Health Care Assistant

Job description

Job responsibilities

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE: HEALTHCARE ASSISTANT

REPORTS TO: NURSE TEAM LEAD

ACCOUNTABLE TO: GP Partners - clinically

Practice Manager - Organisational/administratively

Job Summary:

Working under the indirect supervision of the Nurse Team Lead and in accordance with specific practice guidelines and protocols, the Healthcare Assistant will:

Assist medical/nursing colleagues in the care of practice patients to include treatment, preventative care, screening and patient education. The post will also include some administrative duties.

Act as a focal point of communication between patients, doctors, nurses and other members of the primary health care team. To actively participate in health promotion for patients and their families.

Job duties and responsibilities:

• New patient health checks
• ECG recording
• Phlebotomy
• Assisting chronic disease clinics
• Wound dressing
• Ear irrigation
• Smoking cessation
• Chaperoning duties
• Processing and management of laboratory samples requested by GPs/Nurses
• Vaccine/cold chain storage, monitoring and recording
• Ensuring appropriate surgical equipment and stock required for minor ops
• Monitoring and ensuring appropriate stock levels of clinical supplies
• 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
• Recording of height, weight, BMI, BP etc.
• Dressings as required
• To support the nursing team and work collaboratively to provide an holistic service to patients

Phlebotomy

Ensuring that the patient is as comfortable and relaxed as possible and confirming their agreement to the collection of a blood sample:

• Collection of samples of blood in accordance with training and procedures
• Ensuring samples are stored in appropriate containers
• Accurate, legible labelling of all samples to confirm patient identity
• Checking patient identification against GP/Nurse request and confirming with patient whenever possible
• Recording collection of blood sample in patient record in accordance with practice procedure
• Ensuring that samples are dispatched to the appropriate laboratories in a timely fashion.
• Ensuring that anomalies are reported to a senior member of staff
• Notifying the Clinician of any significant patient issues
• Liaising with and assisting members of the administrative team
• Use of ICE system

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 assist in promoting and maintaining their 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

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.

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.

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 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 audit where appropriate.

Any other duties as deemed required and reasonable.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Qualified to NVQ level 3 Healthcare Assistant
• Committed to professional development
• GCSE or equivalent A to C in English and Maths
• Experience of working in a busy GP Surgery as a Healthcare Assistant
• Ability to work autonomously and as part of a team
• Ability to manage competing priorities and work under pressure
• Ability to deal with challenging situations in an appropriate manner.
• Ability to initiate, sustain and evaluate change
• Excellent communication skills - including verbal, written, face to face and active listening skills
• Ability to quickly learn, understand and use other Practice systems.
• Working experience of using computers - MS Word, Excell, emails etc.

Desirable

• Use of SystmOne

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.

UK Registration

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

Employer details

Employer name

The Clarkson Surgery

Address

9 De Havilland Road

Wisbech

Cambridgeshire

PE13 3AN

Employer's website

https://www.theclarksonsurgery.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)