Qualified Healthcare Assistant

Job description

Job responsibilities

The post holder will contribute to the delivery of a comprehensive Warfarin Monitoring Serviceand Direct Oral Anticoagulant (DOAC) Initiation and Review Service, operating across primary care hubs, GP practices, and community settings. Some staff will also undertake home visitsfor patients who are unable to attend clinic appointments due to mobility or health constraints.

This flexible and dynamic role involves close collaboration with GPs, pharmacists, nurses, and administrative colleagues to ensure continuity of care, safe prescribing, and robust follow-up. The clinician will be responsible for maintaining high standards of clinical governance, supporting quality improvement initiatives, and helping to develop and expand the service.

Teamworking and Collaboration

• Collaborate effectively with the multidisciplinary team, including GPs, nurses, pharmacists, HCAs, and administrative staff.
• Work across multiple primary care hubs or boroughs, sharing expertise and ensuring consistency in service delivery.
• Attend regular team meetings, contributing to clinical discussions and service improvement planning.
• Provide mentorship and informal training for new or junior staff within the anticoagulation team.
• Liaise with secondary care anticoagulation clinics, ensuring smooth transitions for newly discharged patients or complex cases.

Patient Care and Communication

• Deliver compassionate, patient-centred care with an emphasis on education and empowerment.
• Use clear communication tailored to the patients understanding, language, and cultural needs.
• Support self-management and encourage patients to take an active role in their anticoagulation therapy.
• Coordinate care with GP practices, community services, and hospital anticoagulation
• Clinical Safety and Governance
• Maintain meticulous and contemporaneous records, ensuring compliance with data protection regulations and information governance standards.
• Adhere to local clinical governance frameworks, ensuring all activity aligns with agreed protocols and best practice.
• • Report adverse drug reactions, significant events, and near-misses through the appropriate reporting mechanisms.
  • Ensure equipment calibration, maintenance, and infection control procedures are consistently upheld.
  Participate in clinical audit and contribute to quality improvement cycles focused on safety and effectiveness clinics to maintain continuity.
• • Follow lone working and risk assessment policies to ensure personal and patient safety.
  • Document outcomes immediately after visits and communicate findings to the wider team.
  • Treat patients and carers with respect and sensitivity within their home environment.

  Note: Not all staff will undertake home visits. Allocation will depend on individual contracts and local service configuration.

• . Flexible Working and Mobility

  • Work flexibly across hubs, boroughs, or practices according to service demand.
  • Participate in extended hours or weekend clinics if required to support patient access.
  • Be adaptable to new models of care, including digital and virtual consultations.
  • Provide cover for colleagues during absences to ensure service continuity.
  • Home Visiting (Where Applicable)
  • • Provide safe and professional anticoagulation monitoring services to housebound patients.
    • Manage portable INR testing devices and supplies safely, ensuring equipment integrity and infection control standards.
    • Follow lone working and risk assessment policies to ensure personal and patient safety.
    • Document outcomes immediately after visits and communicate findings to the wider team.
    • Treat patients and carers with respect and sensitivity within their home environment.

    Note: Not all staff will undertake home visits. Allocation will depend on individual contracts and local service configuration.

    Flexible Working and Mobility

    • Work flexibly across hubs, boroughs, or practices according to service demand.
    • Participate in extended hours or weekend clinics if required to support patient access.
    • Be adaptable to new models of care, including digital and virtual consultations.
    • Provide cover for colleagues during absences to ensure service continuity.

    Leadership and Support of the Clinical Lead

    • Support the Clinical Lead in maintaining a safe, effective, and high-quality anticoagulation service.
    • Assist with implementing quality improvement initiatives and clinical governance actions.
    • Provide feedback from frontline service delivery to inform leadership decisions and strategic planning.
    • Represent the service professionally at local or borough-level meetings when delegated.

    Data, Systems, and Record Management

    • Use clinical systems (e.g. INRstar, EMIS, SystmOne) to record results, doses, and patient communications accurately.
    • Ensure data integrity and contribute to regular audits of record quality.
    • Support collection and reporting of performance indicators, such as number of patients reviewed, INR control, and safety incidents.
    • Comply with data security and confidentiality standards at all times.

    Education, Training, and Patient Empowerment

    • Deliver patient education regarding Warfarin and DOAC therapy, including dietary guidance, side effects, and red-flag symptoms.
    • Provide written and verbal advice to support medication adherence and lifestyle choices.
    • Participate in staff training, peer review, and clinical updates to ensure continuous learning.
    • Keep up to date with current anticoagulation evidence, national standards, and device innovations.
    • Support or deliver internal training sessions for new team members or students under supervision.

    Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

    • Provide equitable and accessible care to all patients, respecting cultural and linguistic diversity.
    • Adapt communication and educational materials to meet varying literacy levels and patient needs.
    • Promote inclusion within the team and uphold the organisations equality and diversity policies.

    Health, Safety, and Infection Control

    • Follow infection prevention and control procedures at all times, both in clinics and home visits.
    • Maintain safe disposal of sharps and clinical waste according to policy.
    • Conduct dynamic risk assessments for patient interactions and report safety concerns promptly.
    • Ensure personal safety through adherence to lone working and incident reporting procedures.
  • • Support the Clinical Lead in maintaining a safe, effective, and high-quality anticoagulation service.
    • Assist with implementing quality improvement initiatives and clinical governance actions.
    • Provide feedback from frontline service delivery to inform leadership decisions and strategic planning.
    • Represent the service professionally at local or borough-level meetings when delegated.

    Service Values

    The Anticoagulation Service is guided by the following principles:

    • Safety:Prioritising the prevention of harm and maintenance of high clinical standards.
    • Quality:Continuous improvement through data, feedback, and reflective practice.
    • Collaboration:Multidisciplinary teamwork and shared learning.
    • Accessibility:Flexible care models that meet diverse patient needs.
    • Empowerment:Educating patients to understand and manage their anticoagulation therapy safely.
    • Innovation:Embracing technology and new models of care delivery.

    Career Development

    Depending on qualifications and professional registration, opportunities for progression include:

    • For Nurses or Pharmacists:Development toward independent prescribing, clinical leadership, or specialist anticoagulation practitioner roles.
    • For HCAs:Advanced training in point-of-care testing, clinical support roles, or nursing apprenticeships.
    Participation in quality improvement projects, clinical audit, or research activities.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Qualified Health care Assistant
• Experience in Primary care setting
• Venepuncture
• Adult vaccination
• NHS Healthchecks
• ECG
• NVQ Level 2 or higher in health and social care
• IT skills
• Experience using EMIS

Desirable

• Qualified in phlebotomy

Experience

Essential

• Experience in Primary Care setting
• To be able to work autonomously
• NHS Health checks
• ECG
• Ear irrigation
• Ability to work independently and/or part as a team
• EMIS and Strong IT skills
• Ability to travel

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

Waltham Forest Federated GP Network

Address

500 Larkshall Road

Highams Park

London

E4 9HH

Employer's website

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