Practice Nurse/Lead Practice Nurse

Job responsibilities

Job Responsibilities

• Assist in and perform routine tasks related to patient care
• Child health/Child Protection
• Cytology
• Wound care
• Removal of Sutures
• New Patient Medicals/Urinalysis
• Travel vaccinations
• ECGs
• Respiratory
• Venepuncture
• Long term condition Management
• Routine immunisations/Childhood immunisations
• 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
• Family Planning Women/Male Health
• Provide clinical leadership to the nursing team
• Develop & implement clinical policies, procedures & best practices to maintain excellent patient care
• Monitor & audit clinical performance, identifying area for improvement
• Lead infection, prevention and control initiatives, ensuring compliance with national and local guidelines
• Conduct infection control audits, risk assessments and staff training to maintain high standards of hygiene and safety
• Continually review clinical practices, responding to national policies and initiatives where appropriate
• Participate in shared learning within the practice, including the review of learning events, near miss events and complaints

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 confidential
• Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons, in accordance with practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data

Health & Safety

The post-holder will follow 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
• Correct and safe management of the specimens process, including collection, labelling, handling, use of correct and clean containers, storage and transport arrangements
• Maintenance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the practice including provision, ordering, availability and ongoing correct usage by staff
• Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks across clinical and patient processes
• Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills
• 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
• Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum twice annually)
• Maintenance of work space standards
• Waste management including collection, handling, segregation, container management, storage and collection
• Spillage control procedures and training
• Decontamination control procedures and training, and equipment maintenance
• Maintenance of sterile environments
• Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

Equality and diversity

The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues by:

• Acting in a way that recognizes the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation
• Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues
• Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

Personal/Professional development

The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, such training to include

• Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own continued professional development
• Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work
• Maintaining NMC registration

Quality

The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practice, and will

• Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk
• Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision
• Contribute to the effectiveness of our team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance our teams performance
• Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs
• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources

Communication

The post-holder should recognise the importance of effective ...