Lead Practice Nurse

NHS Jobs; Leeds; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Alwoodley Medical Centre in Leeds is seeking an experienced Lead Practice Nurse to provide clinical leadership and oversee a Nursing and Healthcare Team serving around 20,000 patients. The role blends direct patient care with workforce management and service development.

The ideal candidate will have extensive leadership experience, be NMC registered, and work closely with GP Partners, management, and the wider multidisciplinary team to shape nursing services in this established NHS GP practice.

Qualifications

• Must hold NMC registration and be eligible to practice in the UK.
• Experience leading a nursing team in a primary care setting preferred.
• Strong communication and collaborative working with GP Partners and management.

Responsibilities

• Provide professional nursing leadership to the Nursing and Healthcare Team.
• Lead staff appraisals, clinical supervision and development discussions.
• Oversee clinical governance, QOF delivery and service improvement.
• Support recruitment, induction and workforce planning.
• Ensure safe, effective patient care and safeguarding.

Skills

Clinical leadership

Team management

Nursing leadership

Staff appraisal

Communication skills

Education

NMC registered nurse

Tools

EMIS Web

Job description

Lead Practice Nurse Alwoodley Medical Centre Leeds, LS17 5DT Contract: PermanentWorking Pattern: Full-time or part-time considered; flexible working welcomedSalary: Competitive and negotiable, dependent on experience, qualifications and responsibilitiesAccountable to: GP PartnersOperational Reporting: Practice Business Manager

Job Summary

Alwoodley Medical Centre is seeking an enthusiastic, experienced and forward-thinking Lead Practice Nurse to provide clinical and professional leadership to our Nursing and Healthcare Team. The successful candidate will combine direct patient care with clinical leadership, workforce management, quality improvement, clinical governance and service development. Working closely with GP Partners, the Practice Business Manager, Operations Manager and wider multidisciplinary team, you will play a key role in shaping nursing services within our established NHS GP practice serving approximately 20,000 patients. We welcome established nursing leaders and experienced Practice Nurses looking to progress into leadership.

Clinical Leadership and Team Management

Provide visible, supportive and effective leadership to the Nursing and Healthcare Team. Lead, motivate and develop colleagues, promoting excellent patient care, professional accountability and teamwork. Coordinate day-to-day nursing services, ensuring appropriate clinical cover and effective organisation. Undertake staff appraisals, one-to-one meetings, clinical supervision and development discussions. Identify training needs, monitor competencies and support continuing professional development. Support recruitment, induction, mentoring, performance management and workforce development. Lead nursing team meetings, promoting communication, shared learning and collaborative working. Promote staff wellbeing, professional standards and a positive workplace culture. Ensure appropriate delegation of clinical responsibilities within individual competencies. Act as a professional role model, supporting a motivated and high-performing team.

Clinical Practice and Patient Care

Maintain an appropriate clinical caseload alongside leadership responsibilities. Deliver safe, effective, evidence-based and patient-centred nursing care. Undertake patient assessments, clinical observations, treatment planning and evaluation. Support long-term condition management, including diabetes, asthma, COPD, cardiovascular disease and hypertension. Deliver or oversee cervical screening, immunisations, wound management, health promotion and preventative healthcare. Support seasonal influenza and national vaccination programmes. Identify patients requiring further investigation, referral or escalation. Provide clinical guidance, education and support to patients and colleagues. Maintain accurate clinical documentation and promote safeguarding, dignity and continuity of care. Support the development and delivery of high-quality nurse-led services.

QOF, Clinical Performance and Enhanced Services

Support the planning, delivery and monitoring of Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) performance. Work with GP Partners, clinical leads and management to achieve clinical performance objectives. Monitor nursing-led indicators, identify gaps and implement improvement plans. Coordinate long-term condition reviews, clinical recalls and disease registers. Improve clinical coding, documentation, patient engagement and recall processes. Use EMIS Web, Ardens and clinical reporting tools to monitor performance and identify patients requiring review. Support improvements in diabetes, respiratory care, cardiovascular prevention and other clinical priorities. Contribute to enhanced services, locally commissioned services and preventative healthcare initiatives. Participate in performance reviews and promote continuous improvement in clinical outcomes.

