Practice Nurse

We are recruiting for a Practice Nurse to join the team at East Cliff Practice, on a part time basis, 22 hours per week.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role.

Main duties of the job

As a Band 6 Practice Nurse, you will work to provide and maintain a high standard of nursing care for patients including treatment, preventative care, screening, and patient education. The role will involve undertaking a range of nursing assessments safely and effectively and providing appropriate care and/or treatment to patients in conjunction with GPs, Clinicians, and the wider nursing team. You will work to policies and protocols and strive to improve standards of care to the practice's patient population. There may on occasion be a requirement to undertake home visits.

As an experienced Practice Nurse, you will provide leadership to the practice team in relation to a defined area of practice and support the lead nurse in the day-to-day management of the Practice Nurse team.

About us

Invicta Health is a non-profit company, with a passion for primary care. We have a wide range of services such as hub-based GP services, GP surgeries, services in Urgent Care Centres and A&E, a Community Primary Care mental health service, GP staff training service, and the list is growing all the time.

We are formed by a federation of General Practitioners working in Canterbury and South Kent Coast areas of East Kent. Our aim is to provide local, high-quality services for local people by collaborating with other established organisations in the health and social care community.

What perks can we offer you?

• Learning and Development opportunities
• Progression opportunities
• Competitive annual leave entitlement
• Incremental pay progression
• Approved blue light card provider
• Salary Sacrifice Schemes
• Car Lease Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme

Job responsibilities

Main Responsibilities

Clinical

Assist in and perform routine tasks related to patient care as directed by Lead Nurse and GPs, advising and escalating any potential problems, issues, or errors in a timely manner.

Undertake and oversee chronic disease management or specialist GP services including monitoring progress and response to treatment, identifying where changes to medication may be necessary and seeking senior support to implement, processing referrals where required, working to reduce unnecessary hospital admissions, and promoting the preventative aspects of nursing practice. Chronic diseases include but are not limited to:

• Asthma
• Diabetes
• COPD

Once trained and competent, work within your scope of practice to undertake women's health management including but not limited to:

• Cervical Cytology
• Contraception including reviews, depo injection, pill checks, and coil removal.
• HRT reviews

Work to recognise changes in a patient's condition and take appropriate action.

Undertake wound and ulcer care including suture/clip removal, dressings, and assessment to include doppler studies.

Implement, monitor, and evaluate a plan of care for wound and ulcer management to be followed by Healthcare Assistants, Nursing Associates, and Registered Nurses undergoing training in this area of practice.

Undertake diagnostics tests including but not limited to:

• Urinalysis
• Request pathology tests, for example, urine culture
• ECG and BP testing including 24hr ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
• Pulse rate and rhythm
• Venepuncture
• Blood Glucose monitoring
• Weight management including BMI
• Height measurement
• Peak flow readings
• Spirometry (where ARTP registered)

Administer adult and child immunisations, vaccinations, and injections including travel vaccines, under a recognised legal framework.

Ensure safe storage, rotation, and disposal of vaccines and drugs.

Chaperone patients to their healthcare appointments when requested.

Assist with minor surgery and invasive procedures when required, this includes but is not limited to:

• Coil insertions
• Minor surgical procedures

Monitor and maintain stock of vaccinations, emergency drugs, and wound dressings, keeping accurate records and ordering low stock items when required.

Ensure appropriate health promotion literature is available.

Maintain clinical equipment efficiently and ensure servicing/calibration is undertaken, updating the calibration records as necessary.

Prepare and maintain environments and equipment before, during, and after patient care in line with infection prevention and control guidance.

Undertake housekeeping duties including, general tidiness and cleanliness of equipment, nursing rooms, and treatment rooms ensuring room and equipment logs are kept up to date and available for auditing upon request.

Attend and participate in any MDT and practice meetings when required.

Ensure practice fridges are checked daily, temperature recorded, cold chain maintained, and reporting any issues where relevant.

Keep up to date with any changes or advances within the Nursing profession, completing annual competency reviews and necessary training.

