Healthcare Assistant (HCA)

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical Responsibilities

The postholder will carry out a range of safe, effective, and patientcentred clinical duties in line with their competence and practice policies. The responsibilities below outline the core clinical elements of the role.

Undertake venepuncture (phlebotomy).

Record and monitor blood pressure, pulse, height, weight, BMI.

Perform urinalysis and basic observations.

Carry out ECG recordings.

Conduct NHS Health Checks.

Support chronic disease monitoring (e.g. diabetes, asthma, hypertension).

Administer vaccinations and immunisations (where trained and competent).

Perform wound care and dressings (as appropriate to training).

Assist with minor procedures.

Prepare and maintain clinical rooms and equipment.

Ensure appropriate infection prevention and control measures are followed.

Dispose of clinical waste safely and in accordance with policy.

Vaccine/cold chain storage, monitoring and recording.

Preparing and maintaining environments and equipment before, during and after patient care interventions including assisting GPs during the performance of minor operations and coil fittings.

Assisting in the assessment and surveillance of patients health and well-being.

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.

Stock control.

Professional Responsibilities

The postholder will be expected to uphold high professional standards, contribute positively to the wider practice team, and support the smooth running of daytoday operations. The responsibilities below outline the key professional duties associated with the role.

Work within scope of competence and seek guidance when required.

Work collaboratively with additional services including Primary Care Network, community services and secondary care services.

Maintain patient confidentiality at all times.

Comply with safeguarding policies and procedures.

Participate in team meetings and training when requested.

Engage in continuing professional development.

Adhere to practice policies and relevant clinical guidelines.

Administrative Responsibilities

The postholder will also be responsible for a range of administrative tasks that support safe, efficient, and wellorganised clinical operations. The responsibilities below outline the key administrative duties associated with the role.

Maintain accurate and contemporaneous patient records.

Use clinical systems, Emis Web, to record activity.

Manage stock control and order clinical supplies.

Ensure equipment is cleaned and calibrated as required.

Support audit and quality improvement activities where appropriate.

Confidentiality

The postholder must maintain strict confidentiality at all times, ensuring that all patient information is handled in accordance with legal, ethical, and practice requirements. The responsibilities below outline the expectations relating to confidentiality and information governance.

• 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 own hand hygiene.
• 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 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.
• 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 free from hazards. Initiation of remedial / corrective action where needed or escalation to 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 annual infection control training and, in liaison with the infection control lead:

o Routine management and maintenance of workspace standards (clear desk policy)

o Waste management including collection, handling, segregation, container management, storage and collection.

o Spillage control procedures, management and training

o Decontamination control procedures, management and training, and equipment maintenance

o 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 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.

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.
• Participate in practice team building events.
• Participate in TARGET (ICB education events).

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.
• Participate and actively contribute to significant event and complaint reviews.
• 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 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.
• Participate in audits where appropriate.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Experience of phlebotomy
• Relevant health care assistant experience
• Sound written skills
• Sound time management skills
• Ability to express ideas clearly in writing and verbally
• Ability to prioritise and meet deadlines
• Ability to use initiative and capable of making decisions within the scope of the post
• Evidence of completion of secondary education
• A demonstrable commitment to professional development
• Compassionate and patient-focused
• Ability to build relationships
• An approachable and friendly manner
• Able to demonstrate enthusiasm in developing clinical skills
• Able to demonstrate initiative and to work unsupervised
• Able to work in a changing environment
• Caring attitude
• Organised and reliable
• Ability to identify risks and alert individuals as necessary
• Ability to work as part of an integrated multi-skilled team
• Ability to remain flexible to evolving role
• The ability to receive and communicate information accurately and take instruction from professional colleagues

Desirable

• Competent in basic health care duties as required for the post
• HCA primary care experience
• Experience of IT clinical system
• NVQ Level 2/3 in Health and Social Care

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Oaks Healthcare

Address

26 – 30 London Road

Cowplain

Waterlooville

Hampshire

PO8 8DL

Employer's website

https://oakshealthcare.gpsurgery.net/ (Opens in a new tab)