Practice Nurse in Knottingley

We are seeking an experienced and enthusiastic Practice Nurse to strengthen and join our dynamic and friendly team at Ash Grove Medical Centre. This is an exciting opportunity for a registered nurse with a passion for primary care and a specialist interest in Asthma and Diabetes including insulin management, along with experience in cytology, childhood immunisations and general practice nursing.

Main duties of the job

As a Practice Nurse you will play a vital role in delivering high quality, patient centred care across our two surgery sites. Your responsibilities will include:

• Managing patients with long term conditions, particularly Asthma and Diabetes in line with national and local guidelines.
• Performing cervical screening (cytology).
• Administering Childhood and adult immunisations.
• Contraception services including pill checks and administration of Depo-Provera.
• Promoting health education and self care management for patients.

About us

Ash Grove Medical Centre is a well-established patient focused GP training practice serving a diverse population across Knottingley and Eggborough, with a list size of 13,000 patients. We use SystmOne and benefit from strong links with the local Primary Care Network and community services.

Job responsibilities

The Practice Nurse will work with the NMC code of conduct and agreed practice standards and protocols. To lead and develop high quality patient care to meet holistic health care needs of the practice population, to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team delivering care.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Conduct structured reviews for patients with asthma and diabetes in line with current national and local guidelines.
• Demonstrate competency in the interpretation of spirometry and peak flow where appropriate to support asthma diagnosis and monitoring.
• Initiate, titrate and monitor medication changes for asthma and diabetes patients within agreed protocols.
• Provide patient education on inhaler technique, peak flow monitoring, self management plans and recognition of red flag symptoms.
• Support patients in managing their diabetes, including lifestyle advice, foot care education and blood glucose monitoring.
• Ensure that confidentiality is maintained at all times, with a duty not to disclose any confidential information after the employment ends.
• To work independently using own initiative and is accountable for own professional actions.
• Immunisations and vaccinations for both children and adults in accordance with national and local program.
• Undertake annual long term condition reviews for Long Term Conditions.
• Venepuncture, blood pressure management, urinalysis, new patient health checks and wound management.
• Chaperoning.
• Initiate and carry out health screening, contributing to profiling of the practice population.
• To enable, encourage and support individuals, families and groups to address issues which affect their health and social well-being.
• To prescribe in accordance to the non-medical prescribing competency framework.
• Produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete records of patients consultation, consistent with legislation, policies and procedures.
• Recognise and work within own competence and professional code of conduct as regulated by the NMC.
• Carry out the partners instructions and requests.
• All staff are required to take their share in providing cover, when necessary, for colleagues who may be absent as a result of holidays or illness.
• Maintain a smart appearance and be helpful wherever possible.
• All staff should be conversant with and adhere to all written guidelines and protocols provided and available.

Extra Duties and Responsibilities

• IPC compliance and waste disposal.
• Daily fridge checks and Data logger.
• Maintain practice effective communication within practice environment and with external stakeholders.
• To raise any significant events and discuss learning opportunities in clinical and MDT meetings.
• Stock check ordering and ensuring stock is stored appropriately, i.e. stock rotation.
• Vaccine storage as per Cold Chain Policy.
• Target outstanding QOF and arrange for this to be completed.
• Liaise with colleagues and ensure hand over is carried out.
• All patient identifiable data is locked away at the end of the day.

Organisational and Statutory Requirements

The Post Holder must be aware of the responsibility placed on him/her under the Health & Safety at work Act 1974 and ensure that agreed safety procedures are carried out in order to maintain a safe environment for employees, patients and visitors. All employees should understand that it is their personal responsibility to comply with all other organisational and statutory requirements e.g. Confidentiality, Equal Opportunities, Child Protection, The In-house Complaints Procedure, Fire Alarm Protocols and all protocols that relate to their specific role etc.

Other information

25 days annual leave calculated in hours plus bank holidays (pro rata for part-time staff) with an additional day for each full year (January-December) until a maximum of 6 weeks is achieved. Overtime, to cover annual leave and sickness is an essential part of the job.

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, the practice Health & Safety manual, and the practice Infection Control policy and published procedures.

This will 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.
• Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards.
• Actively reporting of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised.
• Keeping own work areas and general / patient areas generally clean, assisting in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness consistent with the scope of the job holders role.
• Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum annually).

Equality & Diversity

The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:

• Acting in a way that recognises 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.
• To act as an advocate for patients.

Personal / Professional Development

The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, such training to include:

• Maintain up to date knowledge in asthma and diabetes management including updated on inhaler therapies, new GLP-1s, insulin regimens and QOF indicators.
• Complete and maintain recognised training in line with local guidelines and competency frameworks.
• 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.
• Mandatory training must be completed when due and certificates produced for HR file.

Quality

The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practice, and will:

• Audit chronic disease management and outcomes to support quality improvement initiatives and QOF achievement.
• Contribute to the development and updating of chronic disease protocols and templates in consultation with the wider clinical team.
• 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 recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

• Provide clear communication to patients regarding test results, medication changes and follow up plans ensuring understanding and shared decision making.
• Communicate effectively with other team members.
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers.
• Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.
• 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.

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.

Person Specification

Experience

• Experience working in primary care or community setting.
• Competent in Long Term Condition management, especially Asthma and Diabetes.
• Experience in delivering childhood and adult immunisations.
• Ability to manage own patient clinics independently.
• Experience of insulin initiation and management in general practice.
• Experience of QOF based chronic disease management.
• Experience with SystmOne.

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse with current NMC registration.
• Recognised training and in cervical cytology.
• Up to date Immunisation and Vaccination training (Adult & Child).
• Diploma or equivalent in Asthma / COPD management.
• Insulin initiation and titration training.
• Travel health training / certification.

Knowledge and Skills

• Knowledge of national guidance relating to Chronic disease management.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work autonomously and within a team.
• Effective time management and organisational skills.
• High standard of record keeping and clinical documentation.

Additional Criteria

• Committed to ongoing personal and professional development.
• Flexible and able to cover during staff absence.
• Professional, approachable and patient centered attitude.

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.