Job responsibilities
Title: Health Care Assistant
Line Manager: Lead Practice Nurse
Purpose: To assist the GPs and practice nurse team in the service delivery and management of patients.
Overview of responsibilities:
- Establish and maintain good communication with colleagues, patients and necessary agencies.
- Monitor and maintain own health and health of others by safe practice.
- Contribute to the improvement of our general practice services.
- Maintain quality and efficiency in your work.
- Support equality and value diversity.
- Assess, plan, implement and evaluate your own care and that of others.
- Develop skills and knowledge as needed within the practice.
- Recognise and report situations of compromise to the patient or practice.
Specific Clinical Responsibilities:
Undertake record and follow guidelines within your scope of practice including;
- Urinalysis and preparation of specimens for investigation by the pathology laboratory.
- Measuring and recording:- blood pressure pulse rate and rhythm temperature height and weight and body mass index
- ECGs
- Blood glucose monitoring.
- Venepuncture.
- Prepare and maintain environments and equipment before, during and after patient care interventions.
- Ensure GPs rooms and clinical treatment rooms are clean and well stocked.
- Undertake dressing procedures following local recommendations, complying with infection control principles and practice.
- Give accurate and appropriate information to patients and groups within own competence.
- Support clinicians in providing minor surgery.
- Plan, develop and implement ways of raising and promoting awareness of health and well-being, keeping records of what has been done.
- Provide support and encouragement to patients to self manage their conditions as appropriate.
- Administer influenza, pneumococcal, shingles and Vitamin B12 vaccinations
- Remove sutures and clips.
- Smoking cessation advice
- Undertake foot checks for people with diabetes.
- Act as a chaperone, when requested.
- Record information and activities undertaken with patients and carers in an accurate and timely fashion using manual or computer systems and Read codes.
Medicines management
- Ensure safe storage, rotation and disposal of vaccines and drugs is undertaken. Where appropriate, support the monitoring and stock control.
- Only administer medications that have been authorised under either a PSD or nationally agreed protocol.
Health, Safety and Security
Assist in promoting and maintaining your own and others health, safety and security as defined in the Practice Health & Safety Policy, to 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.
- Be able to identify the risks of health of microbiological and chemical hazards within the working environment according to the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health.
- 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.
- Reporting potential risks identified.
- Understand apply the principles of the cold chain.
- Ensure safe storage, rotation and disposal of vaccines and drugs within area of responsibility.
- Know the general principles of first aid and anaphylaxis and resuscitaion to be able to undertake initial actions as appropriate.
- Be aware of statutory child health procedures, statutory local guidance and referral criteria.
Personal/Professional Development:
Participate in any training programme implemented by the Practice as part of this employment, such training to include:-
- Actively participate in the annual appraisal process, through which training and development needs may be identified in line with the requirements of the practice.
- Remain up to date with developments within their scope of practice; taking into account changes in practice, local and national guidelines as appropriate.
- Attendance at courses and study days as agreed as appropriate.
- Maintain compliance with all elements of statutory and mandatory training as notified from time to time.
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 must 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.
Quality
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.
Equality and Diversity
Support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:-
Acting a way that recognises 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.
Research and audit
As a Research Practice, the HCA is to be involved in Research to provide better quality of care for Patients.
- Undertake audit s from time to time in order to evidence the safety of services provided and / or provide evidence to drive service improvement.
- Engage fully in service development and / or improvement activities as may be required form time to time.
Other duties
To undertake any other duties as may from time to time be required, which are commensurate with the role described above.
