Job responsibilities
Main Duties and Responsibilities
To work in a supported learning environment to
develop the skills and knowledge required for a Healthcare role in General
Practice.
To develop skills to assist medical and nursing
staff in the care of practice patients to include treatment, preventive care,
screening and patient education. The
post will include administrative duties as part of the role.
Working under the indirect supervision of a
qualified nurse and strictly in accordance with specific practice guidelines
and protocols, undertake tasks and duties delegated by the General Practitioner
or qualified nurse.
To attend the relevant courses and study days
required to fulfil the role.
To gain knowledge and skills whilst working
alongside an experienced nurse mentor
To provide nursing treatments to patients
independently or in participation with nurse colleagues and general
practitioners with reference to agreed protocols and guidelines.
To provide general and specific health screenings to the practice
patients (within agreed protocols and guidelines) with referral to general
practitioners or other health professionals as necessary
Clinical Practice
To provide phlebotomy as required in accordance to training and
procedure
To take ear, throat and
skin swabs as directed by the practice nurse or GP
To take physiological
measurements for patients including blood pressure, pulse rate and rhythm,
temperature, height and weight (body mass index), visual acuity, urinalysis and
ECG in the surgery and or at home (if required)
Undertake new patient
health checks, peak flow measurement, spirometry, suture and clip removal (as
per practice policy) change simple dressings and carry out other tasks for
which you have received appropriate training.
To fit 24 hours BP machine
as directed and in accordance with training and procedure
To provide adult
immunisations such as Flu Pneumonia Vit B12 in accordance to training and
procedure
Assist as per practice
policy GPs undertaking minor surgery
Prepare and maintain
environments and equipment before,
during and after patient interventions
Clearing and restocking of
consulting/treatment rooms, including timely order of stock items under your
control
Assist in raising
awareness of health and well-being by participating in patient health promotion
Give accurate and appropriate information within own competence
Ensure that anomalies are reported to a senior member of
the clinical team
Notify the practice nurse
or GP of any significant patient issues
Communication
Demonstrate sensitive communication styles to
ensure patients are fully informed, understand and consent to treatment and
intervention
Communicate sensitively and support patients who
have received bad news
Communicate effectively with patients and carers,
recognising the need for alternative methods of communication to overcome
different levels of understanding, cultural background and preferred ways of
communicating
Anticipate barriers to communication and take
action to improve communication
Establish and maintain effective and timely
communication with individuals and groups within the practice environment and
with external stakeholders
Act as an advocate when representing patients and
colleagues
Delivering a Quality Service
Recognise and work within own competence
Prioritise,
organise and manage own workload in a manner that maintains and promotes
quality
Work with
the team to deliver care according to NICE guidelines, evidence-based care and
local policy
Assess
effectiveness of care delivery through self and peer review, shared learning
and formal evaluation including annual appraisal and revalidation
Be aware
of NHS policies and initiatives relevant to areas of practice and work with the
practice team to respond to these and develop patient services
Engage in
the use of the audit cycle and patient feedback mechanisms as a means of
evaluating the quality of the work of self and the team
Understand
responsibilities and legal requirements relating to confidentiality and data
protection; these are outlined in the practice policy on confidentiality and must
be adhered to at all times
Be aware
of Duty of Candour and appropriate behaviours regarding this within the
practice
Understand
and apply policies that support the identification of vulnerable children and
adults, being aware of statutory child/vulnerable adult health procedures and
local guidance on Safeguarding
Work
within policies regarding domestic violence, vulnerable adults, substance abuse
and addictive behaviour
Manage and
assess risk within the areas of responsibility, ensuring adequate measures are
in place to protect staff and patients
Monitor
work areas and practices to ensure they are safe and free from hazards and
conform to health, safety and security legislation, policies, procedures and
guidelines
Leadership, Development and Training
Take
responsibility for own development and performance; assessing own learning
needs and undertake learning as appropriate
Make
effective use of learning opportunities within and outside the workplace,
evaluating their effectiveness and feeding back relevant information to the
wider practice team
Participate
in planning and implementing changes within the areas of care and
responsibility
Provide an
educational role to patients, carers and families
Ensure
awareness of sources of support and guidance and provide information in an
acceptable format to all patients, recognising any difficulties and referring
where appropriate.
Undertake
mandatory and statutory training requirements
Promote
the role of the HCA in the provision of care
Team Working
Understand
own role and scope, and identify how this may develop over time
Work as an
effective and responsible team member, supporting others and exploring the
mechanisms to develop new ways of working
Ensure
clear referral mechanisms are in place to meet patient need
Participate
in team activities that create opportunities to improve patient care
Participate
in and support local projects as agreed with the practice management team
Utilising Information and IT Systems
Use
technology as an aid to management in planning, implementation and monitoring,
presenting and communicating information (EMISWEB, NHS Mail and local intranet
system)
Review and
process data using accurate Read codes and local templates to ensure easy and
accurate retrieval for monitoring and audit processes
Manage
information searches using the internet and local library databases, for
example, the retrieval of relevant information for patients on their condition
Understand
the responsibility of self and others regarding the Data Protection Act and
confidentiality
Equality and Diversity
Promote equality and diversity in a
non-discriminatory culture
Support people who need assistance in exercising
their rights
Accept the rights of individuals to choose their
care providers, participate in care and refuse care
Assist patients from marginalised groups to access
quality care
Confidentiality
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. 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 Alliance may only be divulged to authorized persons in accordance with the Alliances 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 Alliances Health & Safety Policy to include:
Identifying the risk involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks.
Ensuring that all accidents or dangerous accidents are reported and investigated and follow up action taken where necessary.
Quality
The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the Alliance, 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 enhanced 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.
