Health Care Assistant - General Practice

Job description

Job responsibilities

JOB TITLE:

HEALTHCARE ASSISTANT GENERAL PRACTICE

REPORTS TO:-

PRINCIPLE GENERAL PRACTITIONER (Operationally)

PRACTICE MANAGER/ASSISTANT PRACTICE MANAGER(Administratively)

SENIOR CLINICAL NURSE LEAD (Clinically)

HOURS: Part time20 hrs/week

SITES - EDGWORTH MC & EDGERTON/DUNSCAR HC

Job summary:

Working under the direct supervision of the senior clinical nurse lead and strictly in accordance with specific practice guidelines and protocols and within the scope of their practice, the healthcare assistant will assist the practice clinical team in the provision and delivery of prescribed programmes of patient care, including preventative care, health promotion and patient education.

Focus upon supporting patients to be healthy by assessing their needs, providing HCA care, health education advice, screening activities, implementing care at the GP surgery, domiciliary visits or other settings, maintaining clinically accurate records and running clinics.

Duties and responsibilities:

• Helping to raise awareness of health and well-being of the local population and how it can be promoted
• Assisting with the collection and collation of data on needs related to health and well-being
• Assisting in the assessment and surveillance of patients health and well-being; Primary Prevention QOF and BCQ (Were appropriate) Including:-

- NHS health checks and High risk CVD health checks

- Non-hypoglycaemic health checks

- Ageing well and over 75s patient checks

- Carers and veterans identified patient checks

- Audit C, smoking and obesity health screening and promotion

• New patient checks
• Assisting the Practice Nurse with annual reviews; hypertension, diabetes, CHD, stroke, A.F and peripheral arterial disease
• Processing and management of laboratory samples requested by GPs/nurses
• Facilitate routine and 24-hour BP monitoring, advising patients accordingly
• Assess heights, weights, BMIs, pulse & rhythm, temperatures and interperate results and advise patients accordingly
• ECG recording
• Phlebotomy
• Diabetic foot screens
• Administer B12 injections, immunisations and vaccinations
• Urine dip-sticks, pregnancy testing and wound swabs
• Chaperoning duties
• Rotation of health promotion notice boards and leaflets
• Clearing, ordering and re-stocking consulting rooms both sites
• Sterilising, cleansing and maintenance of surgical/medical equipment and workspace consultations rooms both sites
• Ensure clinical waste is removed from clinical areas and sharps bins replaced in accordance with the practice IPC policy
• Undertaking other specific clinical activities for named patients that have been delegated and taught specifically in relation to that individual

Communication:

• Communicate effectively with other team members
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers
• Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly

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

Collaborative Working:

All staff are to recognise the significance of collaborative working. Teamwork is essential in multidisciplinary environments. Effective communication is essential and all staff must ensure they communicate in a manner which enables the sharing of information in an appropriate manner

Health & Safety:

• Awareness of national standards of infection control and cleanliness and regulatory / contractual / professional requirements, and good practice guidelines
• Using personal security systems within the workplace according to 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
• 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
• Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy, clean and sterile, and safe way, free from hazards. Initiation of remedial / corrective action where needed or escalation to responsible management
• Actively identifying, reporting, and correction of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised
• Recognising and responding to safeguarding concerns relating to adult and children, and following local policy and procedures accordingly

Equality and diversity:

• 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 that is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights

Personal/Professional development:

• 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

Service Delivery:

Staff at Edgworth Surgery must adhere to the information contained with practice policies and regional directives, ensuring protocols are adhered to at all times. Staff will be given detailed information during the induction process regarding policy and procedure.

Security:

The security of the practice is the responsibility of all personnel. Staff must ensure they remain vigilant at all times and report any suspicious activity immediately to their line manager. Under no circumstances are staff to share the codes for the door locks to anyone and are to ensure that restricted areas remain effectively secured.

Professional Conduct:

At Edgworth Surgery, staff are required to dress appropriately for their role. For clinical staff scrubs will be provided by the practice.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• . Working in primary care
• . Knowledge of General practice/QOF/BQC
• . Team working
• . Ability to use own initiative
• . Demonstrates knowledge of the needs of the patient and the role of HCA
• . Understands issues regarding accountability and delegation
• . Venepuncture trained

Desirable

• . Awareness of PCN working and wider arenas
• . Recognises the need for safeguarding adults and children
• . Up to date mandatory training
• . Immunisation and vaccination qualified
• . Spirometry
• . Diabetic foot screener

Mental and Emotional effort

Essential

• . Concentration required daily; ex Ability to deal with occasional exposure to distressing circumstances or emotional events
• . Ability to cope with occasional exposure to aggressive behaviour
• . Ability to work with competing priorities
• . Ability to deal tactfully and empathetically with distressed or anxious patients ad carers

Personal qualities

Essential

• . Good interpersonal skills
• . Verbal and non-verbal skills
• . Demonstrates enthusiasm, motivation and reliability
• . Flexible and responsive to change
• . Demonstrates an ability to value the opinions of others
• . Willingness to undergo education/training for both the practice and service needs
• . Willingness to work towards professional performance objectives (appraisal)

Desirable

• . Ability to communicate routine information that requires tact and persuasive skills, or where there may be barriers to understanding

Other requirements

Essential

• . Hepatitis B immune or willing to undergo an immunisation course
• . DBS
• . Full driving licence

Qualifications

Essential

• . Care certificate
• . Literacy and numeracy skills
• . Computer skills

Desirable

• . Awareness of EMIS data system
• . HVQ Level 3 HCA or equivalent

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

Edgworth Medical Practice Ltd

Address

354 Bolton Road

Edgworth

Bolton

BL7 0DU

Employer's website

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