General Practice Nurse

Job Summary This role is for a practice nurse based at Northern Medical Centre. It is an exciting opportunity to work within an innovative and forward-facing clinical model for the changing times of general practice. As the practice nurse, you will work as a member of the clinical team and provide a role in the active delivery of nursing care, Long-Term Conditions, and working within a larger multi-professional team. About Islington GP Federation Islington GP Federation (IGPF) is a growing organisation representing 31 practices; we have established ourselves as a leader in new ways of working, including running Islingtons extended access primary care services (I:HUB) as well as supporting the Islington Primary Care Networks (PCNs). Our current range of services includes the Extended Access Service, I:HUB, Community Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), Integrated Community Gynaecology, practice-based pharmacists and a range of practice support mechanisms. IGPF works very closely with a range of partners including the regional commissioning group, NHS England, Healthy London Partnership, Public Health, local hospitals such as UCLH, Whittington Health and the London Borough of Islington. IGPF is the host organisation for the Primary Care Network (PCN) workforce and the Islington Training Hub and has been working for over two years to create training and development programmes that meet the needs of staff working in primary and community care settings. IGPF runs four Islington GP practices, one on a GMS contract, two on APMS contracts and one on acaretaking contract. Why work in General Practice with IGPF A dynamic environment for innovation and improvement: • The ethos of building robust systems to keep care safe, including safety netting systems and diary systems to ensure follow-ups happen and important results are received. • Innovative, forward-facing approach aiming for improvement and building of a sustainable model for general practice • The ethos of separation of planned vs unplanned vs complex care Very high standards of clinical care provided by a multi-disciplinary team with a proactive approach: • Month of birth recall system for long-term conditions, directed largely by nursing and pharmacist teams • A collaborative recall system. There are robust safety netting processes - referrals, blood tests and x-rays. • There is advanced handling of incoming documents by the SuperAdmin team who summarise, code, and forward documents to pharmacists for medication reconciliation, sending only a small number of documents to GPs for review or action • Supportive, inclusive environment with a focus on staff development and wellbeing, including staff supervision, team meetings, clinical supervision and daily huddles Excellent allied support across the MDT team: • Remote and in-house GPs • Social prescriber • Proactive visits by paramedics for frail adults • Proactive physical health checks for those with significant mental illness • Clinical pharmacists • First Contact Physio due to start with the practice • Senior administrative support • Community rapid response service for urgent home visits Support for personal development and learning: • Clear and comprehensive induction • Daily Huddles, Weekly clinical meetings, monthly whole team meetings • Clinical leadership available every day • Possibilities of hybrid working • A culture of staff development, support and a focus on wellbeing • Opportunities for development, especially in wider IGPF projects and services • Receive essential support from the IGPF Lead Nurse, ensuring that they are well-supported in their roles, offering guidance, and fostering a collaborative environment. Main Competencies and Responsibilities The following are the core responsibilities of the Practice Nurse at IGPF. • To work in a multidisciplinary team in primary care across Islington General Practice Federation. • To participate fully in clinical and team meetings, working as a member of the wider multidisciplinary team. • Lead on the replenishment of stock in the practice • Delivery of treatment room nursing duties and to keep up to date with the following competencies: o Smear taking o Immunisations (including large-scale immunisation clinics) o Wound Dressings o Injection Technique o Phlebotomy o Basic Observations • To provide routine nursing care to patients through up-to-date clinical based evidence practices • To conduct long-term conditions reviews using evidence-based practice through various mediums (face-to-face, telephone, text). • To refer to secondary/ specialist care as needed and within their scope. • To administer medication and immunisations as per Patient Group Directions and keep updated with new Patient Group Directions • To guide patients in the use of prescribed and over-the-counter medications regarding side effects and dosages. To have and learn care navigation, signposting and streamlining information for patients. • To coordinate the provision of travel medicine services. • To request pathology services and process pathology results as required. • To maintain accurate clinical records in conjunction with extant legislation and as per the NMC Code. • To ensure read codes are used effectively. • To ensure compliance with the practice chaperone policy. • To ensure compliance with Infection Prevention Control • To prioritise health issues and intervene appropriately. • To support the team in dealing with clinical emergencies and keep up to date with Basic Life Saving skills. • To recognise and refer patients presenting with mental health needs. • To support the clinical team with all safeguarding matters, in accordance with local and national policies. • To keep an accurate record of vaccines, their storage, fridge temperatures, and cold chain and ensure that stock is replenished and up to date. • To be committed to learning new IT systems and innovations in the use of IT in service of patient care • To take responsibility and ensure you follow through and complete tasks where possible (therefore avoiding unnecessary follow-up or work by others) • Respect colleagues regardless of role title Other responsibilities within the organisation: 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 • To maintain a safe and effective level of practice and to bring any deficits in training to the attention of the Practice Manager so these can be addressed. • Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance • Effectively manage own time, workload and resources. 