Job Description
This position is suitable for a Healthcare assistant or Nursing Associate with previous experience in a Healthcare setting - such as a GP surgery or Hospital.
Essential experience needed to apply are
- Phlebotomy
- Clinical Observations
- Previous work experience in a GP surgery or Hospital setting
please do not apply if you do not have this essential experience - thank you
Job Description
Job Title: Healthcare Assistant
Reports to: Clinical Lead
Hours: Full Time - 37.5 hours a week
Salary: £10.50 – 11.00 per hour (plus NHS Pension)
Job Summary
The purpose of the role is to assist the clinical team in the service and delivery of the care management of the practice population.
The Healthcare Assistant will work under indirect supervision and perform tasks prescribed and delegated by the GP Partners, Nursing Team Manager and Practice Nurses, working under Patient Specific Directions (PSDs), agreed Protocols, within an evidence base and within defined competencies to meet the needs of the patients.
Job Responsibilities
Patient Care
- Blood pressure measurement / monitoring
- Chaperoning duties
- ECG
- Flu immunisation
- Pneumococcal immunisation
- Height, weight measurement
- Long Term Conditions assessment
- NHS Health Checks
- Enhanced Health Checks
- Learning Disability Health Checks
- QoF
- Removal of sutures
- Scalds and burns management
- Support and advice for patients in managing their own disease
- Take pathology samples from patients for analysis (blood, sputum, urine etc.)
- Urine testing / analysis
- Vitamin B12 injections
- Wound care / dressings / tissue viability
Record Keeping and Administration
- Accurately label and document patient samples and submit for collection and analysis
- Contribute to nursing team record keeping (clinical, administrative, health and safety related records)
- Maintain skills in using patient appointment system
- Make accurate and contemporaneous records of all patient encounters in accordance with practice records, protocols and coding protocols
Maintaining a Safe Clinical Environment
The Healthcare Assistant will be aware of and comply with the Practice’s Health and Safety policy.
This will include:
- Adhering to all relevant policies including infection control and cold chain
- Applying correctly spill control and decontamination policies
- Attending regular health and safety training
- Contributing to keeping the working area and patient areas tidy and free from hazards
- Ensuring sufficient supplies of all cleansing and infection control materials
- andling specimens and clinical waste / sharps in accordance with practice policy
- Identifying and reporting hazards / risks and contributing to control measures
- Minimising risk to self and others in the workplace
- Using protective equipment and clothing provided and in accordance with the practice’s policy
Specific
- Clean / maintain all equipment in accordance with infection control and equipment maintenance policies
- Dispose of all clinical waste/sharps in accordance with the Practice’s Infection Control protocol
- Prepare clinical areas between patients in accordance with infection control procedures including cleaning surfaces and equipment
- Record fridge temperatures, clean fridges, promptly report temperature variations from standard
- Rotate stock according to date, maintain appropriate records and discard out of date stock in accordance with practice protocol
- Take action to manage spills or decontamination affected areas
Supplies Management
- Maintain accurate stock records, including liaison with Nursing Team Manager and / or Operations Manager by providing order confirmations for invoice checking
- Order most economic supplies available and use with economy
- Order replacement stock
- Order vaccines to maintain stock levels and store according to practice cold chain and storage policies
Equipment Maintenance and Calibration
- Clean and disinfect some items of equipment and keep a record
- Contribute to care and maintenance of equipment
- Organise repair and regular maintenance and calibration of equipment, including equipment maintenance / checking / calibration log
Overall Responsibility
- Undertake any other appropriate duties or responsibilities as directed by the Practice Management and GP Partners
- To ensure effective communication with all clinicians and other practice and community staff based at the Surgery
- Be aware of, and adhere to, Practice policies in relation to health and safety at work and fire precautions.
- To attend appropriate training courses
Communication
- Advise patients of the Healthcare Assistant role, its extent and limits
- Appropriately advise patients if they require the services of a GP or other clinical team member
- Communicate effectively, promptly and appropriately with patients and team members
- Communicate risk to patients and ensure proper consent gained where appropriate
- Contribute to practice meetings
- Modify method of communication with patients to suit the situation, recognise problems / barriers and take action or seek help at an early stage when they arise
Personal Development
The Healthcare Assistant will:
- Attend and contribute to in-house training events
- Behave as a positive role model
- Be aware of the legal issues pertinent to the role of a Healthcare Assistant
- Be able to demonstrate or work towards the Royal College of GP competency framework for Healthcare Assistants
- Maintain awareness of current evidence-based approaches to patient care and update practice accordingly and in consultation with the team
- Prioritise own work and work effectively with others to prioritise team and practice workload
- Take an active part in Annual Appraisals
- Undertake regular mandatory training (Safeguarding Adults and Children, Basic Life Support, Information Governance, Moving and Handling etc.)
- Undertake training needed to ensure competencies for delivering all responsibilities
Confidentiality
- In the course of 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, practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the practice 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 the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practice 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 practice health & safety policy, the practice health & safety manual, and the practice infection control policy and published procedures. This will include:
- Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice 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
- Actively reporting of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised
- Keeping own work areas and general / patient areas generally clean, assisting in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness consistent with the scope of the job holder’s role
- Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum annually)
- Reporting potential risks identified
Equality and Diversity
The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:
- Acting in a way that recognizes the importance of people’s rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation
- Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues
- Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.
Quality
The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practice, 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 team’s performance
- Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients’ needs
- Effectively manage own time, workload and resources
Communication
The post-holder should recognize 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 people’s needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly
Contribution to the implementation of services
The post-holder will:
- Apply practice policies, standards and guidance
- Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work
- Participate in audits where appropriate
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.
Job Type: Full-time
Salary: £11.00-£11.50 per hour
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Private medical insurance
Schedule:
Application question(s):
- Do you have HCA or Nursing Associate experience (if yes how long)?
Education:
- GCSE or equivalent (preferred)
Work Location: In person