Lead Practice Nurse

Chastleton Medical Group is awell-established, friendly, and forward-thinking GP practice serving the localcommunity in the heart of County Durham.

We are seeking an enthusiastic andexperienced

Lead Practice Nurse to join our dedicated multidisciplinaryteam.

This is an exciting opportunity for a nursewith a strong interest in diabetes care and chronic disease management to lead and develop our nursing services, helping to deliver outstandingpatient-centred care to our practice population.

• As our
• Lead Practice Nurse

, you will play akey role in delivering clinical services, supporting colleagues, and drivingquality improvement across long-term condition management.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will

• Lead and support the practice nursing team.
• Support the delivery of services for patients with long-term conditions, particularly diabetes.
• Undertake chronic disease reviews including diabetes, asthma, COPD, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.
• Work collaboratively with GPs, pharmacists, healthcare assistants, and the wider multidisciplinary team.
• Support achievement of Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) targets and service development initiatives.
• Deliver evidence-based care and promote patient self-management.
• Participate in clinical audit, quality improvement projects, and service planning.
• Provide mentorship and clinical leadership for nursing colleagues.

About us

• A welcoming and supportive practice team.
• Opportunity to lead and influence service development.
• Well-established patient population and strong community links.
• Ongoing professional development and training opportunities.
• Flexible working options and a positive work-life balance.
• The chance to make a real difference to the health of our local community.
• Job responsibilities
• Lead long-termcondition management having a special interest in Diabetes within theorganisation, supporting quality improvement and assurance initiatives
• Support the current Infection Prevention Control (IPC) lead andwork to the IPC Policy helping to provide audits, training, support andevidence of compliance.
• To produce the IPC annual statement in conjunction withthe Business Manager
• Consult with patientsand their families to undertake assessments of patient need
• Support public healthand screening programmes, including immunisations, vaccinations, and cervicalscreening
• Embed population healthmanagement approaches within general practice, targeting health inequalitiesand improving access
• As required, provide routine nursing care to patients in accordancewith clinical based evidence, NICE and the NSF
• Support, mentor, andsupervise new-to-practice nurses and other healthcare professionals within the organisation
• Be an integral part ofthe general practice team as well as supporting the wider practice nursenetwork and multi-disciplinary team
• Prescribe medication for patients in accordance with PGDs and ownscope of practice
• Teach and advisepatients and their families on how to manage their condition
• Participate in clinicalaudits and research projects and implements changes as required, includingsupporting with the development, and updating of practice protocols/guidelinesand procedures locally
• Work within nationaland local protocols where these exist
• Recognise theboundaries of their practice and know when and to whom patients should bereferred
• Demonstrate initiativeand be creative in finding solutions to problems
• Provide supervision tostudent nurse associates and nurse associates
• Support in the deliveryof enhanced services and other service requirements
• Be aware of duties andresponsibilities regarding current legislation and adhere to practice policiesand procedures on safeguarding adults and safeguarding children
• Participate in the management of patientcomplaints when requested to do so and participate in the identification of anynecessary learning brought about through incidents and near-miss events
• Undertake all mandatory training and inductionprogrammes
• Contribute to and embrace the spectrum ofclinical governance
• Attend a formal appraisal with their manager atleast every 12 months.

Once a performance/training objective has been set, progress will be reviewed on a regular basis so that new objectives can beagreed

• Contribute to public health campaigns (e. g., flu clinics)
• Maintain a clean, tidy, effective working areaat all times
• Contribute to practicetargets (QOF, etc.), complying with relevant guidance
• Maintain accurateclinical records in conjunction with extant legislation ensuring that SNOMED CTcodes are used effectively
• Maintain chronicdisease registers and implement an effective call/recall system
• Chaperone patientswhere necessary
• Support the team indealing with clinical emergencies
• Liaise with externalservices/agencies to ensure the patient is supported appropriately (vulnerablepatients, etc.)
• Deliver opportunistichealth promotion where appropriate
• There may be, on occassion, a requirement to carry out other tasks, this will be dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levles.

Person Specification

• Clinical Knowledge & Skills
• Experience of Practice Nurse skills including wound care, ECG, venepuncture and new patient medicals
• Requesting pathology tests and processing the results, advising patients accordingly
• Understanding the importance of evidence-based practice
• Ability to promote best practice regarding nursing matters
• Ability to work within own scope of practice and understanding when to refer to GPs
• Good clinical system IT knowledge and has an ability to record accurate clinical notes
• Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information effectively with people at all levels by telephone, email and face to face
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing, negotiation and organisation skills with the ability to constructively challenge the view and practices of managers and clinicians
• Understanding of safeguarding adults and children
• Understanding and knowledge of healthcare provision in GP surgeries, QOF and enhanced service
• Effectively able to communicate and understand the needs of the patient
• Broad knowledge of clinical governance
• Knowledge of public health issues in the local area
• Awareness of issues within the wider health arena and knowledge of health promotion strategies
• Knowledge of national standards that inform general practice (NSF NICE guidelines)
• Problem solver with the ability to process information accurately and effectively, interpreting data as required

Experience

• Broad knowledge of general practice
• Experience of chronic disease management
• Experience of working autonomously
• Experience of infection prevention and control measures Experience of quality initiatives, i. e., benchmarking
• Experience of managing elderly and housebound patients
• An appreciation of the new NHS landscape including the relationship between individual organisations, PCNs and the commissioners

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse (Nursing and Midwifery Council)
• Holds more than one academic Level 6 diploma or postgraduate certification in long-term conditions care and/or public health initiatives
• Has evidence of working at an enhanced level of practice as described in the Primary Care and General Practice Nursing Career and Core Capabilities Framework
• Has demonstrable experience in leading long-term conditions management and quality improvement
• Mentor or teaching qualification
• Completed or working towards formal infection prevention and control training
• Family planning qualification
• Personal Qualities
• Effective time management (planning and organising)
• Demonstrate personal accountability, emotional resilience and work well under pressure
• Ability to follow legal, ethical and professional policies/local policies/procedures and codes of conduct
• Understand the requirement for PGDs and associated policy
• Ability to use own initiative, discretion, and sensitivity
• Able to get along with people from all backgrounds and communities, respecting lifestyles and diversity
• Ability to identify risk and assess/manage risk when working with individuals
• Ability to work as a team member and autonomously
• Good interpersonal and organisational skills
• Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations
• Commitment to ongoing professional development
• Knowledge of and ability to work to key policies and procedures
• Clear, polite telephone manner
• Knowledge of IT systems including the ability to use word processing skills, emails and the internet
• Other Requirements
• Occupational Health clearance
• Meet the requirements and produce evidence for professional revalidation
• Evidence of CPD commensurate with the role
• Access to own transport and ability to travel across the locality
• Flexibility to work outside core office hours
• 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.