Health Care Assistant

Job responsibilities

Annex B Job description and person specification

Job title

Healthcare Assistant

Line manager

Nurse Manager

Accountable to

[Nurse manager

Hours per week

TBD

Job summary

To support the practice nursing and administrative teams in the delivery of clinical and administrative services, working as part of the practice multi-disciplinary team, delivering care within their scope of practice to the entitled patient population.

The Healthcare Assistant will deliver and assist clinical staff in the provision of treatment, preventative care, health promotion and patient education whilst also supporting the administrative team on an as-required basis.

Mission statement

[Insert mission statement here]

Generic responsibilities

All staff at [insert organisation name] have a duty to conform to the following:

Public holidays will be calculated on a pro-rated basis dependent on the number of hours worked.

Primary responsibilities

The following are the core responsibilities of the Healthcare Assistant. There may be, on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks; this will be dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels:

a. Undertake new patient health checks

b. Support the practice nurse with health promotion programmes

c. Carry out baseline observations such as pulse oximitery, blood pressure, temperature and pulse rate, recording findings accurately

d. Facilitate routine and 24-hour BP monitoring, advising patients accordingly

e. Undertake wound care, dressings and other clinical tasks as required

f. Support the practice nurse with the management of chronic disease clinics

g. Carry out BMI checks as directed

h. Act as a chaperone as required

i. When trained, undertake venepuncture

j. When trained, administer flu vaccinations

k. When trained, carry out ear irrigation under the supervision of the practice nurse

l. Carry out ECGs as requested

m. Ensure specimens are recorded and ready for onward transportation

n. Provide support during minor operations as required

o. Ensure all clinical rooms are adequately stocked and prepared for each session

p. Ensure fridges are cleaned routinely in accordance with extant guidance

q. Ensure clinical waste is removed from clinical areas and sharps bins replaced in accordance with the organisations IPC policy

r. Deliver opportunistic health promotion where appropriate

Secondary responsibilities

In addition to the primary responsibilities, the Healthcare Assistant may be requested to:

a. Participate in practice audit as directed by the audit lead

b. Participate in local initiatives to enhance service delivery and patient care

c. Support and participate in shared learning within the organisation

d. Complete opening and closing procedures in accordance with the duty rota

Qualifications

Essential

• QualificationsEssentialDesirable
• Healthcare qualification (level 3 or 4) or working towards gaining equivalent level
• Previous completion of the HCA Care Certificate (as per GP Mythbuster No 57 - HCAs in General Practice
• Phlebotomy certification
• Vaccination certification

Experience

Essential

• 1Healthcare qualification (level 3 or 4) or working towards gaining equivalent level
• 2Experience of working with the general public
• 3Experience of working in a healthcare setting
• 4ECGs
• 5Venepuncture
• 6New patient medicals, including height, weight, BP, pulse
• 7Chaperone procedure
• 8Ability to record accurate clinical notes
• 9Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
• 10Strong IT skills
• 11Clear, polite telephone manner
• 12Effective time management (planning and organising)
• 13Ability to work as a team member and autonomously
• 14Good interpersonal skills
• 15Ability to follow clinical policy and procedure
• 16Polite and confident
• 17Flexible and cooperative
• 18Motivated
• 19Problem solver with the ability to process information accurately and effectively, interpreting data as required
• 20High levels of integrity and loyalty
• 21Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations
• 22Ability to work under pressure/in stressful situations
• 23Able to communicate effectively and understand the needs of the patient
• 24Commitment to ongoing professional development
• 25Effectively utilise resources
• 26Punctual and committed to supporting the team effort
• 27Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check
• 28Occupational Health clearance

Desirable

• Experience within GP Practice

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).