Detailed job description and main responsibilities

·       Assess, diagnose, plan, implement and evaluate treatment/interventions and care for patients presenting with an undifferentiated diagnosis

·       Clinically examine and assess patient needs from a physiological and psychological perspective, and plan clinical care accordingly.

·       Proactively identify, diagnose and manage treatment plans for patients at risk of developing a long-term condition (as appropriate).

·       Diagnose and manage both acute and chronic conditions, integrating both drug- and non-drug-based treatment methods into a management plan.

·       Prescribe and review medication for therapeutic effectiveness, appropriate to patient needs and in accordance with evidence-based practice and national and practice protocols, and within scope of practice.

·       Work with patients in order to support compliance with and adherence to prescribed treatments
Provide information and advice on prescribed or over-the-counter medication on medication regimens, side-effects and interactions

·       Prioritise health problems and intervene appropriately to assist the patient in complex, urgent or emergency situations, including initiation of effective emergency care

·       Support patients to adopt health promotion strategies that promote healthy lifestyles, and apply principles of self-care

·       Support and manage health needs of women presenting for family planning, cervical cytology or sexual health consultation

·       Assess, identify and refer patients presenting with mental health needs in accordance with the NSF for Mental Health

·       Implement and participate in vaccination and immunisation programmes for both adults and children

·       Advise, support and administer vaccinations for patients travelling abroad, where appropriate

·       Promote and deliver evidence-based care for patients presenting with aural conditions

·       Meet the needs of patients presenting for opportunistic wound care

·       Undertake minor surgery as appropriate and within competence.

Communication

·       Utilise and demonstrate sensitive communication styles, to ensure patients are fully informed and consent to treatment.

·       Communicate with and support patients who are receiving ‘bad news’

·       Communicate effectively with patients and carers, recognising the need for alternative methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding, cultural background and preferred ways of communicating

·       Anticipate barriers to communication and take action to improve communication

·       Maintain effective communication within the practice environment and with external stakeholders

·       Act as an advocate for patients and colleagues

·       Ensure awareness of sources of support and guidance (eg PALS) and provide information in an acceptable format to all patients, recognising any difficulties and referring where appropriate 

Delivering a quality service

·       Produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete records of patient consultation, consistent with legislation, policies and procedures

·       Prioritise, organise and manage own workload in a manner that maintains and promotes quality

·       Deliver care according to NSF, NICE guidelines and evidence-based care

·       Assess effectiveness of care delivery through self and peer review, benchmarking and formal evaluation

·       Initiate and participate in the maintenance of quality governance systems and processes across the organisation and its activities

·       Utilise the audit cycle as a means of evaluating the quality of the work of self and the team, implementing improvements where required

·       In partnership with other clinical teams, collaborate on improving the quality of health care responding to local and national policies and initiatives as appropriate

·       Evaluate patients’ response to health care provision and the effectiveness of care

·       Support and participate in shared learning across the practice and wider organisation

·       Use a structured framework (eg root-cause analysis) to manage, review and identify learning from patient complaints, clinical incidents and near-miss events

·       Assess the impact of policy implementation on care delivery

·       Working with the practice management monitor and develop the performance of the GPN team in accordance with local policies

·        Contribute to the appraisal of the performance of the team, providing feedback as appropriate

·       Understand and apply legal issues that support the identification of vulnerable and abused children and adults, and be aware of statutory child/vulnerable patients health procedures and local guidance

·       Working with PCN management to ensure the whole team have skills and knowledge regarding domestic violence, vulnerable adults, substance abuse and addictive behaviour. Provide guidance and support to ensure appropriate referral if required 

Management of risk

·       Manage and assess risk within the areas of responsibility, ensuring adequate measures are in place to protect staff and patients

·       Monitor work areas and practices to ensure they are safe and free from hazards and conform to health, safety and security legislation, policies, procedures and guidelines

·       Ensure appropriate supervision of safe storage, rotation and disposal of vaccines and drugs. Oversee the monitoring, stock control and documentation of controlled drug usage according to legal requirements where appropriate

·       Working with the practice management, ensure the nursing team has access to and undertakes mandatory and statutory training requirements

·       Apply infection-control measures within the practice according to local and national guidelines

·       Advocate for policies that reduce environmental health risks, are culturally sensitive and increase access to health care for all

·       Interpret national strategies and policies into local implementation strategies that are aligned to the values and culture of general practice.

Managing information

·       Use technology and appropriate software as an aid to management in planning, implementation and monitoring of care, presenting and communicating information

·       Review and process data using accurate snomed codes in order to ensure easy and accurate information retrieval for monitoring and audit processes

·       Manage information searches using the internet and local library databases

·       Understand responsibility of self and others to the PCN and ICB regarding the Freedom of Information Act
Collate, analyse and present clinical data and information to the team

·       Communicate essential financial restraints with the team and discuss with them ideas for effective and efficient working within these constraints

Learning and development

·       Undertake mentorship for more junior staff, assessing competence against set standards

·       Disseminate learning and information gained to other team members in order to share good practice and inform others about current and future developments (eg courses and conferences)

·       Assess own learning needs and undertake learning as appropriate

·       Provide an educational role to patients, carers, families and colleagues in an environment that facilitates learning