statement

[Insert organisation mission statement here]

Generic responsibilities

All staff at this organisation have a duty to conform to the following:

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

A good attitude and positive action towards Equality Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I) creates an environment where all individuals can achieve their full potential. Creating such an environment is important for three reasons - it improves operational effectiveness, it is morally the right thing to do, and it is required by law.

Patients and their families have the right to be treated fairly and be routinely involved in decisions about their treatment and care. They can expect to be treated with dignity and respect and will not be discriminated against on any grounds including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Patients have a responsibility to treat other patients and our staff with dignity and respect.

Staff have the right to be treated fairly in recruitment and career progression. Staff can expect to work in an environment where diversity is valued, and equality of opportunity is promoted. Staff will not be discriminated against on any grounds including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Staff have a responsibility to ensure that they treat our patients and their colleagues with dignity and respect.

Safety, Health, Environment and Fire (SHEF)

The organisation is committed to supporting and promoting opportunities for staff to maintain their health, wellbeing and safety.

The post-holder is to manage and assess risk within the areas of responsibility, ensuring adequate measures are in place to protect staff and patients and monitor work areas and practices to ensure they are safe and free from hazards and conform to health, safety and security legislation, policies, procedures and guidelines.

All personnel have a duty to take reasonable care of health and safety at work for themselves, their team and others and to cooperate with employers to ensure compliance with health and safety requirements.

All personnel are to comply with the:

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

Environmental Protection Act 1990

Environment Act 1995

Fire Precautions (workplace) Regulations 1999

Other statutory legislation which may be brought to the post holder's attention

Confidentiality

The organisation is committed to maintaining an outstanding confidential service. Patients entrust and permit us to collect and retain sensitive information relating to their health and other matters pertaining to their care. They do so in confidence and have a right to expect all staff will respect their privacy and maintain confidentiality at all times.

It is essential that, if the legal requirements are to be met and the trust of our patients is to be retained, all staff must protect patient information and provide a confidential service.

Quality and Continuous Improvement (CI)

To preserve and improve the quality of this organisation's outputs, all personnel are required to think not only of what they do but how they achieve it. By continually re-examining our processes, we will be able to develop and improve the overall effectiveness of the way we work.

The responsibility for this rests with everyone working within this organisation to look for opportunities to improve quality and share good practice and to discuss, highlight and collaborate with the team to create opportunities to improve patient care.

This organisation continually strives to improve work processes which deliver healthcare with improved results across all areas of our service provision. We promote a culture of continuous improvement where everyone counts, and staff are permitted to make suggestions and contributions to improve our service delivery and enhance patient care.

Staff should interpret national strategies and policies into local implementation strategies that are aligned to the values and culture of general practice. All staff are to contribute to investigations and root cause analyses whilst participating in serious incident investigations and multidisciplinary case reviews.

Induction

We will provide a full induction programme, and management will support you throughout the process.

Learning and development

The effective use of training and development is fundamental in ensuring that all staff are equipped with the appropriate skills, knowledge, attitude and competences to perform their role. All staff will be required to partake in, and complete mandatory training as directed. It is an expectation for this post-holder to assess their own learning needs and undertake learning as appropriate.

The post-holder will undertake mentorship for team members and disseminate learning and information gained to other team members to share good practice and inform others about current and future developments (e.g., courses and conferences). The post-holder will provide an educational role to patients, carers, families and colleagues in an environment that facilitates learning.

Collaborative working

All staff are to recognise the significance of collaborative working and understand their own role and scope and identify how this may develop over time. Staff are to prioritise their own workload and ensure effective time-management strategies are embedded within the culture of the team.

Teamwork is essential in multidisciplinary environments, and the post-holder is to work as an effective and responsible team member, supporting others and exploring the mechanisms to develop new ways of working and to work effectively with others to clearly define values, direction and policies impacting upon care delivery

Effective communication is essential, and all staff must ensure they communicate in a manner which enables the sharing of information in an appropriate manner. All staff should delegate clearly and appropriately, adopting the principles of safe practice and assessment of competence. Plans and outcomes by which to measure success should be agreed.

Managing information

All staff should use technology and appropriate software as an aid to management in the planning, implementation and monitoring of care and presenting and communicating information.

Data should be reviewed and processed using accurate SNOMED codes to ensure easy and accurate information retrieval for monitoring and audit processes.

Service delivery

Staff will be given detailed information during the induction process regarding policy and procedure.

The post holder must adhere to the information contained within the organisation's policies and regional directives, ensuring protocols are always adhered to.

Security

The security of the organisation is the responsibility of all personnel. The post-holder must ensure they always remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity immediately to their line manager.

Under no circumstances are staff to share the codes for the door locks with anyone and are to ensure that restricted areas remain effectively secured. Likewise, password controls are to be maintained and are not to be shared.

Professional conduct, uniforms and appearance

All staff are required to dress appropriately for their role and in accordance with the organisation's Uniforms, Dress and Appearance Policy. All staff members are to ensure that their conduct is commensurate with line management expectations and practice protocol.

Leave

All personnel are entitled to take leave. Line managers are to ensure all their staff are afforded the opportunity to take a minimum of [insert number] days' leave each year and should be encouraged to take all their leave entitlement.

Public holidays will be calculated on a pro-rated basis dependent on the number of hours worked.

