Learning Disability Nurse inKing's Lynn inKing's Lynn PUBLISHED FRI 20 DEC 2024

The successful candidate will be responsible for the PCN's commitment to Tackling Health Inequalities, specifically in relation to Learning Disabilities. You will be performing annual Learning Disability Health Checks on patients from across the PCN, as well as assisting practices with completion of their Severe Mental Illness Health Checks.

People with a learning disability often have poorer physical and mental health than others. By working towards the gold standard in health checks, Kings Lynn PCN wants to narrow the gap by picking up issues and illnesses much sooner than has traditionally been the case. As well as the responsibility of performing the vital checks, you will also look to maintain and further improve relationships with other local agencies with the goal of increasing acceptance and attendance across this patient cohort.

The position will be funded via the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS), and will be classified as an Enhanced Practice Nurse. The successful applicant therefore MUST meet the criteria for the post, detailed further below.

The main duty of this post will be responsibility of being the sole provider of LD and SMI Health Checks for some of the PCN's member practices. The health check itself will be completed using the relevant SystmOne templates, and will include but not necessarily be limited to:

• Measuring patient's weight, height, heart rate and blood pressure.
• Taking a blood sample.
• Talking to the patient about conditions that are commonly associated with learning disabilities such as epilepsy, constipation, and problems with eyesight and hearing.
• Discuss medicines that are being taken, and ensure that they are being correctly used.
• Check that vaccinations are up to date.
• Provide information on healthy lifestyle choices such as healthy eating, exercise, contraception and stopping smoking.
• Arranging further healthcare as required.

Although the role prioritises these health checks, depending on work load/list size, the PCN reserves the right to assign further tasks in keeping with an Enhanced Practice Nurse position. These will always be discussed in full should the situation arise, but the applicant should be fully prepared and willing to extend the role as requested.

About us

The successful candidate will be expected to meet all criteria detailed for an Enhanced Practice Nurse under the latest Network DES. This is summarised below.

The applicant must:

• have qualified from a degree in nursing or from a registered nurse degree apprenticeship (RNDA)
• be registered with the Nursing & Midwifery Council
• have a post graduate qualification at level 7 or above.

Within the role the successful candidate will have the following key responsibilities:

• working as part of a MDT within the PCN
• consult with patients, their family, carers, and multi-professional team to undertake assessments of patient need and devise and evaluate complex care plans
• evaluates and analyses clinical problems using their clinical knowledge, seeking out and applying relevant evidence, enhanced techniques, interventions, and equipment to make clinical decisions
• deliver enhanced clinical care in the context of continual change, challenging environments, different models of care delivery, innovation and rapidly evolving technologies using analysis and their underpinning knowledge to manage complex interventions
• teach and advise patients, their families and carers on how to manage conditions or support the multi-disciplinary team to do so
• participate in clinical audits and research projects as required, and implement changes including the development and updating of practice protocols and procedures locally
• keep up to date with and work within national and local protocols where they exist
• recognise boundaries of their practice and know when and to whom patients should be referred
• using the principles of delegation, delegate work to other members of the MDT and take responsibility for the delegated activity as appropriate
• demonstrate initiative and creativity in finding solutions to problems
• hold responsibility for service performance and delivery
• potentially provide supervision to junior members of staff including but not limited to nurse associates and general practice nurses.

Any other duties deemed suitable to the role for the wider benefit of the PCN, it's member practices, and their patients.