Clinical Governance, CQC and Patient Safety

Support compliance with Care Quality Commission (CQC) requirements, the NMC Code and relevant clinical standards. Contribute to CQC preparation, inspection readiness, and regulatory compliance. Lead or participate in clinical audits, quality assurance activities and significant event reviews. Develop, implement and review clinical policies, protocols and standard operating procedures. Promote infection prevention and control, safeguarding and safe medicines management. Support oversight of vaccine storage, cold-chain compliance, clinical equipment and stock. Identify clinical risks, raise concerns and implement appropriate improvements. Support national guidance, patient safety alerts and evidence-based clinical practice. Promote professional accountability, reflection and continuous learning.

Project Management, Innovation and Service Improvement

Lead and contribute to clinical improvement, innovation and service development projects. Identify priorities and develop project proposals, implementation plans and measurable objectives. Coordinate projects, monitor progress, evaluate outcomes and present recommendations to management. Review clinical pathways, nursing workflows and administrative processes to improve efficiency. Identify opportunities to improve patient access, appointment capacity and clinical outcomes. Develop and optimise nurse-led clinics and new clinical services. Lead improvements involving long-term condition recalls, QOF, vaccination uptake and cervical screening. Contribute to early-diagnosis initiatives, population health programmes and preventative healthcare. Support digital innovation, including effective use of EMIS Web, Ardens and approved technologies. Standardise clinical documentation, protocols and outcome recording. Encourage colleagues to contribute ideas and participate in service improvement.

Primary Care Network and Collaborative Working

Build effective relationships with our Primary Care Network (PCN), clinical leads and wider healthcare professionals. Participate in relevant PCN meetings, clinical forums and collaborative initiatives. Support integrated care pathways across general practice, community and specialist services. Contribute to population health management, prevention and reducing health inequalities. Identify opportunities for joint training, professional development and shared learning. Participate in collaborative projects improving patient outcomes and service efficiency. Support PCN priorities, local commissioning objectives and multidisciplinary care. Represent the nursing team in relevant professional and service development discussions.

Operational Management and Workforce Planning

Work with the Practice Business Manager and Operations Manager to ensure effective nursing service delivery. Contribute to nursing rotas, clinical schedules, workforce planning and staffing arrangements. Support annual leave planning, training coordination and appropriate clinical cover. Review nursing activity, appointment utilisation and clinic capacity. Identify staffing pressures, operational risks and resource requirements. Support management of clinical equipment, nursing supplies and operational resources. Contribute to expenditure planning and cost-effective delivery of nursing services. Work with administrative colleagues to improve patient communication, appointments and clinical recalls. Support operational changes and implementation of new services. Balance clinical activity with agreed leadership, management and development responsibilities.

Strategic Leadership and Future Development

Work with GP Partners and the Senior Management Team to establish nursing priorities and development plans. Provide professional nursing input into operational and strategic planning. Identify opportunities to improve service quality, accessibility, efficiency and sustainability. Support service development in response to patient needs, NHS priorities and emerging clinical requirements. Contribute to workforce development and succession planning. Champion innovation, preventative healthcare and multidisciplinary working. Help shape the future direction of nursing services at Alwoodley Medical Centre. Promote a culture of teamwork, professional development and continuous improvement.

Communication and Professional Relationships

Maintain effective communication across the Nursing and Healthcare Team. Develop positive relationships with GP Partners, salaried GPs, management and multidisciplinary colleagues. Encourage collaborative working, shared responsibility and constructive feedback. Promote an inclusive, supportive and respectful working environment. Represent the nursing team professionally at relevant meetings. Demonstrate fairness, integrity, accountability and approachable leadership.

Professional Responsibilities

The successful candidate must maintain current NMC registration and practice in accordance with the NMC Code and individual professional competencies. Prescribing or advanced clinical responsibilities may only be undertaken with appropriate qualifications and authorisations. The post holder must comply with practice policies covering confidentiality, information governance, safeguarding, equality, health and safety, infection prevention and professional conduct. An appropriate balance of clinical activity, leadership responsibilities and protected non-clinical time will be agreed. This job description is not exhaustive and may be reviewed in consultation with the post holder to reflect changing patient, practice and NHS requirements.