Thomas Walker Westgate Healthcare

Experienced Healthcare Assistant

The closing date is 01 August 2025

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen within the team at Thomas Walker Westgate Healthcare. We are looking for a dynamic and enthusiastic individual to join our existing team, in supporting the efficient operation of the Practice in delivering health care support to patients.

Please note the advert may close at any time once a suitable candidate is identified. Early applications are encouraged.

Main duties of the job

  • Communicate effectively with patients, colleagues, and multidisciplinary teams, respecting ethical and professional boundaries.

  • Maintain personal development through reflective practice, mandatory training, and clinical supervision.

  • Follow health, safety, and infection control procedures, including managing emergency situations and reporting risks.

  • Manage vaccine and drug stock control, ensuring compliance with cold chain and safe storage requirements.

  • Act as a chaperone and support minor surgery procedures

  • Undertake and record clinical observations, investigations, and assist with specific tasks like ear care, wound care, and spirometry after relevant training.

  • Administer vaccinations and Vitamin B12 injections following appropriate training and protocols

  • Promote health screening, health promotion, and public health initiatives including lifestyle advice, smoking cessation, and disease prevention.

  • Recognise and respond to mental health, dementia, and safeguarding issues, referring to senior staff as appropriate.

  • Support mens and womens health through health checks, opportunistic screening, and promoting awareness

  • Assist in managing long-term conditions such as diabetes, COPD, asthma, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, supporting monitoring and patient education.

  • Maintain accurate records and comply with data protection, confidentiality, and Caldicott guidelines.

  • Participate in clinical audits and service improvements

About us

Thomas Walker Westgate Healthcare are a 25,000+ patient Practice and therefore one of Peterborough's largest practices and member of Peterborough and East PCN. We are looking for candidates, who will enjoy working in a supportive team looking after a diverse population of patients.

We are a dynamic, forward thinking practice based within the city of Peterborough, and an experienced and welcoming team of staff. Recognised as a training practice, we currently have 3 Registrars and additionally host Cambridge Medical Students. We have an excellent approach to working in partnership with our teams and have a flexible approach to all that we do. We are keen to ensure the continued long term delivery of excellent primary care to our local community.

Benefits:

Free Parking,Access to NHS Discounts,Employee Recognition Rewards,Eye test vouchers,Staff Training Programme,NHS Pension Scheme,Monthly Team Meetings,Free Tea & Coffee,NHS Continuous Service holiday entitlement honoured *

We are committed to safeguarding and protecting the people we care for, creating a setting in which everyone feels welcome and safe. All posts are subject to a safer recruitment process which includes the disclosure of criminal records and barring checks, scrutiny of employment history, robust referencing and other vetting checks.

(*providing proof of continuous service is shown and that employment and employment dates meet the criteria)

Details

Date posted

01 July 2025

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

Depending on experience

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time

Reference number

A5113-25-0008

Job locations

Princes Street

Peterborough

PE1 2QP


Job description

Job responsibilities

Role Overview: The post holder must be compassionate, caring, and able to work effectively within a team. They will develop supervisory skills, demonstrate safe, evidence-based practice per the RCGP/RCN Health Care Assistant competency framework, and maintain personal development aligned with appraisal goals.

Key Responsibilities:

Communication:

  • Communicate effectively with patients and the multidisciplinary team, adapting to patient needs and seeking support when necessary.

  • Understand ethical issues and respect patient confidentiality, consent, and professional guidelines.

  • Work collaboratively within primary care teams, recognizing roles and responsibilities, and ensuring adherence to delegation and accountability principles.

  • Maintain current knowledge of evidence-based guidelines and local/national policies.

  • Engage in reflective practice and continuous learning, keeping mandatory training up to date.

People and Personal Development:

  • Understand and utilize clinical supervision for personal and organizational benefit.

  • Recognize stress indicators and manage stress in self and others.

  • Stay informed about healthcare structures, contractual arrangements, quality monitoring, and improvement strategies.

  • Work within personal competence boundaries and legal frameworks, consulting registered professionals as needed.

Health, Safety, and Security:

  • Adhere to health and safety protocols, including fire procedures, equipment monitoring, and safe VDU use.

