Practice Nurse

To provide and maintain a high standard of nursing care for patients as well as providing nursing assistance to the doctors and other members of the primary healthcare team. The duties will include all tasks normally undertaken by an experienced RGN and in addition any roles agreed between the nurse and the doctors as appropriate.

To provide and maintain a high standard of nursing care for patients as well as providing nursing assistance to the doctors and other members of the primary healthcare team. The duties will include all tasks normally undertaken by an experienced RGN and in addition any roles agreed between the nurse and the doctors as appropriate, having regard to current and ongoing training needs .

Professional

Offer a holistic approach to travel health by providing comprehensive advice to patients prior to travel including; vaccinations and medicines, food hygiene, sun protection.

Offer advice about childhood and adult vaccinations and ensure vaccines are administered under patient group directions.

Running well person clinics and health promotion programmes by providing a holistic assessment and lifestyle advice on diet, smoking, alcohol intake and exercise.

Facilitates change.

Assessing problems presented opportunistically by patients, dealing with minor illness.

Able to document Consultations according to NMC guidelines

Ensures awareness of statutory and local clinical protection procedures, including systems of referral.

Ability to recognise signs and symptoms of child abuse.

Perform a holistic assessment of patients attending for ear irrigation.

Perform a holistic assessment of patients attending for cervical cytology smear tests.

Perform venepuncture according to local guidelines.

Provide a holistic approach to wound management and implement wound care in line with current evidence based guidelines.

Suture removal.

Take ECGs

Able to recognize and manage anaphylaxis according to current UK guidelines.

Able to perform Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation according to current UK guidelines.

Assist in the provision of minor surgery.

Ability to obtain and document informed consent (either verbal or written).

Ensure infection control guidelines are maintained.

Ability to monitor and manage maintenance of stock and equipment to include refrigeration, sterilizer and emergency equipment.

Confidentially of information gained at work must be preserved at all times.

Managerial

Contribute to the assessment of service needs.

Assist patients to identify their health needs.

Contribute a nursing perspective to the practice development plan.

Manage and organise individual patient consultations.

Aware of identification and reporting procedures related to professional standards.

To attend staff meetings.

Ensure effective relationships and communications with the PHCT and other agencies.

Support the practice clinical governance agenda.

Identify changes to clinical practice that are required to implement evidence-based guidelines.

Attend meetings within and outside the Practice as requested/deemed appropriate

Educational

Identify personal development and training needs in conjunction with the manager.

Participate in clinical supervision where required and as appropriate.

Support others with their training and development needs.

To participate in continuing education and maintain a contemporary level of professional knowledge and skills.

Personnel

Maintain good industrial relations.

Take reasonable care of his/her own safety and that of other persons who may be affected by his/her act or omission.

Co-operation with the practice to ensure all members of the team adheres to statutory regulations/policies and codes of practice and departments safety rules.

Offer innovative ways of working and opportunities to facilitate learning.

Facilitates a learning environment within the team.

Maintains a caring environment through the support of colleagues.

Confidentiality

In the course of 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.

Health & Safety

The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the practice Health & Safety Policy, to include:

Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines.

Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks.

Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills

Engaging with and contributing to issues/processes involving Health & Safety in the workplace.

Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards.

Reporting potential risks identified.

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

The post-holder will be expected to participate in any training programme that are relevant and within the scope of a Primary Care Healthcare Assistant and are implemented by the practice as part of this employment, such training to include:

Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development

Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.

Developing the role to its full extended, incorporating the whole range or processes and procedures that are deemed able to be carried out by a Primary Care HCA.

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, either directly or under supervision

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

Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs

Effectively manage own time, workload and resources.

Communication

The post-holder should recognize the importance of effective communication within the practice and will:

Communicate effectively and appropriately with other team members ensuring good relations and excellent team working are the paramount objective

Communicate effectively with patients and carers ensuring that patient well-being and quality medical treatment is paramount

Recognize peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.

Personnel

Maintain good industrial relations.

Take reasonable care of his/her own safety and that of other persons who may be affected by his/her act or omission.

Co-operation with the practice to ensure all members of the team adheres to statutory regulations/policies and codes of practice and departments safety rules.

Offer innovative ways of working and opportunities to facilitate learning.

Facilitates a learning environment within the team.

Maintains a caring environment through the support of colleagues.

Contribution to the Implementation of Services

The post-holder will

Apply practice policies, standards and guidance

Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work

Participate in audit where appropriate.

FLEXIBILITY

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive description of every duty performed by the Healthcare Assistant role, but rather a guide to the type and nature of the duties. In a small business such as Holdenhurst Road Surgery flexibility in the duties undertaken and the hours worked are essential to achieve the objectives of a smooth running practice. The post holder is required to carry out any duties that fall within the scope of this role, that may reasonably be requested by the Partners or the Practice Manager and that relate to the efficiency and smooth running of the Practice

We are a large, training practice working across two sites with a diverse patient population of 27,000 patients across east Bournemouth.

Qualifications