Job responsibilities
Job Summary:
Working under the direct supervision of the Lead Practice Nurse and strictly in accordance with specific Practice guidelines and protocols, the Healthcare Assistant will assist the Practice clinical team in the provision and delivery of prescribed programmes of patient care. Training will be given for areas where competency is not already achieved.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Assistance with Minor Surgery
- New patient health checks or NHS Health checks
- Phlebotomy
- Chaperoning duties
- Chronic Disease work ups
- Lifestyle advice
- Hypertension monitoring
- Administering of the Flu and/or Pneumococcal and/or B12 injections under the authority of a Patient Specific Direction as agreed.
- Ordering various clinical items inclusive of equipment, consumables, and vaccines.
- Vaccine/cold chain storage, monitoring and recording
- Surgical equipment and vaccine re-stocking and stock rotation
- Clearing and re-stocking consulting rooms
- Preparing and maintaining environments and equipment before, during and after patient care interventions.
- 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
- Any other delegated duties appropriate to the post
Infection Control:
Support patients and colleagues in adopting sound infection control measures
Apply infection control measures within the practice according to local and national guidelines
This includes:
- Universal hygiene precautions
- Collection and handling of laboratory specimens
- Dealing with blood and body spillages
- Safe disposal of clinical waste
QoF:
- Contribute to the implementation of the QoF targets
- Contribute to the maintenance of the QoF registers inclusive of recalling patients to aid the practice to reach maximum points.
Emergency Management:
Be competent in anaphylaxis and resuscitation techniques
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 recognises 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 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 recognize 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