  • Maintain security of patient information and comply with hazardous substances regulations.

  • Report concerns promptly.

Infection Control:

  • Follow hand hygiene, universal precautions, specimen handling, waste disposal, equipment decontamination, sharps injury management, and use of PPE per guidelines.

Emergency Situations:

  • Know basic first aid and support emergency management following local protocols.

Vaccine and Drug Stock Control:

  • Manage vaccine cold chain, storage, stability, rotation, and disposal.

  • Oversee stock control and documentation under legal requirements, escalating concerns.

Mandatory Training:

  • Complete required training as per policy and role requirements.

Risk Management and Reporting:

  • Identify and report risks, adverse events, and safeguard patients by facilitating access to appropriate professionals.

  • Understand clinical governance and whistleblowing policies.

  • Use workplace security systems and act as chaperone per policy.

Quality and Service Improvement:

  • Participate in service development and audits aligned with local policies.

  • Engage with patient involvement and quality initiatives.

Personal Practice and Development:

  • Manage time and resources responsibly.

  • Maintain and stock working areas for self and colleagues.

Equality and Diversity:

  • Understand relevant legislation and promote equality, avoiding discrimination.

  • Respect patient diversity in culture, beliefs, and preferences.

  • Act as advocate and challenge discrimination appropriately.

  • Know local demographics to support equality in care delivery.

  • Implement confidentiality, consent, and patient choice policies.

Safeguarding:

  • Be alert to signs of family violence, vulnerable adults, substance abuse, and child abuse.

  • Understand legal issues and local child protection procedures.

  • Refer concerns to senior staff and guide patients to relevant services.

Health and Wellbeing:

  • Conduct procedures safely following risk assessment, infection control, and duty of care principles.

  • Recognize contraindications, adverse reactions, and need for referrals (red flags).

  • Obtain informed consent and provide patient information appropriately.

  • Know anatomy, physiology, and guidelines for clinical tasks (e.g., venepuncture, sample management).

  • Communicate clearly about procedures, results, and follow-up.

Investigations and Observations:

  • Conduct and record clinical measurements (BP, pulse, respiratory rate, temperature, height/weight, BMI, visual acuity, ECG, blood glucose, lipid screening) within guidelines.

  • Perform advanced tasks post-training (doppler, spirometry, inhaler technique).

Ear Care:

  • After training, assess ear anatomy and perform ear care safely, recognizing needs of hearing-impaired patients and promoting safe ear hygiene.

Vaccinations:

  • Administer vaccines following standardized training, maintaining cold chain and safe technique.

  • Address contraindications and side effects, manage adverse events, and maintain accurate records.

Vitamin B12 Injections:

  • Understand indications, adverse effects, and administration protocols under training and patient-specific directions.

Wound Care:

  • Classify wounds, understand healing processes, and apply dressings per nurse direction.

  • Refer non-healing wounds, educate patients on self-care, and monitor pain.

Minor Surgery Support:

  • Support patients and clinicians before, during, and after minor procedures, including emergency management, within medico-legal guidelines.

Emergency Management:

  • Recognize and respond to emergencies (collapse, anaphylaxis, chest pain, seizures, hypoglycemia, respiratory issues, bleeding, poisoning, burns, fractures, falls) following protocols.

Health Screening and Promotion:

  • Promote awareness of local and national health policies and screening programs.

  • Support public health initiatives and assess patients readiness for lifestyle changes.

  • Provide brief interventions on smoking, diet, exercise, alcohol, and refer as appropriate.

  • Recognize health inequalities and respect patient values and communication needs.

  • Promote mental well-being and recognize early mental health signs.

Dementia Care:

  • Communicate effectively with dementia patients, recognizing barriers and promoting physical health.

Mens and Womens Health:

  • Be aware of gender-specific health issues and provide advice/support, including opportunistic health promotion and well man checks after training.

Long Term Conditions:

  • Obtain training before involvement in care of chronic conditions.

  • Support management and monitoring per guidelines, recognizing mental health impacts.

Diabetes:

  • Assist patients in managing risks, diet, hypo/hyperglycemia, retinal screening, foot care, and self-care.

  • Perform blood glucose monitoring and foot checks.

