Nursing Associate
Job Title: Nursing Associate
Salary: Band 4
Hours: 37.5 per week
Responsible to: Lead ANP
Key Relationships: Partners, GPs, clinical staff, admin staff and patients at the Regent Health PCN practices. Line manager and HR at HCL
IMPORTANT NOTE
This job is suitable for NMC registered Nursing Associates only. It is not suitable for NMC registered Nurses.
BACKGROUND
WHO WE ARE
Healthcare Central London Ltd (HCL) is the GP Federation owned by our 30 General Practices covering the Central London (Westminster) area. The organisation supports 4 Primary Care Networks (PCNs). We operate several NHS contracts on behalf of our PCNs including a Community Dermatology Service; Community Cardiology Service and a Secondary Care Referral Service and an out-of-hospitals provision which is sub-contracted to our 30 General Practices.
On behalf of our practices we are the host employers of a large, and rapidly growing team of ARRS (Additional Roles Reimbursement scheme) roles including Clinical Pharmacists; Pharmacy Technicians; First Contact Physiotherapists; Dieticians; Paramedics; Social Prescribers; Care Coordinators, Digital & Transformation Leads, Nursing Associates, GPAs and Care Co-ordinators.
HOW WE WORK
Our vision is to be recognised as a leading GP provider network, run by clinicians for the benefit of our local population and practices. We will achieve this by working with patients and partners to ensure that general practice remains sustainable and independent. We aim to further diversify our income by exploring commercial joint ventures and expanding our research team in the coming years.
Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel included, valued and supported in work this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. HCL is committed to actively supporting diversity and inclusion and ensuring that all our employees are valued, treated with dignity and respect and enabled and supported to reach their potential.
Our employees work flexibly according to the needs of our patients, typically onsite at our practices or hub sites or at our offices near Marylebone/Edgware Road. Our office-based roles are typically worked as hybrid roles the pattern of which are agreed and reviewed according to service/team requirements.
JOB PURPOSE
The role of the NMC Registered Nursing Associate is to work with the multi professional team to assess, plan, organise and deliver clinical care in line with the Home Visiting service and patient needs, as agreed with supervising clinicians.
The nursing associate has a breadth of knowledge across the lifespan and across the fields of nursing, providing holistic and person centred care and support for adults 18+ and in a variety of settings. The nursing associate works independently under the leadership of registered nurses, working within the sphere of nursing and care and within all aspects of the nursing process. (Health Education England 2018)
Nursing associates are equipped with the knowledge, understanding, skills, attitudes and behaviours relevant to employment as a nursing associate and will work to a nationally recognised Nurse and Midwifery (NMC) code of conduct and must meet the NMC standards of proficiency.
Key Working Relationships
The nursing associate will be working predominantly with house bound patients, GP practices, and other home visiting staff.
Requirements
MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
• To be responsible for providing the appropriate nursing evidence based care for an allocated group of house bound patients
• Be an accountable professional who is responsible for their actions, working in line with NMC standards of proficiency
• Recognise and work within the limits of their competency
• To work as part of a multidisciplinary team using resources efficiently
• To deliver quality care to patients and to work effectively within the nursing and home visiting team
• To be competent in carrying out a variety of clinical procedures
CLINICAL DUTIES
• Assessment and planning of delegated care
• Monitoring of long-term conditions and well-being of service users including escalation of interventions when necessary
• Assist with the implementation and monitoring of clinical care and monitor outcomes
• Administering of Medication in accordance with regulatory guidelines for Nursing Associates
• Undertake onward referrals to appropriate services and community based care support
• Assist in specific therapeutic relations to meet the physical, emotional and psychological, social, cultural and spiritual needs of individuals and carers.
• Enter data into clinical systems (patient records) as per HCL guidance and policies
Promoting Health and Preventing Ill Health:
• Empathise with, and support people to improve and maintain their mental and physical health and wellbeing
• Pro-actively prevent and protect against disease and ill health
• Engage in public health, community development, and in the reduction of health inequalities.
