Job summary Responsible for attending to patients who wish to be seen by a health care professional; diagnosing and treating patients presenting with minor illness; seeing and advising people in respect of their continuing medical and nursing needs. To work as an autonomous practitioner working independently of and in collaboration with other health care professionals in providing flexible, dynamic and innovative care responsive to health needs of the service user. To assess, diagnose and treat the conditions of patients, initiating direct referrals as appropriate. Provide expert professional advice to patients, carers and colleagues and ensure the maintenance of clinical excellence at all times. To seek and develop innovative and pioneering ways of working whilst establishing close working relationships with staff in primary and secondary care, intermediate care, social services and voluntary organisations. In order to work at this level, requirements for advanced practice must be met. A highly experienced practitioner who is able to demonstrate a high level of defined competencies and an enhanced depth and breadth of knowledge, which enables them to manage patients/clients autonomously. They have the freedom to act and make complex judgements across appropriate practice situations. This incorporates leading and developing practice, diagnostics, therapeutics, decision making and clinical management in collaborating with other members of the team Job responsibilities: Clinical Role: The post-holder will: Undertake Clinical Nursing Practice at an advanced level using expert knowledge and clinical skills to deliver safe, evidence based and holistic care to people accessing primary health care services. Make professionally autonomous decisions for which he/she is responsible and accountable for. Work in partnership with General Practitioners, Consultants, Nursing and Social Care colleagues to diagnosis and treat patients with a range of acute, non acute and chronic medical conditions. Order diagnostic tests, plan, implement and evaluate care and initiate follow up review. Provide a first point of contact within the Practice for patients presenting with undifferentiated, undiagnosed problems, making use of skills in history taking, physical examination, problem-solving and clinical decision-making, to establish a diagnosis and management plan. Instigate necessary invasive and non-invasive diagnostic tests or investigations and interpret findings/reports. Undertakes and interprets a range of diagnostic tests and routine clinical procedures e.g. pathology, cytology, venepuncture, blood pressure monitoring etc As a Nurse Independent Prescriber or Pharmacist Independent Prescriber, to prescribe: Any licensed drug from the British National Formulary, within your professional knowledge and competencies and in concordance with Medicines Act and Misuse of Drugs Act legislation, accepting accountability for all decisions made. Controlled Drugs as per current legislation for Non-medical Prescribers Management Take a lead role to provide high quality patient care. Take an active role in clinical governance, particularly clinical audit, guidelines and protocols. Have an understanding of and work towards Quality and Outcome Frameworks (Registered Practice) Contribute and access clinical supervision. Provide evidence of ongoing personal development through appraisal and review. Have an understanding of and access to CCG policies and infrastructure To be aware of and utilise risk management strategies (clinical and organisational) Attend practice meetings Liaise with the providers of care and agencies Set up and monitor developments in own practice. Maintain own registration and work within NMC code of professional conduct. To be involved in recruitment of other nurses/healthcare assistantsLiaison As well as the nursing team, there is a need to work closely with reception, office and dispensary staff to ensure the smooth running of the practice, reporting any problems encountered to the relevant person and ensuring everyone is aware of the different roles within the nursing tea There is also the need to establish and maintain good liaison with other surgeries and agencies, including secondary care Meetings It will be necessary to attend and contribute to various practice meetings as requested. The only reason for not attending will be annual, study or sick leave. 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 Equality and diversity: The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include: 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 that 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 personal and/or professional development Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work 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 the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the 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 recognize the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to: Communicate effectively with other team members Communicate effectively with patients and carers Recognize peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly Contribution to the implementation of services: The post-holder will: Apply practice policies, standards and guidance Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work Participate in audit where appropriate