Job summary
To perform venepuncture techniques to obtain blood from children and young people aged 0 - 16 years as directed by referral from GPs, Consultants, Nursing staff and other appropriate agencies.
The post holder will be expected to carry out phlebotomy (blood sample collection) and simple tests and procedures within the Paediatric Outpatients department.
The Post Holder will work alongside the nursing and medical team in the Children's Outpatients Department to deliver a positive phlebotomy service for our patients.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be appropriately trained and required to provide phlebotomy on patients within the paediatric service, predominantly in Children Outpatients Department. You will need to possess excellent communication skills to enable effective communication with our service users and their families. You will be expected to be familiar with and able to use distraction techniques to help reduce anxiety for our patients accessing the phlebotomy service. The successful post holder will need to have an awareness of all relevant trust policies and procedures and will be responsible for ensuring their own compliance with trust mandatory training. It is essential that the post holder has the ability to recognise and summon help in emergencies. Post holder will be required to undertake paediatric life support training.
About us
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust is an integrated Trust and the only provider of NHS acute care in Walsall, serving a population of 284,300, providing inpatient and outpatient services at the Manor Hospital as well as a wide range of services in the community. Walsall Manor houses the full range of district general hospital services under one roof. The £170 million development was completed in 2010 and the continued upgrading of existing areas ensures the Trust now has a state-of-the-art Critical Care Unit, Neonatal Unit, Obstetric Theatre, and Integrated Assessment Unit facilities.
A new Urgent Emergency Care Centre was opened in March 2023. The two-storey development has significantly improved emergency care facilities and capacity and has provided almost 5,000 square metres of additional clinical space.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To provide phlebotomy on patients within the paediatric service, predominantly in Children Outpatients.
- To be responsible for the safe use of equipment, ensuring compliance with infection control and health and safety guidelines to reduce risk of infection to patient and staff.
- To have the ability to select the most favourable site for venepuncture and to competently perform the procedure, being sensitive to the emotional needs of the children and parents.
- To be familiar with and able to use distraction techniques and play to help reduce anxiety for the child and maximise potential for successful venepuncture.
- To have an awareness of the risk involved with this invasive procedure, and the ability to offer advice on aftercare, if required.
- To correctly identify patients and to label blood samples from them safely and accurately in line with Trust policy.
- To understand the different collection bottles and the correct order when collecting more than one sample, ensuring the correct form is completed.
- To ensure that samples meet acceptance criteria in line with Trust policy.
- To understand the special requirements when collecting specific bloods such as bloods for genetic testing and fasting sugars.
- To have an understanding of the transportation of samples to collection points in accordance with Health & Safety procedures.
- To provide and receive sensitive information from Child, young person and their parent or carers where a high degree of people skills is necessary. This may include dealing with distressed or aggressive patients.
- As part of phlebotomy duties, interprets complex clinical and scientific terminology.
- To carry out simple duties as directed by senior staff. Appropriate training will be given, and all work will be supervised.
- Displays and maintains an appropriate level of IT skills.
- To take responsibility for facilitating the performance of Special laboratory tests that are requested on patients attending the Paediatric outpatients. The term Special tests encompasses such tests as Xylose tolerance tests, Glucose tolerance tests, etc.
- The post holder will carry out or arrange the performance of the above tests according to standardised operating procedures and protocols
- The post holder will liaise with clerical staff concerning advanced appointments for these Special tests as necessary.
- Is aware of the inherent hazards of the work and always takes appropriate precautions reporting to the Head Biomedical Scientist or Safety Officer any accident or potential hazards.
- Is fully conversant with relevant departmental policies and Standard Operating Procedures.
- To always monitor and maintain stock levels.
- A knowledge of infection control and the disposal of equipment in accordance with Health & Safety procedures. Use of needle safe devices in accordance with the Trust policy and guidelines.
- Awareness of all relevant Trust policies and procedures.
- Maintains a clean and safe working environment through good housekeeping practices. This may include decontamination processes.
- Complies with the requirement to practice within data protection and confidentiality guidelines.
- Works to ensure that departmental performance targets are met by continually assessing priority of work.
- Attends departmental and Trust-wide staff meetings as appropriate.
- Participate in research, clinical audit, benchmarking and clinical trials in order to improve effectiveness of patient care.
