Practice Nurse

Ashley Surgery have an exciting opportunity for a positive, enthusiastic, and motivated Practice Nurse to join our busy, friendly, two partner dispensing rural GP practice with approximately 5200 patients. Applicants must be fully registered with the NMC.

Main duties of the job

• The Practice Nurse will be an integral part of the team, required to undertake all general nursing duties in accordance with the NMC Code of Professional Conduct and practice protocols and establish programmes of care for patient groups with continual overall nursing requirements.

About us

Ashley Surgery is a semi-rural dispensing practice providing General Medical Services to approximately 5200 patients in Ashley and the surrounding areas. We are a high achiever of QOF and our team delivers high-quality care to our patients. Following our most recent CQC inspection, we have also maintained our outstanding CQC rating.

The Ashley Surgery team consists of two GP partners, a Salaried GP, a Practice Nurse and a Health Care Assistant, an Operations Manager and a Practice Manager who are supported by a dedicated team of reception and dispensary staff. We are also supported by our PCN staff which include care co-ordinators, clinical pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, mental health practitioners, a first contact physiotherapist, health and wellbeing coaches, social prescribers and a dietitian. We are also a training practice and have GP Registrars on placement with us throughout the year.

Job responsibilities

• Assist in and perform routine tasks related to patient care as directed by GPs.
• Carry out long term condition reviews/maintain and assist in the recall system.
• Routine Childhood Immunisations.
• Venepuncture.
• ECGs.
• Wound Care and referral where necessary.
• Removal of Sutures and Staples.
• Blood pressure monitoring.
• Urinalysis.
• Basic path lab tests (Swabs/urine).
• Cervical Screening/smears.

Duties and responsibilities

• According to relevant training and experience.
• Ability to work as part of an integrated multi-skilled team.
• Work to agreed clinical protocols with referral to GP as appropriate.
• At all times maintain accurate records and adhere to a strict code of confidentiality.
• Assist and chaperone patients where required by other health professionals.
• Assist GPs with minor operations where necessary.
• Advise GP of potential problems or error with assigned tasks.
• Undertake treatment room duties, including tidiness and cleanliness of Nurses treatment rooms.
• Stocking, checking and ordering of treatment room stock, supplies and equipment.
• Ordering of vaccines to maintain stock level.
• Support clinical colleagues with Infection Prevention Control including reviewing policies, producing audits, training and evidence of compliance.
• Ordering of health promotion literature and displaying same.
• Participate in the administrative systems of the practice.
• Support the clinical team with all safeguarding matters, in accordance with local and national policies.
• Chaperoning and assisting patients who are being examined by another clinician.
• Administrative tasks related with immunisation schedules/smear audits etc (This list is not exhaustive).

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 promote and manage their own and others health and safety and infection control as defined in the practice Health & Safety policy and the practice Infection Control policy and published procedures. This will include (but will not be limited to):

• Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines.
• Awareness of national standards of infection control and cleanliness and regulatory / contractual / professional requirements, and good practice guidelines.
• Responsible for the correct and safe management of the specimens' process including collection, labelling, handling, use of correct and clean containers, storage and transport arrangements.
• Safe management of sharps procedures including use, storage and disposal.
• Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy, clean and sterile, and safe way, free from hazards.
• Initiation of remedial / corrective action where needed or escalation to responsible management.
• Actively identifying, reporting, and correction of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised.
• Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum annually).
• Undertaking/assisting with IPC requirements and audits.
• Maintenance of sterile environments.

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 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.

The post-holder will participate in any training programme 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.
• Prepare and complete the revalidation process.
• Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.

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 recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

• Communicate effectively with other team members.
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers.
• Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.

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.
• Attend and contribute to clinical and practice meetings.

Person Specification

• NMC Registration.
• Meet revalidation requirements.
• Cervical Cytology qualification.
• Up to date vaccination and immunisation qualification.

Experience

• Must be NMC registered.
• Have experience in primary care.
• Hold accredited competencies in cervical cytology.
• Hold accredited competencies in childhood immunisations.
• Experience of working in a GP practice.

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.