Job responsibilities
JOB
DESCRIPTION
JOB TITLE: HEALTH CARE ASSISTANT
REPORTS TO: CLINICAL NURSE MANAGER
HOURS:
PLACE OF WORK: MID SUSSEX HEALTH CARE
Job summary:
Working under the direct supervision of the Lead
Nurse and strictly in accordance with specific practice guidelines and
protocols, the Health Care Assistant (HCA) will assist the practice clinical
team in the provision and delivery of prescribed programmes of patient care.
Duties and responsibilities:
Blood pressure monitoring
ECG recording
24 hour blood pressure monitoring
Basic wound care
Removal of sutures and clips
Phlebotomy/INR testing
Administer B12 vaccinations in line with
National/Local Policy under Patient Specific Directions (PSD)
Administer Influenza vaccinations in
line with National/Local Policy under Patient Specific Directions (PSD)
Chaperoning duties
Urinalysis and the processing and
management of other laboratory samples requested by GPs/nurses
Sterilising, cleansing and maintenance
of surgical equipment
Vaccine/cold chain storage, monitoring
and recording
Clearing and re-stocking consulting
rooms
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
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 implement
and lead on a full range of promotion and management their own and others
health and safety and infection control 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 (but will
not be limited to):
Using
personal security systems within the workplace according to practice
guidelines
Awareness
of national standards of infection control and cleanliness and regulatory
/ contractual / professional requirements, and good practice guidelines
Responsible
for the correct and safe management of the specimens process including
collection, labelling, handling, use of correct and clean containers,
storage and transport arrangements
Management
and maintenance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the Practice
including provision, ordering, availability and ongoing correct usage by
staff
Responsible
for hand hygiene across the practice
Ownership
of infection control and clinically based patient care protocols, and
implementation of those protocols across the practice
Active
observation of current working practices across the practice in relation
to infection control, cleanliness and related activities, ensuring that
procedures are followed and weaknesses / training needs are identified,
escalating issues as appropriate
Identifying
the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a
way that manages those risks across clinical and patient process
Making
effective use of training to update knowledge and skills, and initiate and
manage the training of others across the full range of infection control
and patient processes
Monitoring
practice facilities and equipment in relation to infection control,
ensuring that provision of hand cleansing facilities, wipes etc are
sufficient to ensure a good clinical working environment. Lack of
facilities to be escalated as appropriate.
Safe
management of sharps procedures including training, use, storage and
disposal
Using
appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a
tidy, clean and sterile, and safe way, free from hazards. Initiation of
remedial / corrective action where needed or escalation to responsible
management
Actively
identifying, reporting, and correction of health and safety hazards and
infection hazards immediately when recognised
Keeping
own work areas and general / patient areas generally clean, sterile,
identifying issues and hazards / risks in relation to other work areas
within the business, and assuming responsibility in the maintenance of
general standards of cleanliness across the business in consultation
(where appropriate) with other sector managers
Undertaking
periodic infection control training (minimum twice annually)
Routine
management of own team / team areas, and maintenance of work space
standards
Waste
management including collection, handling, segregation, container
management, storage and collection
Spillage
control procedures, management and training
Decontamination
control procedures, management and training, and equipment maintenance
Maintenance
of sterile environments
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 which 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 who are undertaking similar
work
You will be
required to attend training courses to develop your skill set to advanced
HCA level.
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 recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and
will strive to:
Communicate
effectively and appropriately with other team members
Communicate
effectively with patients and carers
Recognise peoples
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 through recognised team meetings and pathways
Participate in
audit where appropriate
Attendance and
participation in practice team meetings