Job summary
Practice Nurse with focus on Chronic Disease Management Cherry Hinton and Brookfields Medical Centres

We are looking for a skilled and enthusiastic Practice Nurse with experience in Chronic Disease Management to join our supportive team at Cherry Hinton and Brookfields Medical Centre. The ideal candidate will have experience in managing patients with either respiratory diseases (Asthma and COPD) and/or diabetes.

We are based in South Cambridge and provide care to approximately 10,000 patients. The practices have great transport links for those commuting from in and around Cambridge. This an excellent opportunity for a dedicated nurse who is passionate about high-quality patient care and keen to help support and develop our services.

This role will focus on the provision of chronic disease care. We welcome applications from clinicians with strong nursing skills who have experience in reviewing and providing appropriate management, advice and health promotion in line with local and national policies. The role will be supported by a comprehensive team including a lead nurse and clinical lead within the practice. We welcome any queries relating to the role and informal visits to the practice.

Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will work closely with the practice team to provide evidence-based, high-quality care to patients diagnosed with chronic diseases. The role will also assist the nursing team with routine care including immunisations, cervical screening and wound care.

About us
Cambs GP Network is a federation of GP practices across Cambridge and the surrounding villages. We have a social enterprise ethos and are wholly owned by our local member practices and hold the contract to deliver services at Cherry Hinton and Brookfields Medical Centre.

Cherry Hinton and Brookfields Medical Centre cares for around 10,000 patients and is conveniently located South of Cambridge with great transport links from in and around the City. It is complemented by a stable and helpful team of experienced health care professionals including GPs, nurses and HCAs.

The practice offers traditional, face-to-face, high-quality patient care, with the added support of the wider Cambs GP Network team. This gives the team the stability and resources to focus on patients and maintain a well-run, sustainable service.

Job responsibilities
Main Duties and General Administrative Responsibilities:

• Clinically, the focus of the role is the delivery of evidence-based practice for patients with long-term conditions and management including preventative nursing interventions to all patients.
• Assure clinical safety and drive excellent patient outcomes
• Support the practice manager and clinical lead in service delivery
• Work collaboratively with the whole practice team to meet the needs of patients, supporting the delivery of policy and procedures, and providing leadership and direction for the nursing team.
• Conduct all duties in accordance with the NMC code of professional conduct and the various local and national policies, guidelines and protocols.

Clinical Responsibilities
Assess, plan, develop, implement, provide, and evaluate treatment programmes including but not limited to:

• Health promotion and well-being plus individual plans for patients with/at risk of a long-term condition
• Manage and treat long-term conditions, in line with national and local policies and practice needs
• Review medication for therapeutic effectiveness, in accordance with evidence-based practice and national practice protocols, and work with patients to support adherence to prescribed treatments
• Prioritise health problems, intervening appropriately, to assist the patient in complex, urgent or emergency situations, including initiation of effective emergency care
• Support and manage health needs of women presenting for family planning and cervical cytology consultations
• Implement and participate in vaccination and immunisation programmes for both adults and children
• Wound Care assessment and Management

Communication

• Demonstrate sensitive communication styles to ensure patients are fully informed and consent to treatment
• 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
• Participate in practice team meetings. Facilitating and coordinating nursing team meetings.
• Act as an advocate when representing patients and colleagues

Quality Assurance

• Recognise and work within own competence and professional code of conduct as regulated by the NMC
• Produce accurate, and complete records of patient consultation, consistent with legislation, policies, and procedures
• Prioritise, organise, and manage own and others workload in a manner that maintains and promotes quality and safety.
• Deliver care as an individual and team according to evidence based care and organisational, and national policies
• Assess effectiveness of care delivery through peer review, benchmarking and formal evaluation and leading on the maintenance of quality governance systems for the nursing team
• Implement and review the application of evidence-based practice in nursing
• Awareness of local and national safeguarding policies
• Assist with planning and managing QOF achievements relating to chronic disease management alongside liaising with the practices clinical lead
• Participate and lead on clinical audits sharing knowledge and learning events with the practice team

Leadership- Personal and People Development

• Responsible for own development, learning and performance including participating in clinical supervision and acting as a positive role model
• Support the development of others to maximise staff potential
• Work alongside the nursing team in the planning and implementation of local guidelines, protocols and standards, and of local projects or initiatives

Team Working

• Work as an effective and responsible Practice Nurse, supporting others and exploring the mechanisms to develop new ways of working
• Delegate appropriately, adopting the principles of safe practice and assessment of competence of nursing team

Education

• Responsible for own professional development by attending relevant meetings, courses, seminars in agreement with the practice study leave guidelines.
• Be involved in providing a learning environment and demonstrate own activities to learners and new staff in the practice. Supervise others as needed.

Management of Risk

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

Confidentiality:

• While 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, CGPN staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to CGPN 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 CGPN may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with CGPN 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 CGPN Health & Safety Policy, to include:

• Using personal security systems within the workplace according to CGPN 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
• Reporting potential risks identified

Personal/Professional Development:
The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by CGPN 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 CGPN, 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 and other agencies to meet patients needs
• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources

Communication:
The post-holder should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

• Communicate effectively with other team members
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers
• Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly

This role description is intended as a basic guide to the responsibilities of the post and is not exhaustive and may be subject to review in consultation with the post holder.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Registered Nurse (NMC) with a current valid registration
• Experience of working in primary care post-registration
• Independent clinical assessment and decision-making skills
• Competent in the use of Systm1 and Ardens templates
• Experience in Chronic Disease Management (Respiratory and/or Diabetes)

Desirable

• Leadership and Management experience
• Knowledge of clinical governance and infection prevention and control
• Understanding of primary-care requirements (QOF, enhanced services and national screening programmes)
• Teaching and/or mentorship experience

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration.