Practice Nurse

Working in accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Code of Conduct, the post-holder will be responsible for delivering high-quality nursing care, including patient assessment, treatment, screening, health promotion, education, and clinical advice. The post-holder will work in line with agreed practice policies, procedures, protocols, and clinical guidelines, delivering nursing care both independently and collaboratively alongside nursing colleagues and General Practitioners to ensure safe, effective, and patient-centred care. The successful candidate will possess the appropriate level of training, competence, and professional registration required for the role, and will work within Patient Group Directions (PGDs) where applicable. Where prescribing qualifications are held, these will be utilised appropriately and in accordance with professional and regulatory standards.

Main duties of the job include:

• Management of chronic disease conditions, supporting the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based patient care within a primary care setting.
• Identifying and responding to significant clinical abnormalities.
• Undertaking patient assessment, contributing to diagnosis and monitoring, and developing individualised management plans in partnership with patients and the wider multidisciplinary team.
• Therapeutic monitoring, ensuring compliance and adherence to agreed treatment plans through a holistic, patient-centred approach.
• Recognising changes in patient presentation, identifying the impact and effectiveness of treatments, and implementing or recommending appropriate clinical interventions where required.
• Delivering effective wound care and wound management, including the assessment and treatment of routine wounds and minor trauma.
• Assessing complex wound care needs and supporting advanced wound management interventions, including the use of Doppler assessment techniques and associated prescribing responsibilities where applicable.

About us: On 11 March 2019, three well-established GP practices formally merged to create Ashford Medical Partnership. Willesborough Health Centre, Singleton Health Centre, and St Stephens Health Centre collectively serve a patient population of approximately 38,000 people across the Ashford locality. All three practice sites are strategically located within the heart of Ashford, situated approximately 2.5 miles apart, enabling collaborative working and accessible service delivery across the Partnership. The sites benefit from excellent transport links, with convenient access to Junctions 9 and 10 of the M20, and are located just a short distance from Ashford International railway station.

The current workforce structure comprises 6 GP Partners, supported by 16 Salaried GPs and locum GPs, Advanced Clinical Practitioners (ACPs), Allied Health Professionals (AHPs), Registered General Nurses (RGNs), Healthcare Assistants (HCAs), a dedicated Primary Care Network (PCN) team, Medicines Management Team (MMT), and Prescribing Clerks. The wider clinical workforce is further supported by a General Manager and a large administrative team, all of whom collectively contribute to the effective delivery of high-quality patient care and operational services across the organisation.

Job responsibilities include:

• Management of chronic disease.
• Identifying significant abnormalities.
• Diagnosis, monitoring, and development of individual management plans; agreeing these as appropriate with the patient and other health professionals.
• Therapeutic monitoring and checking compliance with and adherence to appropriate treatments using a holistic patient-centred approach.
• Recognising abnormalities and identifying the impact of treatment, implementing or recommending changes as appropriate.
• Wound care and management, assessing routine wounds including trauma.
• Assessing and prescribing to support good wound management in complex situations (e.g. use of Doppler technique).
• Working with patients to develop a management plan where health problems or potential health problems are identified.
• Recognising issues and gathering sufficient information to refer (e.g. drugs; domestic violence; child protection; vulnerable adults; senior patients; social problems).
• Health screening, recognising issues and gathering sufficient information to refer (e.g. women's and men's health, sexual health, older people).
• Undertaking monitoring tasks (e.g. smears) and providing advice as appropriate.
• Providing in-depth monitoring and advice as appropriate to the level of the post-holder's specialty and working with the patient in deciding on management plans.

Person Specification:

Experience: Applicants must have a minimum of three years' experience working within a Practice Nurse role in a General Practice or primary care setting. The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate evidence of ongoing Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activity and maintain up-to-date clinical knowledge, skills, and competencies relevant to the role and wider primary care services. Candidates should also demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate the safety, effectiveness, and quality of their own clinical practice, ensuring care is delivered in accordance with current professional standards, evidence-based practice, and organisational policies and procedures. The successful candidate will possess effective training and educational skills, with the ability to support, guide, and share knowledge with colleagues, patients, and the wider multidisciplinary team where appropriate. Applicants must also demonstrate substantial General Practice experience, including the management of chronic disease conditions within a primary care setting, and possess the ability to deliver evidence-based, patient-centred care in line with current clinical guidelines and best practice standards.

Qualifications: The successful candidate will be a Registered General Nurse (RGN) with current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), together with proven experience working within a General Practice environment. Applicants should possess relevant qualifications, clinical competencies, and demonstrable experience across a broad range of primary care nursing services, including postnatal checks, diabetic reviews, cervical cytology (smears), coil and ring pessary procedures, compression bandaging, wound care management, Zoladex administration, immunisations, ECG and blood pressure monitoring, vascular clinics, menopause support, catheter care, Doppler studies, family planning, and sexual health services. The successful candidate will hold a recognised qualification at diploma level or above and demonstrate an ongoing commitment to continuous professional development, clinical excellence, and the delivery of high-quality, patient-centred care within a multidisciplinary primary care environment.

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.