- Promote patient and public involvement leading to service improvement.
- Demonstrate phlebotomy procedure and mentor new staff and other health care workers.
- Participate in induction programmes for associated nursing team, students and staff in partner agencies.
- Ensure own compliance with trust mandatory training.
- Ability to recognise and summon help in emergencies. Is aware of basic life support procedures, e.g. in the event of fainting patients, and is aware of basic CPR procedures
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To provide phlebotomy on patients within the paediatric service, predominantly in Children Outpatients.
- To be responsible for the safe use of equipment, ensuring compliance with infection control and health and safety guidelines to reduce risk of infection to patient and staff.
- To have the ability to select the most favourable site for venepuncture and to competently perform the procedure, being sensitive to the emotional needs of the children and parents.
- To be familiar with and able to use distraction techniques and play to help reduce anxiety for the child and maximise potential for successful venepuncture.
- To have an awareness of the risk involved with this invasive procedure, and the ability to offer advice on aftercare, if required.
- To correctly identify patients and to label blood samples from them safely and accurately in line with Trust policy.
- To understand the different collection bottles and the correct order when collecting more than one sample, ensuring the correct form is completed.
- To ensure that samples meet acceptance criteria in line with Trust policy.
- To understand the special requirements when collecting specific bloods such as bloods for genetic testing and fasting sugars.
- To have an understanding of the transportation of samples to collection points in accordance with Health & Safety procedures.
- To provide and receive sensitive information from Child, young person and their parent or carers where a high degree of people skills is necessary. This may include dealing with distressed or aggressive patients.
- As part of phlebotomy duties, interprets complex clinical and scientific terminology.
- To carry out simple duties as directed by senior staff. Appropriate training will be given, and all work will be supervised.
- Displays and maintains an appropriate level of IT skills.
- To take responsibility for facilitating the performance of Special laboratory tests that are requested on patients attending the Paediatric outpatients. The term Special tests encompasses such tests as Xylose tolerance tests, Glucose tolerance tests, etc.
- The post holder will carry out or arrange the performance of the above tests according to standardised operating procedures and protocols
- The post holder will liaise with clerical staff concerning advanced appointments for these Special tests as necessary.
- Is aware of the inherent hazards of the work and always takes appropriate precautions reporting to the Head Biomedical Scientist or Safety Officer any accident or potential hazards.
- Is fully conversant with relevant departmental policies and Standard Operating Procedures.
- To always monitor and maintain stock levels.
- A knowledge of infection control and the disposal of equipment in accordance with Health & Safety procedures. Use of needle safe devices in accordance with the Trust policy and guidelines.
- Awareness of all relevant Trust policies and procedures.
- Maintains a clean and safe working environment through good housekeeping practices. This may include decontamination processes.
- Complies with the requirement to practice within data protection and confidentiality guidelines.
- Works to ensure that departmental performance targets are met by continually assessing priority of work.
- Attends departmental and Trust-wide staff meetings as appropriate.
- Participate in research, clinical audit, benchmarking and clinical trials in order to improve effectiveness of patient care.
- Promote patient and public involvement leading to service improvement.
- Demonstrate phlebotomy procedure and mentor new staff and other health care workers.
- Participate in induction programmes for associated nursing team, students and staff in partner agencies.
- Ensure own compliance with trust mandatory training.
- Ability to recognise and summon help in emergencies. Is aware of basic life support procedures, e.g. in the event of fainting patients, and is aware of basic CPR procedures
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- oNVQ 3 or equivalent related to health care
Experience
Essential
- oProficient in Paediatric Phlebotomy
- oPrevious experience within the healthcare profession
- oAble to perform Phlebotomy procedures without direct supervision
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- oExcellent communication skills
- oAble to work as part of a team
- oAwareness of the anatomy and physiology relating to venepuncture and safe practice
Desirable
- oAwareness of local clinical policies and procedures
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- oNVQ 3 or equivalent related to health care
Experience
Essential
- oProficient in Paediatric Phlebotomy
- oPrevious experience within the healthcare profession
- oAble to perform Phlebotomy procedures without direct supervision
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- oExcellent communication skills
- oAble to work as part of a team
- oAwareness of the anatomy and physiology relating to venepuncture and safe practice
Desirable
- oAwareness of local clinical policies and procedures
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.
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).
Additional information
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.
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).
