Practice Nurse in South Shields

To provide a comprehensive range of nursing care within the GP practice, including the development, implementation, and evaluation of care and treatment programmes for patients with long-term conditions. Deliver general clinical care and chronic disease management reviews, working independently within practice protocols and the Year of Care model. Maintain strict confidentiality of all patient information at all times.

Main duties of the job include general practice nursing responsibilities, including (but not limited to):

• Chronic Disease Management
• Wound Care
• Immunisations (routine and travel for adults and children)
• Cervical Screening
• Ear checks and care

The surgery is a proud provider of the Year of Care initiative, which focuses on delivering effective, individualised care to patients with long term conditions. The postholder will play an instrumental role in delivering this service to our patient population.

About us: Trinity Medical Centre is a friendly and forward-thinking GP surgery with an approximate list size of 6300 patients. We aim to provide safe, effective, and easily accessible healthcare services to all of our patients within a friendly and confidential environment. Our care is delivered by a dedicated, compassionate team working collaboratively with colleagues across health and social care. We are a busy practice located in the heart of South Tyneside.

Job responsibilities include:

• Delivering general practice nursing care to the practice population.
• Providing evidence-based care for patients with long term conditions.
• Contributing to preventative care, health promotion, and patient education.
• Working collaboratively with the wider healthcare team to meet patient needs, and supporting the implementation of policies, guidelines and procedures.

Clinical practice involves:

• Assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating treatment programmes that promote health and wellbeing.
• Providing individualised care for patients with long term conditions.
• Offering clinical advice within own scope of practice.
• Supporting patients in medication adherence and safety.
• Prioritising urgent or emergency problems and initiating appropriate care.
• Delivering cervical cytology, women's health support, and family planning advice.
• Recognising and referring mental health concerns appropriately.
• Providing adult and child immunisations, including travel vaccinations.
• Delivering wound care.

Key Duties include:

• Providing holistic assessments and health promotion advice.
• Running chronic disease clinics including Year of Care reviews.
• Completing asthma, COPD, CHD, stroke, hypertension and diabetes reviews.
• Undertaking contraception and HRT/menopause reviews.
• Administering vaccinations and injections.
• Assisting with minor procedures and IUCD fittings.
• Performing ECGs, venepuncture and preparing laboratory samples.
• Undertaking vaginal swabs and liaising with clinicians on treatment.
• Supervising and supporting the Healthcare Assistant.

Delivering a quality service requires:

• Working within NMC standards and maintaining professional boundaries.
• Ensuring accurate and contemporaneous clinical record keeping.
• Participating in audit, quality improvement and governance processes.
• Supporting and learning from significant events and complaints.
• Contributing to shared learning across the practice.
• Reviewing effectiveness of care and supporting evaluation of services.

Management of risk includes:

• Assessing and managing clinical risk in all areas of responsibility.
• Maintaining safe storage and disposal of vaccines and medications.
• Adhering to infection control requirements and cold chain standards.
• Completing all mandatory training to promote safe practice.

Knowledge, Skills, Training and Experience required:

• Registered General Nurse with valid NMC registration.
• Knowledge of the structure and function of General Practice.
• Understanding of the GP Contract and Quality and Outcomes Framework.
• Experience in chronic disease management (preferred).
• Cervical cytology qualification (or willingness to undertake).
• IT literacy and experience with clinical systems (e.g., EMIS).

Person Specification Qualifications:

• Registered first level nurse.
• Clinical supervision training and experience.
• Teaching and mentorship.

Knowledge includes:

• Knowledge of health promotion strategies.
• Aware of accountability of own role and other roles in a nurse-led service.
• Aware of clinical governance issues in primary care.
• Knowledge of patient group directions and associated policy.
• Aware of infection control principles.
• Aware of safeguarding principles (Adults and Children).
• Knowledge of needs of patients with long-term conditions.
• Ability to identify determinants on health in the local area.
• Knowledge of public health issues in the local area.
• Aware of local and national health policy.
• Aware of issues within the wider health economy.
• Knowledge of Year of Care initiative.

Skills required:

• Change-management skills and ability to support patients to change lifestyle.
• Communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Ability to communicate difficult messages to patients and families.
• Negotiation and conflict management skills.
• IT skills including use of electronic patient record systems.
• Ability to prioritise workload and work autonomously.
• Respiratory care clinical skills, cervical cytology, immunisation and vaccination, ear care, ECG.
• Physical assessment skills.

Experience includes:

• Clinical supervision training and experience.
• Teaching and mentorship.
• Recent primary care or community nursing experience.
• Long-term condition management experience.

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.