Practice Nurse

Job Summary
We are looking for a Practice Nurse to join our team of experienced Practice Nurses. The successful candidate will undertake holistic care across a range of chronic diseases and contribute to the delivery of high-quality primary care services.

Previous Practice Nurse experience is not essential. Training and support will be provided for the right candidate who is keen to develop their skills and knowledge within general practice.

We welcome applications from candidates seeking part-time employment of approximately 30 hours per week.

Please upload a cover letter outlining your suitability for the role, together with a copy of your CV.

Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will play a key role within our clinical team, with responsibility for delivering high-quality chronic disease management and supporting the achievement of the practices Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) and long-term conditions management targets.

Responsibilities will include:

• Delivering chronic disease management clinics.
• Providing a full range of treatment room nursing services.
• Supporting the achievement and maintenance of high QOF performance.
• Supporting health promotion, prevention, and patient self-management.
• Working collaboratively with GPs, pharmacists, PCN colleagues and the wider multidisciplinary team.

About us
Newthorpe Medical Practice is a friendly GP practice with approximately 8200 patients. Based in Eastwood, we offer patients a full range of primary care services, in comfortable modern surroundings. Our patients value our approach and the continuity of care we provide.

Job responsibilities
Job Summary
The post holder is responsible for ensuring the delivery of safe and effective nursing care to the whole practice population. As a member of the nursing team, the post holder is accountable for nursing service delivery. Clinically, the focus of the role is the delivery of evidence-based practice for patients with long-term conditions and management and preventative nursing interventions to all patients. As an autonomous practitioner the nurse is responsible for the care delivered, demonstrating critical thinking and skills in clinical decision-making. They will work collaboratively with the whole general practice team to meet the needs of patients and supporting the delivery of policy and procedures.

Key Responsibilities
Clinical Practice
Assess, plan, develop, implement, provide and evaluate treatment programmes including, but not limited to:

• Health promotion and well-being plus individual plans for patients with or at risk of a long term condition
• Manage and treat long-term conditions, in line with national and local policies and practice needs
• Review medication for therapeutic effectiveness, in accordance with evidence based practice and national/practice protocols, and work with patients to support adherence to prescribed treatments
• Prioritise health problems, intervening appropriately, to assist the patient in complex, urgent or emergency situations, including initiation of effective emergency care
• Support and manage health needs of women presenting for family planning
• Implement and participate in vaccination and immunisation programmes for both adults and children including patients travelling abroad
• Meet the needs of patients presenting for opportunistic wound care

Communication

• 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, including those receiving bad news
• Act as an advocate when representing patients and colleagues
• Participate in practice team meetings

Delivering a Quality Service

• Recognise and work within own competence and professional code of conduct as regulated by the NMC
• Produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete records of patient consultation, consistent with legislation, policies and procedures
• Prioritise, organise and manage own and others workload in a manner that maintains and promotes quality
• Deliver care as an individual and team according to NSF, NICE guidelines and evidence-based care, assessing effectiveness of care delivery through peer review, benchmarking and formal evaluation and leading on the maintenance of quality governance systems for the nursing team
• Implement and review the application of evidence-based practice in nursing
• Utilise the audit cycle as a means of evaluating the quality of the work of self and the team, implementing improvements where required
• Evaluate patients response to health care provision and the effectiveness of care
• Lead and participate in shared learning across the practice and wider organisation and assess the impact of policy implementation on care delivery
• Monitor the performance of the GPN team in accordance with local policies
• Work within policies regarding family violence, vulnerable children and adults, substance abuse and addictive behaviour, and refer as appropriate
• Interpret national strategies and policies into local implementation strategies that are aligned to the values and culture of general practice

Leadership Personal and People Development

• Take responsibility for own development, learning and performance including participating in clinical supervision and acting as a positive role model
• Engage within the nursing team in the planning and implementation of local guidelines, protocols and standards, and of local projects or initiatives
• Promote the role of the nursing team in the provision of care

Team Working

• Work as an effective and responsible team member, supporting others and exploring the mechanisms to develop new ways of working
• Delegate appropriately, adopting the principles of safe practice and assessment of competence of nurses
• Ensure clear nurse referral mechanisms are in place to meet patient needs
• Prioritise own and others workload and ensure effective time-management strategies are embedded within the culture of the team
• Lead nursing team activities that create opportunities to improve patient care
• Participate in research programmes
• Contribute nursing view to practice management
• Set specification and quality required from nursing admin support

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
• Act as a role model to support members of the nursing team to undertake mandatory and statutory training requirements
• Apply infection-control measures with in the practice according to local and national guidelines
• Participate in the local implementation strategies that are aligned to the values and culture of general practice

Utilising Information

• Use technology and appropriate software packages as an aid to day to day operations
• Review and process data using accurate read codes in order to ensure easy accurate information retrieval for monitoring and audit processes
• Adhere to statutory and practice requirements such as confidentiality and Freedom of Information Act
• Collate, analyse and present clinical data and information to the team using appropriate charts and/or graphs to enhance care

Learning and Development

• Act as mentor for more junior staff and students, assessing competence against set standards
• Disseminate learning and information to other team members in order to share good practice and inform others about current and future developments (e.g. courses and conferences)
• Assess own learning needs and undertake learning as appropriate
• Provide an educational role to patients, carers, families and colleagues in an environment that facilitates learning

Equality and Diversity

• Identify patterns of discrimination and take action to overcome this and promote diversity and equality of opportunity
• Support people who need assistance in exercising rights
• Monitor and evaluate adherence to local chaperoning policies
• Accept the rights if individuals to choose their care providers, participate in care and refuse care
• Assist patients from marginalised groups to access quality care

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Registered Nurse with current NMC Registration

Experience
Essential

• Experience of working within a nursing team

Desirable

• Experience in Primary Care

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is 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.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

This post is 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.
Applicants must have current UK professional registration.