Practice Nurse

KEY COMPETENCIES • Including thorough understanding of QOF requirements / enhanced services / contribute to audits / governance structures / leaning from incidents / active participant in nursing and clinical meetings • Undertake assessment and interventions (ear irrigation) • Understanding of screening programmes, practice uptake and contribute to maximising uptake in practice population • Cervical screening: Undertake procedure, follow practice protocol, interpret results, audit results • Understand national schedules, administer from PGD or PSD as appropriate, ability to fully meet patients needs for information and guidance • Accurately assess travel health needs, administer any vaccines needed. • Understand risks, importance of early detection, assessment and management. Work within team to support patients will the full range of mental health conditions as well as their physical health needs. • Provide advice, support and signposting regarding choices of contraception, fertility, pre-conception care, sexual health including STI / HIV / GUM services KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Clinical Practice: • Assess, plan, develop, implement, and evaluate programmes to promote health and well-being, and prevent adverse effects on health and well-being. • Implement and evaluate individual treatment plans for patients with a known long-term condition. • Identify, and manage as appropriate, treatment plans for patients at risk of developing a long-term condition. • Assist in the development of programmes to improve health and well-being and meet the specific needs of communities, groups and individuals. • Prioritise health problems and intervene appropriately to assist the patient in complex, urgent or emergency situations, including initiation of effective emergency care. • Support patients to adopt health promotion strategies that encourage patients to live healthily and apply principles of self-care. • Deliver opportunistic health promotion using opportunities such as new-patient medicals. • Provide information and advice on prescribed or over-the-counter medication in relation to long term conditions • Support patients to adopt health promotion strategies that promote patients to live healthily and encourage principles of self-care. • Assess and care for patients presenting with leg ulcerations and general wound care, advising prescribing clinicians regarding wound care products based on clinical assessment and local formularies. • Support and advise women requesting information relating to Contraception and Sexual Health issues. • Support and manage health needs of women presenting for cervical cytology consultations. • Implement and participate in vaccination and immunisation programmes for both adults and children. • Promote and deliver evidence-based care for patients presenting with aural conditions. • To assist in the supervision and support NHS Health checks. Communication: • Utilise and 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. • Utilise communication skills to support patients to adhere to prescribed treatment regimens. • Anticipate barriers to communication and take action to improve communication. • Estimate and maintain effective communication with individuals and groups within the practice environment external stakeholders. • Act as an advocate when representing the patients and colleagues view points to others. Delivery Quality Service: • Recognise and work within own competence and professional code of conduct as regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC 2008). • Produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete records of patient consultation, consistent with legislation, policies and procedures. • Prioritise, organise and manage own workload in a manner that maintains and promotes quality. • Deliver care according to National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines, local guidelines and evidence-based care. • Assess effectiveness of care delivery through self and peer review, benchmarking and formal evaluation. • Participate in the maintenance of quality governance systems and processes across the organisation and its activities. • Utilise the audit cycle as a means of evaluating the quality of the work of self and the team, implementing improvements where required. • In partnership with other clinical teams, collaborate on improving the quality of health care, responding to local and national policies and initiatives as appropriate. • Evaluate the patients response to health care provision and the effectiveness of care. • Support and participate in shared learning across the practice and wider organisation. • Participate in the management, review and identify learning from patient complaints, clinical incidents and near-miss events utilising a structured framework. • Participate in the performance monitoring review of the team, providing feedback as appropriate. • Understand and apply legal policy that supports the identification of vulnerable and abused children and adults, being aware of statutory child/vulnerable adult health procedure and local guidance. • Work within policies relating to domestic violence, vulnerable adults, substance abuse and addictive behaviour, and refer as appropriate. Team Working: • Understand own role and scope in the organisation and identify how this 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 the principles of safe practice and assessment of competence of those taking on delegated duties. • Ensure clear understanding and utilisation of referral mechanisms within the practice. • Accept delegation from other nurses, prioritise own workload and ensure effective time-management strategies are embedded in own practice. • Work effectively with others to clearly define values, direction and policies impacting upon care delivery. Participate in team activities that create opportunities to improve patient care. • Participate