Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

Planning and Organisational Duties

•    Maintain self-development and clinical competence with specific reference to the treatment of minor injuries / illnesses. 
•    Arrange the reception, transfer and discharge of patients in accordance with policies and procedures. 
•    To undertake additional training to develop specialist skills and knowledge as appropriate e.g. PGD’s, clinical examination skills, digital nerve blocks, suturing, reduction of dislocations and interpretation of diagnostic tests. 
•    Allocates / deploys staff, in response to service demand and patient needs. 
•    Organises and prioritises personal workload, co-ordinating care and delegating work in an ever changing environment. 
•    Responsible for ensuring compliance with local and national targets. 
•    Implements best practice and delivery of a high standard of nursing care, evaluating service delivery, identifying areas for improvement and initiating change. 
•    Recognise and respond appropriately to issues, which require urgent or immediate attention, reporting to other members of the multi-disciplinary/ senior staff as necessary. 
•    To ensure patients valuables and belongings are documented and managed in accordance with the Trusts policies and procedures. 
•    Ensure risk recognition and management of risk in the clinical environment as appropriate 
•    Responsibility to keep self organisationally and departmentally updated through attendance at appropriate meetings 

•    Seek appropriate advice for clinical and managerial problems beyond your scope of professional knowledge and/or skill 
•    Actively participates in discussions about service / policy developments and other organisational initiatives that effect the post holder’s professional and working environment.
•    Lead in advancing the development of practice with regard to minor injuries / minor illnesses. 
•    Perform a comprehensive assessment of the patient’s clinical needs presenting with minor injuries / illnesses, implementing best practice and maintaining high standards of care. 
•    Assess patient’s condition by history taking, physical examination and appropriate use of investigations to confirm diagnosis and prescribe treatment within Trust protocols and clinical guidelines. 
•    Undertakes and interprets a range of diagnostic tests e.g. x-rays, bloods. 
•    Support the delivery of nursing care, ensure safe discharge, referral or transfer to other areas. 
•    Ensure that patients are properly informed about their condition, treatment and expected outcomes. 
•    Work autonomously as independent practitioners. 
•    Co-ordinates and performs clinical procedures requiring a degree of concentration e.g. suturing 
•    Ensure the accurate maintenance of records is compliant with legal, professional and organisational standards. 
•    Collect, analyse and evaluate information, report and act in accordance with unit protocols and guidelines. 
•    Maintain accurate high quality and effective communication, written, verbal interpersonal and via computer with all professional colleagues, hospital departments and other agencies. 
•    Recognises and respond appropriately to urgent and emergency situations.

Communications and Key Working Relationships

•    Undertake triage of patients. 
•    Provide specialist clinical knowledge in relation to minor injuries / illnesses to colleagues, patients, carers / relatives.
•    Establishes and maintains effective communication with patients and carers / relatives and professionals across health and social services ensuring appropriate advice is given on discharge. 
•    Deals with complex and sensitive information relating to patients and procedures. 
•    Relaying of distressing news to patient’s / relatives / carers on occasions. 
•    Demonstrates an ability to be empathetic, reassuring, supportive and persuasive. 
•    Work in close collaboration with members of multidisciplinary team to ensure that patient need and service demands are met. 
•    To ensure effective communication and sensitivity is maintained when dealing with people regarding difficult matters and / or in difficult situations e.g. violence and aggression.

Responsibility for Finance

•    Contribute to ensuring the effective use of all resources. 
•    Assist in the maintenance of the stock levels and work within the resources available. Bring to the attention of senior staff any potential efficiency savings or anticipated budgetary pressures. 
•    Ordering of stock as required.

Responsibility for Human Resources

•    Records and reports accidents and untoward incidents as per policy and actively carries out steps to minimise further risk as appropriate. 
•    Maintains safe administration of medicines, concordant with the NMC and Trust policies. 
•    It is a standard element of the role and responsibility of all staff of the Trust that they fulfil a proactive role towards the management of risk in all of their actions. This entails the risk assessment of all situations, the taking of appropriate actions and reporting of all incidents, near misses and hazards.
•    Compliance with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 – the post holder is required to fulfil a proactive role towards the management of risk in all of their actions. This entails the risk assessment of all situations, the taking of appropriate actions and reporting of all incidents, near misses and hazards, and a statutory duty of care for their own personal safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions.  

Responsibility for Teaching

•    Facilitate a supportive learning environment for all levels of staff. 
•    Identifies learning needs, plans, and implements and evaluates programmes of education in conjunction with senior staff to meet the identified need. 
•    Undertake the role of mentor/preceptor/supervisor to other members of the departmental team, students and other relevant disciplines. 
•    Able to demonstrate specialist clinical skills to less experienced staff. 
•    Assist members of the departmental team to identify their own training and development needs and support them in achieving individual goals. 
•    Formally assess the competence of staff and students producing verbal and written reports as required by the appropriate agencies. 
•    Maintain a responsibility to keep oneself updated to ensure competence and develop own clinical knowledge. 
•    Participate in teaching/training sessions to all grades of staff.
•    Undertake the teaching and practical supervision of junior and senior staff in training.
•    Support the provision of health education during patient consultation.
•    Supervise and direct the work of staff and support workers by taking responsibility in ensuring that instructions regarding ongoing patient care needs are followed.