COPD and Asthma:

  • Know prevention, symptoms, triggers, acute signs, inhaler use, and peak flow monitoring.

Hypertension:

  • Monitor blood pressure per practice protocols, including ambulatory monitors.

Cardiovascular Disease:

  • Identify risk factors, support screening and referral processes, recognize irregular pulse, perform lipid screening, and respond to cardiovascular emergencies.

Additional Conditions Knowledge:

  • Understand impact of cancers, kidney disease, liver disease, epilepsy, neurological conditions, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and thyroid disease.

Information and Knowledge:

  • Maintain accurate documentation in line with practice and national policies.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Role Overview: The post holder must be compassionate, caring, and able to work effectively within a team. They will develop supervisory skills, demonstrate safe, evidence-based practice per the RCGP/RCN Health Care Assistant competency framework, and maintain personal development aligned with appraisal goals.

Key Responsibilities:

Communication:

  • Communicate effectively with patients and the multidisciplinary team, adapting to patient needs and seeking support when necessary.

  • Understand ethical issues and respect patient confidentiality, consent, and professional guidelines.

  • Work collaboratively within primary care teams, recognizing roles and responsibilities, and ensuring adherence to delegation and accountability principles.

  • Maintain current knowledge of evidence-based guidelines and local/national policies.

  • Engage in reflective practice and continuous learning, keeping mandatory training up to date.

People and Personal Development:

  • Understand and utilize clinical supervision for personal and organizational benefit.

  • Recognize stress indicators and manage stress in self and others.

  • Stay informed about healthcare structures, contractual arrangements, quality monitoring, and improvement strategies.

  • Work within personal competence boundaries and legal frameworks, consulting registered professionals as needed.

Health, Safety, and Security:

  • Adhere to health and safety protocols, including fire procedures, equipment monitoring, and safe VDU use.

  • Maintain security of patient information and comply with hazardous substances regulations.

  • Report concerns promptly.

Infection Control:

  • Follow hand hygiene, universal precautions, specimen handling, waste disposal, equipment decontamination, sharps injury management, and use of PPE per guidelines.

Emergency Situations:

  • Know basic first aid and support emergency management following local protocols.

Vaccine and Drug Stock Control:

  • Manage vaccine cold chain, storage, stability, rotation, and disposal.

  • Oversee stock control and documentation under legal requirements, escalating concerns.

Mandatory Training:

  • Complete required training as per policy and role requirements.

Risk Management and Reporting:

  • Identify and report risks, adverse events, and safeguard patients by facilitating access to appropriate professionals.

  • Understand clinical governance and whistleblowing policies.

  • Use workplace security systems and act as chaperone per policy.

Quality and Service Improvement:

  • Participate in service development and audits aligned with local policies.

  • Engage with patient involvement and quality initiatives.

Personal Practice and Development:

  • Manage time and resources responsibly.

  • Maintain and stock working areas for self and colleagues.

Equality and Diversity:

  • Understand relevant legislation and promote equality, avoiding discrimination.

  • Respect patient diversity in culture, beliefs, and preferences.

  • Act as advocate and challenge discrimination appropriately.

  • Know local demographics to support equality in care delivery.

  • Implement confidentiality, consent, and patient choice policies.

Safeguarding:

  • Be alert to signs of family violence, vulnerable adults, substance abuse, and child abuse.

  • Understand legal issues and local child protection procedures.

  • Refer concerns to senior staff and guide patients to relevant services.

Health and Wellbeing:

  • Conduct procedures safely following risk assessment, infection control, and duty of care principles.

  • Recognize contraindications, adverse reactions, and need for referrals (red flags).

  • Obtain informed consent and provide patient information appropriately.

  • Know anatomy, physiology, and guidelines for clinical tasks (e.g., venepuncture, sample management).

  • Communicate clearly about procedures, results, and follow-up.

Investigations and Observations:

  • Conduct and record clinical measurements (BP, pulse, respiratory rate, temperature, height/weight, BMI, visual acuity, ECG, blood glucose, lipid screening) within guidelines.

  • Perform advanced tasks post-training (doppler, spirometry, inhaler technique).

