Practice Nurse

Job responsibilities

JOB DESCRIPTION

REPORTS TO: THE PARTNERS (Clinically)

THE BUSINESS MANAGER (Administratively)

Job summary:

The practice nurse will work as part of the primary healthcare team providing Personal Medical Services to the patients of practice.

Job responsibilities:

• Assist in and perform routine tasks related to patient care as directed by senior nursing staff and GPs
• Cervical Cytology
• Wound care/ulcer care/performance of dopplers/Tissue Viability Assessment.
• Removal of Sutures/Clips
• New patient health checks (delivering opportunistic health promotion at the same time)
• Travel Clinic
• ECGs
• Peak flow readings/Spirometry
• Venepuncture
• Blood pressure checks
• Ear syringing
• Urinalysis
• Routine immunisations/Childhood immunisations
• Covid-19 vaccinating including in other care settings such as care homes.
• Chaperoning and assisting patients where appropriate who are being examined by another clinician
• Assisting GPs with minor surgery and coil fittings
• Requesting pathology tests, for example urine culture, swabs
• Management of long-term conditions eg asthma/COPD/diabetes
• Following agreed clinical protocols with referral to senior nurses or GPs as appropriate
• Contraception reviews
• Maintenance of clinical equipment, including contributions to the care and calibration of equipment, managing repairs and maintenance ensuring accurate record keeping.
• Carry out support and advice for cervical screening
• Maintaining GP and Nurses rooms, stocking and rotating items as required
• Maintain general tidiness and cleanliness of nurses and treatment rooms
• Maintain stock of waiting room leaflets as instructed by Partners and Business Manager
• Ordering of supplies and clinical resources within budget.
• Ordering of vaccinations to maintain stock levels
• Participation in administrative systems in the Practice
• At all times there will be a need to maintain accurate records
• The duty to advise senior nurses of potential problems or errors within the range of assigned tasks
• Attend and participate in any Faversham Medical Group meetings when required.
• On occasion there may be a requirement to undertake home visits, which may include INR and immunisations.
• Ensure the vaccination cold chain protocol is followed and understand what to do in the event of a cold chain adverse incident.
• Act as a mentor and positive role model to students and junior members of staff, sharing information and good practice.
• Any other delegated duties appropriate to the post.

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 implement and lead on a full range of promotion and management their own and others health and safety and infection control as defined in the practice Health & Safety policy, the practice Health & Safety manual, 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
• Management and maintenance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the practice including provision, ordering, availability and ongoing correct usage by staff
• Responsible for hand hygiene across the practice
• Ownership of infection control and clinically based patient care protocols, and implementation of those protocols across the practice
• Active observation of current working practices across the practice in relation to infection control, cleanliness and related activities, ensuring that procedures are followed and weaknesses / training needs are identified, escalating issues as appropriate
• Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks across clinical and patient process
• Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills, and initiate and manage the training of others across the full range of infection control and patient processes
• Monitoring practice facilities and equipment in relation to infection control, ensuring that provision of hand cleansing facilities, wipes etc are sufficient to ensure a good clinical working environment. Lack of facilities to be escalated as appropriate.
• Safe management of sharps procedures including training, 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
• Keeping own work areas and general / patient areas generally clean, sterile, identifying issues and hazards / risks in relation to other work areas within the business, and assuming responsibility in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness across the business in consultation (where appropriate) with other sector managers
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