Communicate effectively, sensitively, and compassionately with colleagues, patients, and carers recognising needs for alternative methods of communication.

Liaise and communicate with multi-agency partners and third-party organisations as appropriate, adhering to organisational and national information sharing guidance at all times.

Administration

Accurately input, update, and extract information onto/from the Practice clinical system when required.

Record patient information clearly and concisely, adhering to national and local guidance.

Liaise with and feedback effectively to the nursing team and other members of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT).

Infection Control

Support the Infection, Prevention and Control lead through the following measures:

Follow procedures aimed at reducing the risk of passing on the organisms that can cause infections.

Demonstrate a duty of care in following best practice in adherence to guidelines which is a fundamental requirement in underpinning the management of Infection, Prevention and Control.

Apply infection control measures within the practice according to local and national guidelines. This includes:

• Dealing with blood and body fluid spillages
• Decontamination of instruments and clinical equipment
• Reporting and treatment of sharps injuries
• Segregation and disposal of waste materials
• The collection and handling of laboratory specimens
• Universal hand hygiene precautions

Monitor and change sharps bins within the practice when requested or identified.

Assist patients and colleagues in adopting recommended infection control measures and health and safety measures.

Effective cleaning and sterilisation of clinical equipment and working surfaces, preparing treatment/consulting rooms prior to use.

Support the Lead Nurse in the completion of relevant Infection, Prevention and Control audits.

Professional Registration

Work in accordance with Nursing and Midwifery Council Code of Professional Conduct ensuring NMC registration is valid.

Ensure you comply with requirements for revalidation and maintain the knowledge and skills you need for safe practice.

Continue professional development (CPD) to supplement existing knowledge to aid further autonomy within the role.

Disseminate updates in current evidence to all in practice, particularly new learning from study.

Recognise and work within the limits of your competence and scope of practice.

Work with the wider multi-disciplinary team to deliver services in line with current best evidence, national and local guidelines.

Contribute to the development of policies, protocols, and guidelines across the organisation, ensuring compliance.

Work collaboratively within the practice and with professional partners including secondary care, voluntary bodies, and multi-agency organisations to streamline care pathways using a patient-centred approach.

Safeguarding

The autonomous nature of this role may expose you to situations and circumstances which others do not see. As such it is your responsibility to ensure that all actual and potential safeguarding concerns are identified and acted upon in accordance with local and national guidance.

Offer and provide clinical supervision to other members of the practice nursing team.

To mentor, supervise, and develop new and existing staff, ensuring participation in required training.

Support in the training and induction of new and junior members of staff at the practice.

Actively participate in educational programmes for the whole primary healthcare team, including medical and nursing students and GP registrars, in relation to areas of clinical and practice nursing expertise.

Person Specification

Experience

• Involvement in implementing and using protocols and clinical guidelines.
• Knowledge of the needs of patients with long-term conditions.
• Knowledge of health promotion strategies.
• Aware of the accountability of own role and other roles in a nurse-led service.
• Awareness of clinical governance issues in primary care.
• Knowledge of patient group directions and associated policy.
• Good understanding of Infection, Prevention and Control measures.
• Experience working in a GP Surgery.
• Ability to identify determinants on health in the local area.
• Knowledge of public health issues in the local area.
• Awareness of local and national health policy.
• Awareness of issues within the wider health economy.

Personal Attributes

• Calm under pressure.
• Strives for excellence.
• Honest and fair.
• Leads by example.
• Confident in offering and providing clinical supervision to other members of the practice nursing team.
• Ability to work independently following verbal or written instruction.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills.
• Negotiation and conflict management skills.
• Observes good health and safety practices.
• Knowledge in clinical systems including EMIS and DOCMAN.

Qualifications

• Good level of education including competent levels of numeracy and literacy.
• BSc Adult Nursing.
• Chronic disease management qualification.
• Evidence of continual professional development.
• Chaperone training.
• Driving Licence and means of transport.
• Cytology screening qualification.
• ARTP registration.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.