Practice Nurse

The successful candidate will be responsible for the delivery of practice nursing services to the practice

population. Supported by senior nurses within the practice, working

collaboratively they will deliver care within the boundaries of their role,

focusing upon supporting patients to be healthy, monitoring of long-term

conditions, health prevention and screening activities.

Please see attached full job description.

In accordance with the NMC code of conduct the post holder

will assess, plan, develop, implement and evaluate nursing care to promote

health and wellbeing, and prevent adverse effects. The post holder will be

deemed competent in tasks undertaken following suitable induction, training,

assessment and confirmation of competence where appropriate. The post holder is

responsible for ensuring that competence is achieved prior to practice. The

practice is responsible for providing the support and resources to achieve

competence

2.

MAIN DUTIES OF THE POST

a)

With appropriate training, participate in the annual care

needs of patients with known long-term conditions based on the quality outcome

framework (QOF). This may include diabetes, COPD and asthma, hypertension, cardio

vascular disease, cancer, chronic kidney disease, epilepsy, osteoporosis,

rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid disease and chronic heart disease.

Support patients to adopt health promotion strategies that

encourage patients to live healthily and apply principles of self-care.

In addition to carrying out basic reviews, the Practice

Nurse may also manage long term conditions at the following levels of

Competency

1)

Competent nurse

2)

Experienced or

proficient nurse

3)

Senior practitioner or

expert nurse

b)

Support the practice to achieve the General Medical

Services contract by ensuring that Quality Outcome Framework (QOF) prompts are

addressed and documentation incudes appropriate Read Codes.

c) Integrated MDT working

order to reduce fragmentation of care for patients, the post holder is expected

to promote and participate in integrated multi-disciplinary team working

whereby colleagues from health and social care communicate and work in

collaboration. The post holder is expected to liaise and make appropriate

referrals to the wider MDT and attend multi-disciplinary team meetings and

events within the community which promote and facilitate integrated MDT

working.

Ensure appropriate knowledge of other local support

services and ways of referring for example healthy living, and carers support.

d) Information Technology

Have a working knowledge of the SystmOne clinical system

including chronic disease registers and templates. Maintain computerised

patient records at the time of consultation. Review and process data

using correct Read codes to ensure easy and accurate retrieval for monitoring

and audit processes.

Use technology as an aid to management in planning,

implementation monitoring, presenting and communicating information.

e) Health Promotion and Screening

Identify, and manage as appropriate, treatment plans for

patients at risk of developing a long-term condition with appropriate screening

and prevention strategies e.g. stopping smoking, maintaining a healthy weight,

safe alcohol consumption.

Deliver appropriate opportunistic health promotion and

screening wherever possible during all contact. This may include maintenance of

notice boards and ordering of appropriate health promotion materials. Participate in planned health promotion such

as new-patient medicals, NHS health checks as per practice policy and opportunistic

blood pressure (BP) checks.

Manage information searches using the internet and local

library databases, for example, the retrieval of relevant information for

patients on their condition.

Provide information on the avoidance of slips, trips and

falls.

Promote

the uptake of NHS screening programmes for example cervical cytology, bowel

cancer screening and breast screening or any other new programmes as they

arise.

patients to carry out appropriate self-checks such as breast and testicular

self-examination.

Support and manage health needs of women presenting for

cervical cytology consultations.

f) Emergencies

Prioritise health problems and intervene appropriately to

assist the patient in complex, urgent or emergency situations, including

initiation of effective emergency care such as seizure, collapse, cardiac

arrest, respiratory distress, and anaphylaxis.

Carry out regular checks of emergency equipment if delegated this

task.

g) Injections

intra dermal, subcutaneous, intramuscular and depo injections under an

individualised prescription or Patient Group Direction as per practice protocol

and best practice guidelines which may include: vaccinations, B12,

depo-provera, neuroleptic drugs, GOLD, Zoladex.

h) Immunisations

Implement and participate in all vaccination and

immunisation programmes for both adults and children as per national

immunisation programmes ensuring use of PGDs or PSDs as appropriate. Ensure

safe storage, rotation and disposal of all vaccines and drugs. Participate in

the regular refrigeration checks required to ensure maintenance of the cold

chain and report immediately any breaks in this chain.

i) Wound Care Management

wound avoidance by providing information on skin integrity and pressure relief;

offer an assessment of vulnerable pressure areas in patients who may be at risk.

Promote leg ulcer prevention by encouraging the use of hosiery and facilitating

supply of stockings.

Carry out dressings of wounds as per best practice guidelines and wound care

formulary taking care to observe for poor healing or infection and ensure

timely referral to GP or tissue viability specialist including the leg ulcer

clinic. Facilitate other investigations as may be appropriate in poor healing

for example diabetes screening.

Carry out the removal of sutures and clips as directed by the clinician.

Carry out Doppler assessments and perform multilayer bandaging for patients

assessed with venous ulceration and ensure onward referral where appropriate.

Support the health care assistants trained in wound care to carry out dressings

where appropriate.

j)

Promote and deliver evidence-based care for

patients presenting with aural conditions and advise patients about safe ear

care.

k) Assisting Minor Surgery

Assist senior practitioners in providing minor-surgery

sessions and other procedures such as fitting of coils and implants.

l)

Cervical Cytology

Undertake a programme of cervical cytology

sampling under supervision until competent. Audit a minimum of 20 consecutive

smears each year to demonstrate adequate sampling rates.

m)

Venepuncture

Carry out venepuncture as per practice protocol.

n) ECGs

Carry out ECGs as per practice protocol.

o) Travel Health Advice and Vaccinations

Offer

holistic approach to travel health including comprehensive advice and risk

assessment. Assess, advise, support and where appropriate, administer

vaccinations for patients travelling abroad.

Bay Medical Practice is a large friendly GP practice in Weymouth, Dorset (previously

known as Royal Crescent and Preston Road Practice and Dorchester Road Practice)

and both practices were inspected prior to the merge and were rated as

Outstanding and Good by the Care Quality Commission.

Practice cares for 26,500 patients with 3 purpose-built surgeries, one in the

town centre of Weymouth (Royal Crescent Surgery), one in Lodmoor (Dorchester

Road Surgery) and one on the outskirts, in the area of Preston (Preston Road

Surgery).

We are a training practice

with a dedicated team of 22 GP Partners and 60 nursing and administrative

staff, and we value the contribution of each staff member.

Knowledge and skills

Experience

Essential: - Nursing Experience

Desirable: - Experience in primary care

Personal qualities

Essential: - Flexibility; - Enthusiasm; - Positive attitude; - Team player; - Ability to work core hours; - Flexibility for cover; - Positive role model

Qualifications

Essential: - Membership of a professional body, registered nurse (adult)

Desirable: - Specialist Practitioner qualification; - Diploma in chronic disease