Primary key responsibilities

The following are the core responsibilities of the Practice Nurse in delivering health services:

a. Support the Infection Prevention Control (IPC) lead and work to the IPC Policy

b. Consult with patients and their families to undertake assessments of patient need

c. Support in the long-term condition management within the organisation, including being involved with quality improvement and assurance initiatives

d. Develop, implement and embed an effective care management programme for the frail and housebound patients registered with the organisation

e. Support public health and screening programmes, including immunisations, vaccinations, and cervical screening and also provide opportunistic health promotion advice

f. Embed population health management approaches within general practice, targeting health inequalities and improving access

g. As required, provide routine nursing care to patients in accordance with clinical based evidence, NICE and the NSF

h. Support new-to-practice nurses and other healthcare professionals within the organisation

i. Teach and advise patients and their families on how to manage their condition

j. Participate in clinical audits and research projects and implements changes as required, including supporting with the development, and updating of practice protocols/guidelines and procedures locally

k. Work within national and local protocols where these exist

l. Recognise the boundaries of their practice and know when and to whom patients should be referred

m. Support in the delivery of enhanced services and other service requirements

n. Be aware of duties and responsibilities regarding current legislation and adhere to practice policies and procedures on Safeguarding Adults and Safeguarding Children

o. Participate in the management of patient complaints when requested to do so and participate in the identification of any necessary learning brought about through incidents and near-miss events

p. Undertake all mandatory training and induction programmes

q. Contribute to and embrace the spectrum of clinical governance

r. Support the practice team with the reviewing and implementation of practice policies and protocols, ensuring conformance to extant legislation

s. Attend a formal appraisal with their manager at least every 12 months. Once a performance/training objective has been set, progress will be reviewed on a regular basis so that new objectives can be agreed

t. Lead on public health campaigns (e.g., flu clinics)

u. Provide travel advice services

v. Provide wound care (ulcer/Doppler, etc.) to patients

w. Maintain accurate clinical records in conjunction with extant legislation ensuring that SNOMED CT codes are used effectively

x. Contribute to practice targets (QOF, etc.), complying with relevant guidance

y. Maintain chronic disease registers and implement an effective call/recall system

z. Maintain a clean, tidy, effective working area at all times

aa. Chaperone patients where necessary

bb. Support the team in dealing with clinical emergencies

cc. Liaise with external services/agencies to ensure the patient is supported appropriately (vulnerable patients, etc.)

There may be, on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks, this will be dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels

Wider responsibilities

In addition to the primary responsibilities, the Practice Nurse has the following wider responsibilities:

a. Develop, review and implement nursing protocols in conjunction with the partners

b. Participate in local initiatives to enhance service delivery and patient care

c. Support and participate in shared learning in order to improve patient care

d. Coordinate the nursing team rota, ensuring sufficient staff are available to meet patient needs

e. Support with the planning and implementation of changes within the nursing team, enhancing the provision of services to patients

f. Support in the coordination of the nursing team rota

Person specification - Practice Nurse

Qualifications

Essential

Desirable

Registered Nurse (Nursing and Midwifery Council)

Has evidence of working at the relevant level of practice as described in the Primary Care and General Practice Nursing Career and Core Capabilities Framework

Mentor or teaching qualification

Family planning qualification

Experience

Essential

Desirable

Broad knowledge of general practice and experience of working as a Practice or Community Nurse

Experience with chronic disease management

Experience of working autonomously

Experience of infection prevention and control measures

Experience of quality initiatives, i.e., benchmarking

Experience of managing elderly and housebound patients

An appreciation of the NHS landscape including the relationship between individual organisations, PCNs and the commissioners

Clinical knowledge and skills

Essential

Desirable

Experience of Practice Nurse skills including wound care, ECG, venepuncture, immunisations, new patient medicals and woman's health (cervical cytology, contraception etc.)

Request pathology tests and process the results, advising patients accordingly

Understanding of the importance of evidence-based practice

Ability to promote best practice regarding nursing matters

Ability to work within own scope of practice and understand when to refer to GPs

Good clinical system IT knowledge and an ability to record accurate clinical notes

Broad knowledge of clinical governance

Knowledge of public health issues in the local area

Awareness of issues within the wider health arena and knowledge of health promotion strategies

Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information effectively with people by telephone, email and face to face

Understanding of safeguarding adults and children

Understanding and knowledge of healthcare provision in GP surgeries, QOF and enhanced service

Knowledge of national standards that inform general practice (NSF NICE guidelines)

Effectively able to communicate and understand the needs of the patient

Personal qualities

Essential

Desirable

Effective time management (planning and organising)

Demonstrate personal accountability, emotional resilience and work well under pressure

Ability to follow legal, ethical and professional policies/local policies/procedures and codes of conduct

Knowledge of IT systems including the ability to use word processing skills, emails and the internet

Understand the requirement for PGDs and associated policy

Ability to use own initiative, discretion, and sensitivity

Able to get along with people from all backgrounds and communities, respecting lifestyles and diversity

Ability to identify risk and assess/manage risk when working with individuals

Ability to work as a team member and autonomously

Good interpersonal and organisational skills

Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations

Commitment to ongoing professional development

Clear, polite telephone manner

Other requirements/wider responsibilities

Essential

Desirable

Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check

Occupational Health clearance

Meet the requirements and produce evidence for professional revalidation

Evidence of CPD commensurate with the role

Access to own transport and ability to travel across the locality

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: From 35,000.00 per year

Expected hours: 34 per week

Work Location: In person