in and support local projects as agreed with the practice management team. Management of Risk: • Manage and assess risk within the areas of responsibility, ensuring adequate measures are in place to protect staff and patients. • 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. • Ensure safe storage, rotation and disposal of vaccines and drugs is undertaken. Where appropriate, oversee the monitoring, stock control and documentation of controlled drug usage according to legal requirements. • Undertake mandatory and statutory training and ensure that this is up to date. • Apply infection control measures within the practice according to practice, local and national guidelines. • Apply policies that reduce environmental health risks, are culturally sensitive and increase access to health care for all. • Participate in the local implementation strategies that are aligned to the values and culture of general practice. Utilising Information: • Use technology as an aid to management in planning, implementation and monitoring, presenting and communicating information. • Review and process data using accurate Read codes about patients in order to ensure easy and accurate retrieval for monitoring and audit processes. • Manage information searches using the internet and local library databases, for example, the retrieval of relevant information for patients on their condition. • Understand own and others responsibility to the individual organisation regarding the Freedom of Information Act. Learning and Development: • Act as mentor to students, assessing competence against set standards as requested and if appropriately qualified. • Disseminate learning and information gained to other team members in order to share good practice and inform others about current and future developments. • Assess own learning needs and undertake learning as appropriate. • Make effective use of learning opportunities within and outside the workplace, evaluating their effectiveness and feeding back relevant information. • Provide an educational role to patients, carers, families and colleagues in an environment that facilitates learning. Equality and Diversity: • Identify patterns of discrimination, take action to overcome this, and promote diversity and quality of opportunity. • Enable others to promote equality and diversity in a non-discriminatory culture. • Support people who need assistance in exercising their rights. • Monitor and evaluate adherence to local chaperoning policies. • Act as a role model in good practice relating to equality and diversity. • 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. Professional: • It is essential that you are registered with the NMC. • Adhere to the Code of Professional Practice. • To be a member of a professional body. • Ensure regular attendance to clinical and nurse meetings. • Maintain record of professional development. • To attend yearly appraisals and ensure job description is up to date. Job description Job responsibilities KEY COMPETENCIES • Including thorough understanding of QOF requirements / enhanced services / contribute to audits / governance structures / leaning from incidents / active participant in nursing and clinical meetings • Undertake assessment and interventions (ear irrigation) • Understanding of screening programmes, practice uptake and contribute to maximising uptake in practice population • Cervical screening: Undertake procedure, follow practice protocol, interpret results, audit results • Understand national schedules, administer from PGD or PSD as appropriate, ability to fully meet patients needs for information and guidance • Accurately assess travel health needs, administer any vaccines needed. • Understand risks, importance of early detection, assessment and management. Work within team to support patients will the full range of mental health conditions as well as their physical health needs. • Provide advice, support and signposting regarding choices of contraception, fertility, pre-conception care, sexual health including STI / HIV / GUM services KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Clinical Practice: • Assess, plan, develop, implement, and evaluate programmes to promote health and well-being, and prevent adverse effects on health and well-being. • Implement and evaluate individual treatment plans for patients with a known long-term condition. • Identify, and manage as appropriate, treatment plans for patients at risk of developing a long-term condition. • Assist in the development of programmes to improve health and well-being and meet the specific needs of communities, groups and individuals. • Prioritise health problems and intervene appropriately to assist the patient in complex, urgent or emergency situations, including initiation of effective emergency care. • Support patients to adopt health promotion strategies that encourage patients to live healthily and apply principles of self-care. • Deliver opportunistic health promotion using opportunities such as new-patient medicals. • Provide information and advice on prescribed or over-the-counter medication in relation to long term conditions • Support patients to adopt health promotion strategies that promote patients to live healthily and encourage principles of self-care. • Assess and care for patients presenting with leg ulcerations and general wound care, advising prescribing clinicians regarding wound care products based on clinical assessment and local formularies. • Support and advise women requesting information relating to Contraception and Sexual Health issues. • Support and manage health needs of women presenting for cervical cytology consultations. • Implement and participate in vaccination and immunisation programmes for both adults and children. • Promote and deliver evidence-based care for patients presenting with aural conditions. • To assist in the supervision and support NHS Health checks. Communication: • Utilise