Nurse Associates – CLICK PCN

About Us

CLICK (Chard, Ilminster and Langport) Primary Care Network (PCN) is located in South Somerset with 6 GP practices and a diverse population spread across town and rural locations.  CLICK has a population size of around 50,000 patients.

Currently led under the Clinical Director leadership of Dr Christoph Kollmeier and Dr Inge Alberts, the PCN is made up of:

• Langport Surgery
• Ariel Healthcare (Chard)
• Springmead (Chard)
• Summervale (Ilminster)
• The Meadows (Ilminster)
• Churchview (Ilminster)

As a PCN we are forward thinking, innovate and driven to deliver the best patient care for our population. This includes health population management, and this role ties in with supporting that and tracking the improvements we can make to patients’ lives.

Job Summary

This is an exciting new role within a PCN setting, where you will be using your skills to support and compliment our existing team of clinicians, providing and monitoring patient centered care, across the patient population of Chard, Ilminster and Langport (CLICK) network.

You will be a registered Nursing Associate, who is motivated, proactive, committed and with excellent communication skills.  You will work independently under the leadership of a registered nurse, supporting with all aspects of nursing care and improving on the safety and quality of patient care at every opportunity.

Key Clinical Responsibilities:

Provide continuing direct and indirect care to patients across the practice population.  Carry out procedures safely and effectively within the PCN practices and also in the patient’s home (including care homes), clinical tasks to include:

• Clinical observations such as BP / Pulse / Temperature / Oxygen saturations / point of care blood glucose / BMI;
• Venepuncture;
• Spirometry;
• ECG;
• Diabetic foot checks;
• Sample processing and management;
• Provide care and support with hygiene and maintenance of skin integrity including minor and complex wound care;
• Administration of medicines via oral, topical and inhalation routes and administer injections using subcutaneous and intra-muscular routes. This will include immunisations influenza / shingles / pneumonia, B12;
• Assist GP / ANP with minor surgery / invasive procedures for example coil fitting;
• Monitoring and support of the management of patients with long-term conditions / chronic diseases, using a holistic patient centred approach;
• Partake in member practices MDT, supporting the co-ordination and management of patients living in Care Home;
• Support patients to improve and maintain their mental and physical health and wellbeing;
• Assist with the co-ordination of Infection Control policy and audit;
• Chaperone patients when required;
• Support registered nurses to enable them to be able to focus on the more complex clinical care;
• Contribute to the delivery of integrated care;
• Promote health and well-being to all patients, for example undertaking the NHS health check, Hypertension reviews, prediabetes checks;
• Advise patients on general healthcare and promote self-management where appropriate, including signposting patients to personalised care colleagues and local community and voluntary sector services;
• Care for individuals with dementia, mental health conditions, and learning disabilities;
• Support the member practices’ Immunisation programmes as required;
• Support the member practices’ Cervical neoplasia programmes as required.

General Responsibilities:

• Communicate effectively with other members of the primary health care team;
• Use knowledge and experience to make evidence based decisions and solve problems;
• Recognise and work within the limits of their competence;
• Engage in reflective practice including management of self and reflection on own reactions, asking questions and reflecting on answers given;
• Maintain accurate and contemporaneous patient health records;
• Be responsible for own actions;
• Act professionally at all times;
• Any other duties considered relevant to the post.

Educational:

• Identify personal development and training needs in conjunction with the Line Manager;
• Participate in an annual Personal Development Review;
• Keep all mandatory training up to date and maintain own portfolio of professional development;
• Provide support and supervision to training nursing associates, healthcare assistants, apprentices, and those on learning assignments/placements as required.

Quality and Audit:

• Work with the PCN MDT to ensure delivery of nursing associate duties complement existing workforce;
• Participate in Quality Improvement activities;
• Participate fully in practice audit and quality development programmes.

Inter-Agency working:  

• Communicate proactively and effectively with all MDT colleagues across the PCN, attending and contributing to meetings as required;
• Develop relationships across the MDT to support integration of the role across health and social care including primary care, secondary care, and mental health.

Supervision

PCNs must ensure that the post holder has access to appropriate clinical supervision and an appropriate named individual in the PCN to provide general advice and support on a day to day basis.

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, member practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the Primary care Network and practices within this;
• As an  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 Member practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data.

Health & safety:

The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others’ health, safety and security as defined in the practice Health & Safety policy, the Practice Health & Safety manual, and the Member Practice infection control policy and published procedures. This will include:

• Using personal security systems within the workplace according to Member Practice guidelines;
• Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks;
• Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills;
• Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards;
• Actively reporting of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when   recognised;
• Keeping own work areas and general/patient areas generally clean, assisting in the maintenance of standards of cleanliness consistent with the scope of the job holder’s role;
• Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum annually);
• Reporting potential risks identified;
• Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

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 recognises the importance of people’s 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 Primary Carer Network  as part of this employment, with 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 PCN and member practices, 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 team’s 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 people’s needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.

Contribution to the implementation of services:

The post-holder will:

• Apply Primary Care Network and Member 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.

Any Other Duties:

Any other duties as may be determined by the Primary Care Network and Host Practice Manager Team and Partners.