Provide and Monitor Care:
• Provide compassionate, effective care and support to people in a range of care settings
• Monitor the condition and health needs of people on a continual basis in partnership with people, families, and carers
• Contribute to ongoing assessment recognising when it is necessary to refer to others for reassessment
• Communicate effectively with colleagues, service users and carers providing clear verbal, digital or written information and instructions when sharing information, delegating or handing over responsibility for care
• Recognise and report any incidents that could result in poor care outcomes
Working in Teams:
• Contribute to multidisciplinary teams and with external partners and agencies
• Recognise changing priorities seeking advice and guidance from the Registered Nurse or other senior care professionals as appropriate
• Collaborate and communicate effectively with nurses, a range of other health and care professionals and lay carers
• Supervise and co-mentor to healthcare assistants, support workers, carers, trainee nursing associates and, when appropriate, pre-registered healthcare students.
Improving Safety and Quality of Care:
• Assist in therapeutic relationships to the specific physical, emotional, psychological, cultural and spiritual needs of individuals and carers
• Improve the quality of care by contributing to the continuous monitoring of people’s experience of care
• Implement and monitor current standards and procedures to ensure safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults
• Identify risks to safety or standards in patient experience and take appropriate action, putting the best interests, needs and preferences of people first
• Ensure the privacy, dignity and safety of individuals is maintained at all times.
• Complete incident reporting and participate in investigations
• Contribute to service development
Contributing to Integrated Care:
• Provide person-centred care for people, including those with complex needs
• Engage with a range of professionals and carers from other organisations and settings who may be participating in the care of a person and their family
• Undertake a key role in relation to communication and collaboration.
PROFESSIONALISM
• Act in the best interests of service users, carers, families and communities cared for
• Engage in reflective practice including management of self and reflection on own reactions, asking questions and reflecting on answers given
• Participate in Quality Improvement activities
• Act professionally at all times
TEACHING AND TRAINING
• Be proactive in seeking opportunities to continue to develop own knowledge and skills.
• Seeks support / guidance in timely manner if any difficulties are encountered
• Work in partnership with manager to develop and deliver on Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound (SMART) objectives at annual appraisal and personal development planning meeting
• Take responsibility for organising and attending statutory / mandatory updates in accordance with organisational requirements
• Act as an excellent role model by upholding and implementing good practice in the workplace. Recognising and either directly challenging or seeks support to challenge any poor practice observed
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Nursing Associate on the NMC register
- Educated to a minimum level 5 Foundation degree level specific to nursing associate practice
- GCSEs Grade A-C in Maths and English or equivalent Care Certificate
- This post is subject to the rehabilitation of order (1975) and an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check
Desirable
· Additional wound care certificates
· Long term condition management training
Experience
Essential
- Previous experience of working within primary care
- Relevant experience of working self-directed or as part of a team.
- Evidence of continuing professional development
Desirable
- Experience of home visits
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Understanding of the scope of the role of the Nursing Associate in context of the team and the organisation, and how the role contributes to service development
- Understands and acts in line with NMC professional standards for practice contained within the Code.
- Relevant clinical skills in the area of work
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Ability to communicate effectively (written, verbal, non- verbal communication) with patients/relatives, carers and other members of the multi-disciplinary team.
- Ability to develop effective and appropriate relationships with people, their families, carers and colleagues.
- Ability to deal with non-routine and unpredictable nature of workload and individual patient contact
- Insight into how to evaluate own strengths and development needs, seeking advice when needed
- Ability to work well as part of a multidisciplinary team
- Ability to work on own initiative
- Ability to organise and prioritise own workload effectively
- Able to recognise own limitations in the context of the nursing associate role
- Knowledge of when to seek advice and escalate to an appropriate registered health or care professional
- Ability to participate in reflective practice and clinical supervision activities
- IT awareness and ability to use NHS systems
- Ability to support, supervise and act as a role model to nursing associate students, other learners and health care support workers as required within the clinical setting
- Remote consulting skills
Desirable
- Leadership skills
- Flexibility to learn new IT systems
- Innovate use of IT in service of patient care
- Able to bring fresh ideas
Understanding of:
Essential
· NHS system
· Challenges facing NHS.
· Vulnerable groups and how to support them
Desirable
· QOF & Enhanced Services
· GP Networks/Federations
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Professional Standards
All staff must comply with the Healthcare Central London (HCL) Staff Code of Conduct and demonstrate the our Values and Behaviours. Senior Managers must also comply with the NHS Code of Conduct for Managers, based on the Nolan principles of public accountability. All staff employed in recognised professions are required to ensure they work to the professional standards and/or Codes of Practice set out for their professional group. In addition staff are required to demonstrate the Customer Care Standards of the organisation.
