Job description: Advanced nurse practitioner

This job description is a template. It should be used as a guide and edited according to the specific needs of the practice and the duties required of the post. The role described is equivalent to Agenda for Change (AfC) Band 8.  

Job summary and scope

The advanced nurse practitioner is responsible for providing advanced nursing services to the practice, within the boundaries of the role. He/she will assess, diagnose and treat patients autonomously as appropriate and support patients to be healthy. This will include, but is not limited to, using clinical judgement to assess patients; diagnosing, prescribing and referring as appropriate; planning and implementing treatment protocols; reviewing progress; and guiding the practice’s nursing team in regards to patient care. The advanced nurse practitioner will work collaboratively with the practice team, performing tasks as required by the partners, within the practice’s policy and procedures, and to a defined set of competencies.  

Key responsibilities – clinical

Caring for patients

• Examine and consult with patients to make diagnoses, and plan, implement, evaluate and review treatment, including (but not limited to):
  • Holding face-to-face consultations in clinic and over the telephone
  • Triaging patients who present to the practice as part of unscheduled care protocol
  • Managing patients with both acute and long-term conditions
  • Making clinical diagnoses and referring to other clinicians as appropriate
  • Prescribing medication and implementing other interventions or treatments, in line with competencies and within the boundaries of the role
  • Reviewing prescribed medication and its efficacy, and adjusting treatment as appropriate
  • Educating patients about medication and treatment side effects
• Identify health priorities and make appropriate clinical decisions in relation to patients with complex or urgent needs
• Long-term disease management, including (but not limited to):
  • Identifying patients at risk of developing long-term disease
  • Developing and implementing plans for minimising long-term condition risk and deterioration
  • Leading practice and advising the nursing term in relation to running clinics for long-term conditions
  • Supporting and advising patients in managing their own disease
  • Assess and manage patients’ physiological and psychological needs, including patients with complex needs and multiple diagnoses
• Identify patients who are vulnerable, at risk, or have complex or mental health needs, ensuring they are managed and treated appropriately
• Ensure that patients presenting to the nursing team are dealt with appropriately and seen by a clinician best suited to meet their health needs
• Ensure the nursing team meets the health needs of patients in relation to routine and emergency appointments, including supporting the nursing team with:
  • Long-term disease clinics and management
  • Family planning and women’s health
  • Screening services and testing
  • Immunisations
  • Travel clinics
  • Wellbeing clinics
  • Wound care
  • Venepuncture
  • Minor injuries
  • Skin conditions
• Support and encourage patients to adopt healthy lifestyles
• Perform other clinical and nursing leadership duties as required, within the scope of the advanced nurse practitioner’s competencies and training

Communication with patients

• Ensure patients and carers are aware of and acknowledge the advanced nurse practitioner role, including its scope and limits
• Advise and process referrals for patients who need to be seen by a GP or other appropriate member of the clinical team
• Signpost additional information and support for patients, including making referrals as appropriate
• Use communication that is appropriate to the situation, including communicating sensitively with patients and carers when delivering bad news
• Establish appropriate communication methods to suit patients’ and carers’ level of understanding, cultural/language needs, and preferred communication method
• Anticipate and overcome barriers to communication, and seek support from other staff members where necessary
• Use appropriate communication skills and style to make patients aware of risk, to obtain consent where necessary, and to ensure patients comply with treatment
• Advocate for patients who need additional support and guidance

Delivering high-quality services

• Provide services to the practice’s patient population, to the highest possible standard, in line with competencies and professional code of conduct
• Monitor and maintain the standard of care provided, taking appropriate action if standards are not met, through self- and peer-review, benchmarking and evaluation
• Lead and participate in clinical governance and clinical audit activities to ensure the continual improvement of service delivery
• Where appropriate, lead and participate in reviewing and responding to complaints, significant events and other shared learning activities within a structured framework
• Support and mentor the nursing team and staff in training to ensure they deliver the highest standards of care
• Support the performance of team members and collaborate in improving the quality of healthcare and service provision, in line with local and national policy and strategy
• Work within the practice’s legal framework for identifying vulnerable patients and applying policies relating to the treatment of vulnerable patients

