Band 6 Practice Nurse in Knutsford

This is an exciting opportunity for two experienced practice nurses to join our very skilled nursing team of 4 practice nurses, 1 nurse associate and four health care assistants as part of the Knutsford Medical Partnership. The post holder is responsible for the delivery of practice nursing services and care to the practice population, working 2 days per week. Supported by senior nurses within the practice, they will deliver care within the boundaries of their role, focusing upon supporting patients to be healthy, monitoring of long-term conditions, health prevention and screening activities. They will work collaboratively with the general practice team to meet the needs of patients, supporting the delivery of policy and procedures, and providing nurse leadership as required.

Main duties of the job:

• Delivering care according to the NSF and the National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidelines.
• Assist in the development of an integrated approach to the delivery of patient care involving all relevant stakeholders.
• Provide high quality care service based on the needs of the practice population including treatment, screening, preventative care and patient education.
• Assist in and perform tasks related to patient care as directed by senior nursing staff and GPs.
• Cytology, contraception, general health checks, health promotion, child and adult immunisations, hypertension, chronic disease management.
• Assess, plan and implement treatment plans for patients with long term conditions to meet identified needs and promote health and well-being.
• Identify and request appropriate pathology tests for patients and signpost where appropriate.
• To take clinical responsibility for themselves and to aid the supervision of other health professionals as required.
• To assist in the maintenance of clinical standards and to share in the efficient running of the service.
• To have excellent organisational skills and work well as part of a team.
• To share the responsibility for the security and care of equipment.
• To be aware of the political and social issues which affect the delivery of health care.
• To be a registered Nurse on the NMC register.

Communication:

• To maintain accurate patient records for users of the service, using the designated software system for the practice.
• To be aware of responsibilities under the Data Protection Act and Caldicott principles.
• To ensure effective communication with colleagues and the wider health care community as appropriate when referring a patient.
• Record and report all clinical incidents to Nurse Lead.
• Assess individual communication needs and understanding for informed consent.

Education, Training and Research:

• Contribute to data gathering as needed for QOF, enhanced services and KPI targets.
• To take responsibility for own professional development undertaking training for specific clinical tasks.
• Participate in practice run educational events and training.
• Participate in clinical audit.

Other Duties:

• Maintaining and cleaning equipment used by the nurses and GPs.
• Maintaining GP and Nurses rooms, stocking, and rotating items as required.
• Chaperoning and assisting patients who are being examined by another clinician.
• Maintain general tidiness and cleanliness of nurses and treatment rooms.
• Ordering of stock.
• Participation in administrative systems in the Practice.
• Attend and participate in any Practice meetings when required.
• Any other delegated duties appropriate to the post.

Skills and Abilities:

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work autonomously and within a multidisciplinary team.
• Strong clinical assessment skills.
• Ability to prioritise workload effectively.
• Ability to deliver evidence-based care.
• Competent in inhaler technique assessment and education.
• Good IT and documentation skills.
• Commitment to patient-centred care.
• Leadership and mentoring skills.
• Teaching and presentation skills.

Qualifications:

• Registered General Nurse (RGN) with current NMC registration.
• Evidence of continued professional development.
• Diploma/Degree level qualification or equivalent experience.
• Immunisation and vaccination training.
• Spirometry competency and interpretation training.

Personal Attributes:

• Professional, compassionate and approachable manner.
• Reliable and adaptable.
• Motivated toward continuous professional development.
• Commitment to confidentiality and equality/diversity principles.
• Flexible approach to service delivery.
• Ability to remain calm under pressure.
• Ability to work across practice sites if required.
• Compliance with occupational health and mandatory training requirements.
• Full UK driving licence and access to transport.

Experience:

• Significant post-registration nursing experience within primary care, community or respiratory services.
• Experience managing patients with chronic respiratory disease, particularly COPD and asthma.
• Experience undertaking COPD reviews and annual assessments.
• Knowledge of GOLD and NICE COPD guidelines.
• Experience supporting smoking cessation interventions.
• Understanding of safeguarding adults and children.
• Knowledge of infection prevention and control standards.
• Experience of patient education and self-management planning.
• Experience using clinical system EMIS and Docman.
• Experience participating in Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) achievement.
• Experience in pulmonary rehabilitation referral pathways.
• Experience of audit and service improvement activity.
• Experience supervising junior staff or students.

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 to check for any previous criminal convictions.