The post holder will be responsible for the delivery of practice nursing services, working as part of the practice team, delivering and maintaining a high standard of care within their scope of practice to the entitled patient population. The practice nurse will be responsible for a number of clinical areas such as infection prevention and control, health promotion, chronic disease management, health prevention, as well as supporting the management team in the reviewing of clinical policy and procedure. Primary responsibilities The following are the core responsibilities of the practice nurse. There may be, on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks. This will be dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels: a. To work to the Infection Prevention Control (IPC) Policy, providing audits, training, support and evidence of compliance to the practice manager. b. To develop, implement and embed health promotion and well-being programmes c. To implement and evaluate individual treatment plans for chronic disease patients d. To identify, manage and support patients at risk of developing long term conditions, preventing adverse effects to patients health e. To provide routine nursing care to patients as required in accordance with clinical based evidence, NICE and the NSF f. To provide wound care to patients g. To provide travel medicine services h. To request pathology services as necessary i. To process pathology results as required j. To provide chronic disease clinics, delivering patient care as necessary, referring patients to secondary/specialist care as required k. To maintain accurate clinical records in conjunction with extant legislation l. To ensure read codes are used effectively m. To maintain chronic disease registers n. To chaperone patients where necessary o. To deliver opportunistic health promotion where appropriate p. To prioritise health issues and intervene appropriately q. To support the team in dealing with clinical emergencies r. To recognise, assess and refer patients presenting with mental health needs s. To implement vaccination programmes for adults and children t. To support patients in the use of their prescribed medicines or over the counter medicines (within own scope of practice) u. To liaise with external services/agencies to ensure the patient is supported appropriately (vulnerable patients etc.) v. To delegate clinical responsibilities appropriately (ensuring safe practice and the task is within the scope of practice of the individual) w. To support the clinical team with all safeguarding matters in accordance with local and national policies x. To understand practice and local policies for substance abuse and addictive behaviour, referring patients appropriately Professional conduct To act at all times in accordance with the NMC Code of Conduct and to be familiar and adhere to any relevant Practice protocols or guidelines. To dress appropriately in accordance to the role. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion A good attitude and positive action towards ED&I creates an environment where all individuals are able to achieve their full potential. Creating such an environment is important for three reasons: it improves operational effectiveness, it is morally the right thing to do and it is required by law. Patients and their families have the right to be treated fairly and be routinely involved in decisions about their treatment and care. They can expect to be treated with dignity and respect and will not be discriminated against on any grounds including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Patients have a responsibility to treat other patients and our staff with dignity and respect. Staff have the right to be treated fairly in recruitment and career progression. Staff can expect to work in an environment where diversity is valued and equality of opportunity is promoted. Staff will not be discriminated against on any grounds including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Staff have a responsibility to ensure that they treat our patients and their colleagues with dignity and respect. Safety, Health, Environment and Fire (SHEF) This practice is committed to supporting and promoting opportunities for staff to maintain their health, well-being and safety. You have a duty to take reasonable care of health and safety at work for you, your team and others and to co-operate with employers to ensure compliance with health and safety requirements. All personnel are to comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Environmental Protection Act 1990, Environment Act 1995, Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1999 and other statutory legislation. Confidentiality This practice is committed to maintaining an outstanding confidential service. Patients entrust and permit us to collect and retain sensitive information relating to their health and other matters pertaining to their care. They do so in confidence and have a right to expect all staff will respect their privacy and maintain confidentiality at all times. It is essential that, if the legal requirements are to be met and the trust of our patients is to be retained, all staff protect patient information and provide a confidential service. Quality and Continuous Improvement (CI) To preserve and improve the quality of our output, all personnel are required to think not only of what they do, but how they achieve it. By continually re-examining our processes, we will be able to develop and improve the overall effectiveness of the way we work. The responsibility for this rests with everyone working within the practice to look for opportunities to improve quality and share good practice. This practice continually strives to improve work processes which deliver healthcare with improved results across all areas of our service provision. We promote a culture of continuous improvement where everyone counts and staff are permitted to make suggestions and contributions to improve our service delivery and enhance patient care. Learning and development The effective use of training and development is fundamental to ensuring that all staff are equipped with the appropriate skills, knowledge, attitude and competences to perform their role. All staff will be required to partake and complete mandatory training as directed by the training coordinator, as well as participating in the practice training programme. Staff will also be permitted (subject to approval) to undertake external training courses which will enhance their knowledge and skills, progress their career and ultimately enable them to improve processes and service delivery. Collaborative working All staff are to recognise the significance of collaborative working. Teamwork is essential in multidisciplinary environments. Effective communication is also essential and all staff must ensure they communicate in a manner which enables the sharing of information in an appropriate manner.