and 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. • Utilise communication skills to support patients to adhere to prescribed treatment regimens. • Anticipate barriers to communication and take action to improve communication. • Estimate and maintain effective communication with individuals and groups within the practice environment external stakeholders. • Act as an advocate when representing the patients and colleagues view points to others. Delivery Quality Service: • Recognise and work within own competence and professional code of conduct as regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC 2008). • Produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete records of patient consultation, consistent with legislation, policies and procedures. • Prioritise, organise and manage own workload in a manner that maintains and promotes quality. • Deliver care according to National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines, local guidelines and evidence-based care. • Assess effectiveness of care delivery through self and peer review, benchmarking and formal evaluation. • Participate in the maintenance of quality governance systems and processes across the organisation and its activities. • Utilise the audit cycle as a means of evaluating the quality of the work of self and the team, implementing improvements where required. • In partnership with other clinical teams, collaborate on improving the quality of health care, responding to local and national policies and initiatives as appropriate. • Evaluate the patients response to health care provision and the effectiveness of care. • Support and participate in shared learning across the practice and wider organisation. • Participate in the management, review and identify learning from patient complaints, clinical incidents and near-miss events utilising a structured framework. • Participate in the performance monitoring review of the team, providing feedback as appropriate. • Understand and apply legal policy that supports the identification of vulnerable and abused children and adults, being aware of statutory child/vulnerable adult health procedure and local guidance. • Work within policies relating to domestic violence, vulnerable adults, substance abuse and addictive behaviour, and refer as appropriate. Team Working: • Understand own role and scope in the organisation and identify how this 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 the principles of safe practice and assessment of competence of those taking on delegated duties. • Ensure clear understanding and utilisation of referral mechanisms within the practice. • Accept delegation from other nurses, prioritise own workload and ensure effective time-management strategies are embedded in own practice. • Work effectively with others to clearly define values, direction and policies impacting upon care delivery. Participate in team activities that create opportunities to improve patient care. • Participate in and support local projects as agreed with the practice management team. Management of Risk: • Manage and assess risk within the areas of responsibility, ensuring adequate measures are in place to protect staff and patients. • 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. • Ensure safe storage, rotation and disposal of vaccines and drugs is undertaken. Where appropriate, oversee the monitoring, stock control and documentation of controlled drug usage according to legal requirements. • Undertake mandatory and statutory training and ensure that this is up to date. • Apply infection control measures within the practice according to practice, local and national guidelines. • Apply policies that reduce environmental health risks, are culturally sensitive and increase access to health care for all. • Participate in the local implementation strategies that are aligned to the values and culture of general practice. Utilising Information: • Use technology as an aid to management in planning, implementation and monitoring, presenting and communicating information. • Review and process data using accurate Read codes about patients in order to ensure easy and accurate retrieval for monitoring and audit processes. • Manage information searches using the internet and local library databases, for example, the retrieval of relevant information for patients on their condition. • Understand own and others responsibility to the individual organisation regarding the Freedom of Information Act. Learning and Development: • Act as mentor to students, assessing competence against set standards as requested and if appropriately qualified. • Disseminate learning and information gained to other team members in order to share good practice and inform others about current and future developments. • Assess own learning needs and undertake learning as appropriate. • Make effective use of learning opportunities within and outside the workplace, evaluating their effectiveness and feeding back relevant information. • Provide an educational role to patients, carers, families and colleagues in an environment that facilitates learning. Equality and Diversity: • Identify patterns of discrimination, take action to overcome this, and promote diversity and quality of opportunity. • Enable others to promote equality and diversity in a non-discriminatory culture. • Support people who need assistance in exercising their rights. • Monitor and evaluate adherence to local chaperoning policies. • Act as a role model in good practice relating to equality and diversity. • 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. Professional: • It is essential that you are registered with the NMC. • Adhere to the Code of Professional Practice. • To be a member of a professional body. • Ensure regular attendance to clinical and nurse meetings. • Maintain record of professional development. • To attend yearly appraisals and ensure job description is up to date.