Practice Nurse

Job summary

We are looking for a Practice Nurse to join our friendly and experienced nursing team. The post holder will be responsible forthe delivery of general practice nursing to the whole practice population.

Ideally we would like a Nurse with Practice Nurse experience, and particularly Chronic Disease Management skills, however we would be willing to offer training to the right candidate

The focus of the role is both thedelivery of evidence-based care for patients presenting with a long-termcondition, and the provision of preventative health care to the practicepopulation.

As an autonomous practitioner theNurse is responsible for the care delivered, demonstrating critical thinkingand skills in clinical decision-making in the management of willwork collaboratively within the general practice team to meet the needs ofpatients, support the delivery of policy and procedures, and support themanagement team as required.

Main duties of the job

Assess, plan, develop, implement and evaluate treatment programmes that promote health and well-being - including for those patients with a known long-term condition Work with other health care professionals to diagnose, monitor, manage and treat long-term conditions, including non-drug-based treatment methods using a management plan, and in line with national and local policies and practice needs Review medication for therapeutic effectiveness, appropriate to patient needs and in accordance with evidence-based practice and national and practice protocols Work with patients in order to support concordance to prescribed treatments Provide information and advice on prescribed or over-the-counter medication on medication regimens, side-effects and interactions Support patients to adopt health promotion strategies that promote patients to live healthily, and apply principles of self-care Support and manage health needs of women presenting for contraception, sexual health and cervical screening Implement and participate in vaccination and immunisation programmes for both adults and children, including ordering vaccinations, as well as overseeing safeguarding issues Advise, support and administer vaccinations where appropriate for patients travelling abroad in line with national guidance

Further details available on Job Description

About us

We are a large, friendly 19,000 patient practice on the south coast, 15 mins from Brighton.

We have a team of 15 Nurses and HCA's, 18 GPs (Partners and Salaried), an administration team, reception team and Pharmacy team.

We are environmentally friendly and have a modern low carbon emission building with Ground Source Heat Pump and Solar Panels. We have a shower and are looking to install a bike shed.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key Functions

Assess, plan, develop, implement and evaluate treatment programmes that promote health and well-being Assess, plan, implement and evaluate individual treatment plans for patients with a known long-term condition Proactively identify, diagnose and manage treatment plans for patients at risk of developing a long-term condition as appropriate Work with other health care professionals to diagnose, monitor, manage and treat long-term conditions, including non-drug-based treatment methods using a management plan, and in line with national and local policies and practice needs Review medication for therapeutic effectiveness, appropriate to patient needs and in accordance with evidence-based practice and national and practice protocols Work with patients in order to support concordance to prescribed treatments Provide information and advice on prescribed or over-the-counter medication on medication regimens, side-effects and interactions 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 promote patients to live healthily, and apply principles of self-care Support and manage health needs of women presenting for contraception, sexual health and cervical screening Implement and participate in vaccination and immunisation programmes for both adults and children, including ordering vaccinations, as well as overseeing safeguarding issues Advise, support and administer vaccinations where appropriate for patients travelling abroad in line with national guidance

Patient Communication

Demonstrate sensitive communication styles to ensure patients are fully informed, listened to and consent to treatment Communicate with and support patients receiving bad news 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 Anticipate barriers to communication and take action to improve communication Estimate and maintain effective communication with individuals and groups within the practice environment and with external stakeholders Act as an advocate when representing patients and colleagues

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 NMC Standards, policies and procedures Prioritise, organise and manage own workload in a manner that maintains and promotes quality Deliver care according to NSF, NICE 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 practice Utilise the audit cycle as a means of evaluating the quality of the work of self and the team, implementing improvements where required Collaborate on improving the quality of health care in partnership with other clinical teams, 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 handling and review of patient complaints, and identify learning from clinical incidents and near-miss events using a structured framework (eg root-cause analysis) Participate in the performance monitoring review of the team, providing feedback as appropriate Work consistently within national safeguarding framework to protect and support children and vulnerable adults. Work collaboratively with Practice Safeguarding lead, in line with local policies and procedure. Work within policies regarding domestic abuse, vulnerable adults, substance abuse and addictive behaviour, and refer as appropriate

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 Actively engage in Clinical supervision in line with local policy, developing practice through reflective practice. Actively engage to support the development of others by activing as a supervisor of others after appropriate training. Support the development of others in order to maximise potential Actively promote the workplace as a learning environment, encouraging everyone to learn from each other and from external good practice Encourage others to make realistic self-assessment of their application of knowledge and skills, challenging any complacency and actions that are not in the interest of the public and/or users of services Act as a clinical leader in the delivery of GPN services to patients, ensuring that the needs of the patient are the priority Participate in planning and implementing changes within the area of care and responsibility Work with practice management to ensure sufficient staff of appropriate ability, quality and skill-mix are available to meet current and future service delivery Contribute and participate in the development of local guidelines, protocols and standards Ensure awareness of sources of support and guidance (eg PALS), and provide information in an acceptable format to all patients, recognising any difficulties and referring where appropriate Promote the role of the senior GPN in the provision of care

Team Working

Understand own role and scope, 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 assessing competence Ensure clear referral mechanisms are in place to meet patient need Prioritise own workload and ensure effective time-management strategies are embedded within the culture of the team 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

Actively participate in the practice Governance framework,identifying and acting on risk, maintaining standards, raising concerns andlearning from significant adverse events.

Work with others to implement learning from significant adverseevents.

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 Oversee the monitoring, stock control and documentation of controlled drug usage according to legal requirements Support members of the nursing team to undertake mandatory and statutory training requirements Apply infection-control measures within the practice according to 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 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 the responsibility of self and others regarding the 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 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 Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

- Registered first level nurse - Community nursing specialist qualification or equivalent - Relevant nursing/health degree

Desirable

- Prescribing qualification - Mentor/teaching qualification - Clinical supervision training and experience

Skills

Essential

- Clinical leadership skills - Clinical skills: cervical cytology, immunisation and vaccination, ear care, wound care - Change management skills and ability to support patients to change lifestyle - Communication skills, both written and verbal - Ability to communicate difficult messages to patients and families - Negotiation and conflict management skills - Ability to provide teaching and mentorship in a clinical setting - IT skills

Desirable

- Clinical skills including: cervical cytology, immunisation and vaccination, ear care, wound care - Change management skills and ability to support patients to change lifestyle - Clinical leadership skills - Prescribing experience

Experience

Essential

- Minimum 3 years post registration experience - At least 2 years recent primary and community nursing experience - Experience of nurse-led management of long-term conditions - Experience of implementing protocols and clinical guidelines

Desirable

- Experience of quality initiatives such as clinical benchmarking - Audit experience

Knowledge

Essential

- Knowledge of management of patients with long-term conditions (focus on Diabetes or Dementia Care) - Knowledge of accountability of own role and other roles in a nurse-led service - Knowledge of health promotion strategies - Knowledge of local and national health policy - Wider health economy awareness - Knowledge of clinical governance issues in primary care - Knowledge of patient group directions and associated policy

Desirable

- Knowledge of public health issues - Ability to identify determinants on health in the local area - Knowledge of public health issues in the area

Other

Essential

- Self-directed practitioner - Highly motivated - Flexibility - Enthusiasm - Team player

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