Job responsibilities
NORTHGATE MEDICAL PRACTICE
JOB DESCRIPTION
HEALTHCARE ASSISTANT
Job Title: Healthcare Assistant
Responsible to: Manager
Accountable to:
Personnel Manager
Job summary:
Working
under the direct supervision of the practice nurses and strictly in accordance
with specific practice guidelines and protocols, the healthcare assistant will
assist the practice clinical team in the provision and delivery of prescribed
programmes of patient care.
Duties and responsibilities:
- Health checks
- Urine sampling
- Blood Pressures
- ECG recording
- Phlebotomy
- Wound care/removal of sutures
- Spirometry
- Administration of B12
- Flu vaccinations
- Surgical equipment and vaccine
re-stocking and stock rotation
- Preparing and maintaining
environments and equipment before, during and after patient care
interventions including assisting GPs during the performance of minor
operations
- Assisting in the assessment and
surveillance of patients health and well-being
- Undertaking specific clinical
activities for named patients that have been delegated and taught
specifically in relation to that individual
- Helping to raise awareness of
health and well-being and how it can be promoted
Assisting
with the collection and collation of data on needs related to health and
well-being
PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND
RESPONSIBILITIES
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 keeping them free from hazards
- Actively
reporting 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 holders role
- Undertaking
periodic infection control training (minimum annually)
- Reporting
potential risks identified
- Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the
welfare of children.
Production of performance and quality
information
To
ensure that documentation (electronic and paper-based) exists to support
performance standards across the full range of performance-based activity
QOF, Enhanced Services etc.
To
assist in the production of information for clinical audit.
To
undertake ad-hoc work related to the performance of the practice under the
guidance of the practice manager.
Data quality
To
work within the clinical computer system to improve data quality, using the
expertise of other data staff where appropriate.
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 peoples 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 that is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental
and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.
Personal/Professional development
The
post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the
practice as part of this employment, such training to include:
- Participation
in an annual individual performance review, including taking
responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or
professional development.
- Taking
responsibility for own development, learning, and performance and
demonstrating skills and activities to others.
This role is considered to be a
developmental position and the jobholder will be encouraged to develop personal
and business skills.
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 teams
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:
- Communicate
effectively with other team members.
- Communicate
effectively with patients and carers
- Recognise
peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond
accordingly.
Most instruction and communication of
activity will be via the practice manager.
External communication will be with
patients, Clinical Commissioning Groups and other NHS bodies, and other GP
practices and service providers.
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 audit where appropriate.
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.
Notes
This
is not intended to be an exhaustive list of responsibilities, and it is expected
that the successful applicant will participate in a wide range of activities.