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 peoples 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. Personal/professional development: • You are expected to engage fully in personal development and learning, and the Northern team environment aims to support this for all • You will have a full induction where an induction pack will be provided • Join clinical meetings with doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and HCAs: discussions on specific cases or projects that were working on such as long-term conditions reviews • Support our culture of discussing cases with colleagues if more guidance is needed • Working with IGPF will give you opportunities to take on more clinical leadership responsibilities and get involved with at-scale projects • Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work. Confidentiality: While 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. Job description Job responsibilities Job Summary This role is for a practice nurse based at Northern Medical Centre. It is an exciting opportunity to work within an innovative and forward-facing clinical model for the changing times of general practice. As the practice nurse, you will work as a member of the clinical team and provide a role in the active delivery of nursing care, Long-Term Conditions, and working within a larger multi-professional team. About Islington GP Federation Islington GP Federation (IGPF) is a growing organisation representing 31 practices; we have established ourselves as a leader in new ways of working, including running Islingtons extended access primary care services (I:HUB) as well as supporting the Islington Primary Care Networks (PCNs). Our current range of services includes the Extended Access Service, I:HUB, Community Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), Integrated Community Gynaecology, practice-based pharmacists and a range of practice support mechanisms. IGPF works very closely with a range of partners including the regional commissioning group, NHS England, Healthy London Partnership, Public Health, local hospitals such as UCLH, Whittington Health and the London Borough of Islington. IGPF is the host organisation for the Primary Care Network (PCN) workforce and the Islington Training Hub and has been working for over two years to create training and development programmes that meet the needs of staff working in primary and community care settings. IGPF runs four Islington GP practices, one on a GMS contract, two on APMS contracts and one on acaretaking contract. Why work in General Practice with IGPF A dynamic environment for innovation and improvement: • The ethos of building robust systems to keep care safe, including safety netting systems and diary systems to ensure follow-ups happen and important results are received. • Innovative, forward-facing approach aiming for improvement and building of a sustainable model for general practice • The ethos of separation of planned vs unplanned vs complex care Very high standards of clinical care provided by a multi-disciplinary team with a proactive approach: • Month of birth recall system for long-term conditions, directed largely by nursing and pharmacist teams • A collaborative recall system. There are robust safety netting processes - referrals, blood tests and x-rays. • There is advanced handling of incoming documents by the SuperAdmin team who summarise, code, and forward documents to pharmacists for medication reconciliation, sending only a small number of documents to GPs for review or action • Supportive, inclusive environment with a focus on staff development and wellbeing, including staff supervision, team meetings, clinical supervision and daily huddles Excellent allied support across the MDT team: • Remote and in-house GPs • Social prescriber • Proactive visits by paramedics for frail adults • Proactive physical health checks for those with significant mental illness • Clinical pharmacists • First Contact Physio due to start with the practice • Senior administrative support • Community rapid response service for urgent home visits Support for personal development and learning: • Clear and comprehensive induction • Daily Huddles, Weekly clinical meetings, monthly whole team meetings • Clinical leadership available every day • Possibilities of hybrid working • A culture of staff development, support and a focus on wellbeing • Opportunities for development, especially in wider IGPF projects and services • Receive essential support from the IGPF Lead Nurse, ensuring that they are well-supported in their roles, offering guidance, and fostering a collaborative environment. Main Competencies and Responsibilities The following are the core responsibilities of the Practice Nurse at IGPF. • To work in a multidisciplinary team in primary care across Islington General Practice Federation. • To participate fully in clinical and team meetings, working as a member of the wider multidisciplinary team. • Lead on the replenishment of stock in the practice • Delivery of treatment room nursing duties and to keep up to date with the following competencies: o Smear taking o Immunisations (including large-scale immunisation clinics) o Wound Dressings o Injection Technique o Phlebotomy o Basic Observations • To provide routine nursing care to patients through up-to-date clinical based evidence practices • To conduct long-term conditions reviews using evidence-based practice through various mediums (face-to-face, telephone, text). • To refer to secondary/ specialist care as needed and within their scope. • To administer medication and immunisations as per Patient Group Directions and keep updated with new Patient Group Directions • To guide patients in the use of prescribed and over-the-counter medications regarding side effects and dosages. To have and learn care navigation, signposting and streamlining information for patients. • To coordinate the provision of travel medicine services. • To request pathology services and process pathology results as required. • To maintain accurate clinical records in conjunction with extant legislation and as per the NMC Code. • To ensure read codes are used effectively. • To ensure compliance with the practice chaperone policy. • To ensure compliance with Infection Prevention Control • To prioritise health issues and intervene appropriately. • To support the team in dealing with clinical emergencies and keep up to date with Basic Life Saving skills. • To recognise and refer patients presenting with mental health needs. • To support the clinical team with all safeguarding matters, in accordance with local and national policies. • To keep an accurate record of vaccines, their storage, fridge temperatures, and cold chain and ensure that stock is replenished and up to date. • To be committed to learning new IT systems and innovations in the use of IT in service of patient care • To take responsibility and ensure you follow through and complete tasks where possible (therefore avoiding unnecessary follow-up or work by others) • Respect colleagues regardless of role title Other responsibilities within the organisation: 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 • To maintain a safe and effective level of practice and to bring any deficits in training to the attention of the Practice Manager so these can be addressed. • Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance • Effectively manage own time, workload and resources. 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 peoples 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. Personal/professional development: • You are expected to engage fully in personal development and learning, and the Northern team environment aims to support this for all • You will have a full induction where an induction pack will be provided • Join clinical meetings with doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and HCAs: discussions on specific cases or projects that were working on such as long-term conditions reviews • Support our culture of discussing cases with colleagues if more guidance is needed • Working with IGPF will give you opportunities to take on more clinical leadership responsibilities and get involved with at-scale projects • Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work. Confidentiality: While 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.