Key responsibilities – non-clinical

Management and leadership

• Act as a positive role model, and set good practice examples and standards for the nursing team
• Lead on planning processes and protocols for the nursing team, including goal-setting, monitoring progress, recognising achievements and outcomes
• Lead the nursing team by identifying, prioritising and balancing the needs of individual staff members, the wider team and the practice, including managing competing prioritising and conflicting needs
• Lead on the development and implementation of clinical guidelines, in line with national and locally agreed protocols and up-to-date evidence base
• Delegate projects, workload and tasks in accordance with resources and individual skills and competencies, including (but not limited to):
  • Providing guidance and support as appropriate
  • Monitoring performance and outcomes
  • Maintaining competencies within the team and individually
  • Challenging underperformance and inappropriate behaviour, including implementing performance management in collaboration with the partners, GPs and management team
• Contribute to effective resource and finance management within the practice, including (but not limited to):
  • Collaborating with the partners and management team to manage budgets and procurement of equipment and technology, nursing staff and recruitment, stock and other resources
  • Supporting the nursing team to ensure stock control and rotation, supplies and equipment maintenance
  • Collaborating with the partners and management team to ensure patients can access nursing services, in line with availability standards

Practice-related duties

• Accurate record-keeping, including (but not limited to):
  • Making and maintaining accurate, contemporaneous records of encounters with patients
  • Making sure the nursing team maintains accurate and up-to-date records
  • Ensuring data is recorded to enhance patient care (eg, coding, reminders) and in an accessible way, to facilitate data analysis
  • Provide data analysis for the nursing, GP and management teams as required
• Ensure the practice’s health and safety policy is up to date and contribute to its implementation by:
  • Implementing regular risk assessment to identify hazards, minimise risk and apply control measures
  • Implementing reporting pathways for risks and taking actions to minimise risk
  • Making sure policies comply with national guidelines
• Lead on implementing the maintenance of a safe working environment, in accordance with health and safety protocol, including (but not limited to):
  • Keeping clinical and non-clinical working areas tidy and free of hazards, minimising the risk to everyone in the practice
  • Adhering to policies relating to infection control, cold chain, spillages, decontamination, handling of specimens, handling sharps and clinical waste, etc
  • Maintaining up-to-date knowledge on health and safety protocol
  • Leading, contributing to and attending mandatory training when required
• Perform other non-clinical duties as required, within the scope of the advanced nurse practitioner’s competencies and training

Personal and professional development

• Comply with the Nursing and Midwifery Council Code of Conduct and maintain up-to-date registration and documentation
• Act as a mentor and positive role model to the nursing team, students and more junior members of staff, sharing information and good practice
• Prioritise own workload and lead on prioritising the nursing team’s and practice workload
• Undertake training as required to ensure competencies for delivering all responsibilities, including leading, attending and contributing to in-house training, and including (but not limited to):
  • Maintaining Personal Development and CPD plans and records of learning, clinical supervision, appraisals of nursing team and more junior staff, feedback on performance
• Keep up to date with current evidence-based approaches to patient care and service delivery, in line with NICE and the National Service Framework
• Undertake regular mandatory training, such as relating to emergency life support, manual lifting and handling, safeguarding vulnerable patients, child protection, etc

Other important aspects of the role

Maintaining confidentiality

The advanced nurse practitioner will, as an integral part of and in the course of carrying out his/her role, have access to confidential and sometimes sensitive information relating to patients, carers and family members, as well as similar information about colleagues. The advanced nurse practitioner might also have access to confidential commercial information about the practice and its business. All such information, in whatever format and howsoever made available, must be treated with the strictest confidence. All such information held both within and outside of the practice will be shared only as necessary, and in accordance with the practice’s confidentiality/data-sharing policies, and in line with data protection legislation and the Freedom of Information Act.

Equality and diversity

The advanced nurse practitioner will comply with the practice’s own equality and diversity policy, and legislation relating to equality and diversity, including (but not limited to):

• Recognising the rights of patients, carers, family members and colleagues, and respecting their needs, beliefs, privacy and dignity
• Not discriminating against patients, carers, family members or colleagues on the grounds of any of the protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010 (or its amendments or later legislation)
• Supporting people who need help understanding and exercising their rights
• Acting as a role model in relation to promoting equality, diversity and non-discriminatory practices
• Identifying discriminatory practices and patterns of discrimination, taking appropriate action to tackle it, and instead promoting equality
• Complying with, promoting and evaluating chaperoning policies
• Recognising and promoting the right of patients to choose their care provider, and to participate in or refuse care

Key relationships and contacts

Give your practice vacancy the competitive advantage you need to attract the candidates you want. Contact the Pulse Practice Jobs team on 0207 214 0570 or email [email protected] for more information.