Practice Nurse in Worcester

Grey Gable Surgery is recruiting a Part Time Practice Nurse, to work between 25 and 30 hours per week. Experience of managing Asthma/COPD is desirable.

Main Duties of the Job

• Assist in chronic disease management of Asthma & COPD patients, including referral to secondary/specialist care.
• Implement and evaluate individual treatment plans for chronic disease patients that promote health and well-being.
• Identify, manage and support patients at risk of developing long-term conditions, preventing adverse effects to patient health.
• Contribute to the overall effort of the Practice nurse team including services such as cytology, ECG, routine immunisations and vaccinations, dressings, etc.
• Request and process pathology services as necessary.
• Maintain accurate clinical records in conjunction with extant legislation.
• Liaise with external services/agencies to ensure patients are supported appropriately.
• Support the clinical team with all safeguarding matters.

Job Responsibilities

• Provide and maintain a high standard of nursing care and assist doctors and other primary healthcare team members.
• Duties include tasks normally undertaken by an experienced RGN and additional roles agreed between the nurse and the doctors.

Professional Responsibilities

• Monitor long-term conditions such as Asthma/COPD.
• Offer a holistic approach to travel health by providing comprehensive advice to patients prior to travel, including vaccinations and medicines, family planning, food hygiene, sun protection.
• Provide advice about childhood and adult vaccinations and ensure vaccines are administered under patient group directions.
• Run well-person clinics and health promotion programmes, providing holistic assessment and lifestyle advice on diet, smoking, alcohol intake and exercise.
• Assess problems presented opportunistically by patients, dealing with minor illness.
• Document consultations according to NMC guidelines.
• Be aware of statutory and local clinical protection procedures, including systems of referral.
• Recognise signs and symptoms of child abuse.
• Perform holistic assessment of patients attending for ear irrigation, cervical cytology smear tests.
• Perform venepuncture according to local guidelines.
• Provide a holistic approach to wound management and implement wound care in line with current evidence-based guidelines.
• Remove sutures.
• Take ECGs.
• Recognise and manage anaphylaxis according to current UK guidelines.
• Perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation according to current UK guidelines.
• Assist in the provision of minor surgery.
• Obtain and document informed consent (verbal or written).
• Maintain infection control guidelines.
• Monitor and manage maintenance of stock and equipment, including refrigeration, steriliser and emergency equipment.

Managerial Responsibilities

• Contribute to the assessment of service needs.
• Assist patients to identify their health needs.
• Contribute a nursing perspective to the practice development plan.
• Manage and organise individual patient consultations.
• Know identification and reporting procedures related to professional standards.
• Attend staff meetings.
• Support the Practice clinical governance agenda.
• Identify changes to clinical practice required to implement evidence-based guidelines.

Educational Responsibilities

• Identify personal development and training needs in conjunction with the manager.
• Participate in clinical supervision.
• Support others with their training and development needs.
• Participate in continuing education and maintain a contemporary level of professional knowledge and skills.

Personnel Responsibilities

• Maintain good industrial relations.
• Take reasonable care of own safety and that of others affected by own actions.
• Co-operate with the practice to ensure all team members adhere to statutory regulations, policies, codes of practice and departmental safety rules.
• Offer innovative ways of working and facilitate learning opportunities.
• Facilitate a learning environment within the team.
• Maintain a caring environment through support of colleagues.

Confidentiality

• Respect patient confidentiality and privacy in all interactions.
• Keep all patient and practice information strictly confidential.
• Disclose information only to authorised persons in line with practice policies.

Health & Safety

• Engage with all promotion and management of health and safety and infection control as defined in the practice policies.
• Use personal security systems within the workplace according to guidance.
• Aware of national standards of infection control and clean practices.
• Manage and maintain specimens, PPE and sharps safely and correctly.
• Ensure compliance with infection control procedures, maintaining tidy and sterile work areas.
• Identify and correct health and safety hazards immediately.
• Maintain clean clinical and patient areas and oversee general cleanliness standards.
• Undertake periodic infection control training and manage waste, spillage and decontamination.

Equality and Diversity

• Act in a way that recognises the importance of patient, carer and colleague rights.
• Respect privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of all parties.
• Behave in a welcoming, non-judgemental manner towards all individuals.

Quality

• Alert team members to issues of quality and risk.
• Assess own performance and take accountability.
• Contribute to team effectiveness through reflection and suggestion of improvements.
• Work effectively with other agencies to meet patient needs.
• Manage own time, workload and resources efficiently.

Communication

• Communicate effectively with team members, patients and carers.
• Recognise and respond to alternative communication needs.

Contribution to Implementation of Services

• Apply practice policies, standards and guidance.
• Discuss policies and guidelines with team members.
• Participate in audits where appropriate.

Person Specification

Qualities & Attributes

• Strict confidentiality.
• Work independently, determining own workload priorities.
• Work as part of an integrated multi-skilled team.
• Adaptability in changing environments.
• Use of own initiative and flexibility of working hours.
• Highly motivated team player.
• Work across boundaries.

Qualifications

• Registered General Nurse, qualification to diploma level or above.

Knowledge and Skills

• Effective communication and interpersonal skills.
• Knowledge of current national developments and trends in health care, quality assurance and practice development.
• Implement strategies for quality assurance and audit.
• Clinical skills: childhood immunisation, cervical screening, ear care, phlebotomy.
• Knowledge of Patient Group Directives and policy.
• IT skills and awareness of clinical governance issues in primary care.

Experience

• Minimum 2 years post-registration experience.
• Experience implementing and using protocols and clinical guidelines.
• Experience in chronic disease management and primary care.
• Experience diagnosing and treating minor illnesses.
• Experience in managing Asthma/COPD.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and requires a Disclosure and Barring Service check for any previous criminal convictions.