Equal Opportunities and Dignity at Work
It is the aim of HCL to ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of race, colour, creed, nationality, ethnic or national origin, sex, marital status or on the grounds of disability or sexual preference, or is placed at a disadvantage by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justifiable. Selection for training and development and promotion will be on the basis of an individual's ability to meet the requirements of the job. To this end HCL has an Equal Opportunities Policy and it is for each employee to contribute to its success. All staff should treat other staff, patients and the public with dignity and respect.
Performance Appraisal and Development Review (PADR)
All staff will actively participate in the annual Performance Appraisal and Development Review process with their line manager. All staff should have SMART objectives and a personal/professional development plan. Objectives and personal development plans should be reviewed together on an ongoing basis through regular one to ones and/or supervision. In conjunction with their manager, all staff should actively identify and pursue agreed learning and development opportunities. All managers are required to carry out annual Performance Appraisal and Development Reviews with their direct reports and support their appraisee to achieve their objectives through ongoing management supervision and one to one meetings.
Safeguarding
HCL is committed to safeguarding and protecting children and vulnerable adults. All health employees have a responsibility for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in accordance with "Working Together to Safeguard Children" HM Gov 2006. This applies to employees with both direct and indirect contact with children and families.
Employees who do not provide specific services for children and families or vulnerable adults require basic knowledge of their responsibilities to identify and refer concerns appropriately. All employees must undertake training in safeguarding children and vulnerable adults but will have different training needs to fulfil their responsibilities depending on their degree of contact with vulnerable groups and their level of responsibility.
Confidentiality and Data Protection
Employees will have access to confidential information and will be required to ensure that the highest level of confidentiality is maintained at all times, adhering to all policies relating to confidentiality.
Employees are required to obtain, process and/or use person identifiable information in a fair and lawful way. The use of such information is governed by the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) and includes both manual and electronic records. Staff are expected to hold data only for the specific registered purpose and not to use or disclose it in any way incompatible with such purpose, and to disclose data only to authorised persons or organisations as instructed, in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.
Access to Health Records
All staff who contribute to patients’ health records are expected to be familiar with, and adhere to, HCL Records Management Policy. Staff should be aware that patients’ records throughout HCL will be the subject of regular audit. In addition, all health professionals are advised to compile records on the assumption that they are accessible to patients in line with the Data Protection Act 1998. All staff that have access to patients’ records have a responsibility to ensure that these are maintained and that confidentiality is protected in line with HCL Policy.
Health and Safety
All staff are required to comply with the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Act and other relevant health and safety legislation and HCL Policies and Procedures. All staff are required to make positive efforts to promote their own personal safety and that of others by taking reasonable care at work, by carrying out requirements of the law or following recognised codes of practice and co-operating with safety measures provided or advised by HCL to ensure safe working.
Managers are responsible for implementing and monitoring any identified risk management control measures within their designated area/s and scope of responsibility. In situations where significant risks have been identified and where local control measures are considered to be potentially inadequate, managers are responsible for bringing these risks to the attention of the appropriate Committee if resolution has not been satisfactorily achieved.
All staff must ensure that waste produced within HCL is disposed of in such ways that control risk to health, or safety of staff and the public alike in accordance with relevant legislation and procedures contained within the policy.
Infection Control
All staff are required to follow HCL infection control policies and comply with all measures known to be effective in reducing infection risk. All staff must complete infection control training at induction, and all staff whose duties involve patient contact must also complete infection control refresher training annually.
Engaging patients and the public
HCL is committed to putting patients, their carers and the public at the heart of everything we do.
Job Description
The above list of duties is not intended to be exhaustive and you will be required to undertake any other duties commensurate with the grade and in line with the requirements of the post. The duties and responsibilities may be subject to change, which will be done in discussion with the postholder.
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.
Probation Period:
All posts in HCL are subject to a 6 month probationary period, during which time you will be expected to demonstrate your suitability for the post. This does not apply to current employees.
Nationality:
This post is open to UK nationals, EU and certain non-EU citizens. Other nationals must be free from any restriction to reside or take up employment in the UK, in order to be considered for this post.
Notice Period:
Four weeks
Method of Payment:
Monthly direct credit transfer into bank or building society.
Benefits
NHS Pension
Modern office
Hybrid working
Free tea/coffee etc.
Cycle to work scheme
Life Assurance scheme
EAP