Advanced Nurse Practitioner

We are looking to expand our workforce with an experienced ANP. However, if you're a Nurse Practitioner working towards additional qualifications, we would be happy to help you fulfill your potential with extra training and support.

Hours and salary are open to discussion depending on your specific requirements, experience and qualifications. We are happy to be flexible with working hours to fit in with other commitments.

Main duties of the job

To deliver a high standard of patient care as a Nurse Practitioner (NP) in general practice, using advanced autonomous clinical skills, and a broad and in-depth theoretical knowledge base.

Working in a flexible approach and in collaboration with the GPs and other health professionals to provide comprehensive healthcare sensitive to the needs of the local population.

To manage own clinical workload in general practice, working within their own professional boundaries, responding effectively to patient need and ensuring patient choice and ease of access to services.

About us

Located in the heart of Thomas Hardy's historic Dorchester, surrounded by stunning landscapes, peaceful villages and vibrant towns, the Atrium Health Centre is a two partner, 7000 patient GP surgery.

We are a friendly bunch who recognise the importance of getting the work/life balance right.

Our close-knit clinical team embraces working together to get problems sorted. We employ a paramedic for our home visits and a pharmacy tech to help with our discharge summaries and other medicines management. We also benefit from the services of a number of ARRS staff via our PCN including a Frailty team, visiting paramedics, Clinical Pharmacists and a Digital Admin team. Our doctors have embraced telemedicine, video calls and eConsults. We currently use an eConsult first system to triage appointments which means our patients are getting face-to-face or telephone appointments much quicker than our old telephone first system.

Our branch surgery Crossways is a dispensing practice nestled in a growing village, a 10-minute drive south east of Dorchester. Its staffed by an experienced team and offers the rewarding continuity of care a smaller surgery can bring.

Job responsibilities CLINICAL ROLE:

• Provide the choice of direct access to a NP, both in the Practice, over the telephone and via domiciliary visits, for the general practice population.
• Make professionally autonomous decisions for which he/she is accountable.
• 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.
• As an independent prescriber: prescribe safe, effective and appropriate medication as defined by current legislative framework.
• Provide safe, evidence-based, cost-effective, individualised patient care.
• Offer a holistic service to patients and their families, developing where appropriate an on-going plan of care/support, with an emphasis on prevention and self-care.
• Promote health and well-being through the use of health promotion, health education, screening and therapeutic communication skills.
• Refer patients directly to other services/agencies as appropriate.
• Work with nursing, medical and health care assistant colleagues to ensure that National Service Frameworks (e.g Coronary Heart Disease/Older People/ Diabetes /Mental Health) are being delivered.
• Work with multi-disciplinary teams both within the Practice and external organisations to promote integrated and seamless pathways of care.
• Contribute to the practice achieving its quality targets to sustain the high standards of patient care and service delivery e.g. QOF and enhanced services.
• Participate in identification of community health needs and develop patient/family-centred strategies to address them.
• Be aware of current initiatives to improve existing patient services.
• Be prepared to embrace IT and all computer services to update knowledge, educate patients and use templates etc.

TEACHING AND MENTORING ROLE:

• Promote a learning environment for patients, nurses and other health professionals.

PROFESSIONAL ROLE:

• Promote evidence-based practice through the use of the latest research-based guidelines and the development of practice-based research.
• Monitor the effectiveness of their own clinical practice through the quality assurance strategies such as the use of audit and peer review.
• Maintain their professional registration.
• Participate in continuing professional development opportunities to ensure that up-to-date evidence-based knowledge and competence in all aspects of the role is maintained.
• Work within the latest NMC Code of Professional Conduct.
• Record accurate consultation data in patients records in accordance with the latest NMC guidance and other pertinent standards.
• To work with Partners in identifying issues related to nursing which need to be further discussed within the practice.
• Actively take part in mandatory and internal/external training as requested including annual appraisal (both external and internal).

Person Specification Qualifications

• Registered General Nurse (Currently registered with the Nursing & Midwifery Council).
• Recognised NP qualification.
• Teaching / Mentoring experience and /or qualification

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years post registration experience.
• Evidence of appropriate continuing professional development activity to maintain up-to-date knowledge and on-going competence in all aspects of the NP role, including long term condition management.
• Evidence of working autonomously and as part of a team.
• Proven ability to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of own clinical practice.
• Experience in a primary care/ community/ emergency setting.
• Experience of Patient Home Visits.
• Interpreting and implementing local and National policy agendas for health.

Knowledge & Skills

• Understanding of systems to gain an understanding of the health needs of the Practice population as they relate to primary care.
• Understanding of evidence based practice.
• Knowledge of national standards that inform practice (e.g National Service Frameworks, NICE guidelines etc).
• Understanding of their accountability arising from the NMC Code of Professional Conduct (2004) and medico-legal aspects of the Nurse Practitioner role.
• Ability to assess and manage patient risk effectively and safely.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills.
• Time management and ability to prioritise workload.
• Able to analyse data and information, drawing out implications for the individual patient/impact on care plan.
• Able to establish and maintain effective communication pathways within the Multi-Disciplinary Team.
• Understanding and knowledge of policy developments related to the delivery of primary care services including General Practice, the GMS/PMS contract, Clinical Governance, Quality & Outcomes Framework.
• Experience of use of a medical software package.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.