Ear Care:

  • After training, assess ear anatomy and perform ear care safely, recognizing needs of hearing-impaired patients and promoting safe ear hygiene.

Vaccinations:

  • Administer vaccines following standardized training, maintaining cold chain and safe technique.

  • Address contraindications and side effects, manage adverse events, and maintain accurate records.

Vitamin B12 Injections:

  • Understand indications, adverse effects, and administration protocols under training and patient-specific directions.

Wound Care:

  • Classify wounds, understand healing processes, and apply dressings per nurse direction.

  • Refer non-healing wounds, educate patients on self-care, and monitor pain.

Minor Surgery Support:

  • Support patients and clinicians before, during, and after minor procedures, including emergency management, within medico-legal guidelines.

Emergency Management:

  • Recognize and respond to emergencies (collapse, anaphylaxis, chest pain, seizures, hypoglycemia, respiratory issues, bleeding, poisoning, burns, fractures, falls) following protocols.

Health Screening and Promotion:

  • Promote awareness of local and national health policies and screening programs.

  • Support public health initiatives and assess patients readiness for lifestyle changes.

  • Provide brief interventions on smoking, diet, exercise, alcohol, and refer as appropriate.

  • Recognize health inequalities and respect patient values and communication needs.

  • Promote mental well-being and recognize early mental health signs.

Dementia Care:

  • Communicate effectively with dementia patients, recognizing barriers and promoting physical health.

Mens and Womens Health:

  • Be aware of gender-specific health issues and provide advice/support, including opportunistic health promotion and well man checks after training.

Long Term Conditions:

  • Obtain training before involvement in care of chronic conditions.

  • Support management and monitoring per guidelines, recognizing mental health impacts.

Diabetes:

  • Assist patients in managing risks, diet, hypo/hyperglycemia, retinal screening, foot care, and self-care.

  • Perform blood glucose monitoring and foot checks.

COPD and Asthma:

  • Know prevention, symptoms, triggers, acute signs, inhaler use, and peak flow monitoring.

Hypertension:

  • Monitor blood pressure per practice protocols, including ambulatory monitors.

Cardiovascular Disease:

  • Identify risk factors, support screening and referral processes, recognize irregular pulse, perform lipid screening, and respond to cardiovascular emergencies.

Additional Conditions Knowledge:

  • Understand impact of cancers, kidney disease, liver disease, epilepsy, neurological conditions, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and thyroid disease.

Information and Knowledge:

  • Maintain accurate documentation in line with practice and national policies.

Person Specification

Status

Essential

  • Must have the right to work in the UK

Qualifications

Essential

  • Care Certificate or relevant NVQ Qualification

Desirable

  • Qualified to NVQ level 3
  • Qualified in Phlebotomy

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of working within a general practice, hospital or nursing home setting

Desirable

  • Experience of working in a GP practice
  • Experience of using SystmOne
  • Experienced in administering Flu vaccinations and B12 injections
  • Competent in phlebotomy. ECG recording, Blood pressure monitoring, urinalysis testing and routine health measurements
  • Experience of Diabetic foot screening
  • Taking spirometry readings
Person Specification

Status

Essential

  • Must have the right to work in the UK

Qualifications

Essential

  • Care Certificate or relevant NVQ Qualification

Desirable

  • Qualified to NVQ level 3
  • Qualified in Phlebotomy

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of working within a general practice, hospital or nursing home setting

Desirable

  • Experience of working in a GP practice
  • Experience of using SystmOne
  • Experienced in administering Flu vaccinations and B12 injections
  • Competent in phlebotomy. ECG recording, Blood pressure monitoring, urinalysis testing and routine health measurements
  • Experience of Diabetic foot screening
  • Taking spirometry readings

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

Thomas Walker Westgate Healthcare

Address

Princes Street

Peterborough

PE1 2QP


Employer's website

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

Employer details

Employer name

Thomas Walker Westgate Healthcare

Address

Princes Street

Peterborough

PE1 2QP


Employer's website

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

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Hr Administrator

Sarah Edwards

sarah.edwards19@nhs.net

Details

Date posted

01 July 2025

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

Depending on experience

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time

Reference number

A5113-25-0008

Job locations

Princes Street

Peterborough

PE1 2QP


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