Health Care Assistant - Primary Care inBroadway inBroadway PUBLISHED 4 DEC 2023

Health Care Assistant Job Description

Duties and responsibilities:

• NHS health checks and new patient checks
• ECG recording
• Phlebotomy
• Assisting the Practice Nurses.
• Undertake wound care, dressings and other clinical tasks as required under supervision of the Practice Nurse
• When trained, administer B12 injections and flu vaccinations
• Facilitate routine and 24-hour BP monitoring and ECG advising patients accordingly
• Chaperoning duties
• Processing and management of laboratory samples requested by GPs/nurses
• Vaccine/cold chain storage monitoring and recording of fridge temperatures.
• Clearing and re-stocking consulting rooms
• 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
• Ensure clinical waste is removed from clinical areas and sharps bins replaced in accordance with the practice IPC policy

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 implement on a full range of promotion and manage their own and others health and safety and infection control as defined in the practice Health & Safety policy, the practice Health & Safety protocol and the practice Infection Control policy and published procedures. This will include (but will not be limited to):

• Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines
• Awareness of national standards of infection control and cleanliness and regulatory / contractual / professional requirements, and good 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
• Responsible for hand hygiene across the practice
• Ownership of infection control and clinically based patient care protocols, and implementation of those protocols across the practice
• Active observation of current working practices across the practice in relation to infection control, cleanliness and related activities, ensuring that procedures are followed and weaknesses / training needs are identified, escalating issues as appropriate
• 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.
• Safe management of sharps procedures including training, use, storage and disposal
• 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
• Keeping own work areas and general / patient areas generally clean, sterile, identifying issues and hazards / risks in relation to other work areas within the business, and assuming responsibility in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness across the business in consultation (where appropriate) with other sector managers
• Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum annually)
• Waste, including collection, handling, segregation, container management, storage and collection
• Spillage control procedures and training.
• Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

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 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

The post-holder will participate in any training programme 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

To preserve and improve the quality of our output, all personnel are required to think not only of what they do, but how they achieve it. By continually re-examining our processes, we will be able to develop and improve the overall effectiveness of the way we work. The responsibility for this rests with everyone working within the practice to look for opportunities to improve quality and share good practice.

This practice continually strives to improve work processes which deliver health care with improved results across all areas of our service provision. We promote a culture of continuous improvement, where everyone counts and staff are permitted to make suggestions and contributions to improve our service delivery and enhance patient care.

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
• Recognize 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

Learning and Development

The effective use of training and development is fundamental in ensuring that all staff are equipped with the appropriate skills, knowledge, attitude and competences to perform their role. All staff will be required to partake and complete mandatory training as directed by the training coordinator, as well as participating in the practice training programme. Staff will also be permitted (subject to approval) to undertake external training courses which will enhance their knowledge and skills, progress their career and ultimately, enable them to improve processes and service delivery.

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.

We are looking for an experienced HCA to work 30 hours a week, across 5 days. You will work under the direct supervision of the senior practice nurse 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. You will have experience of a healthcare setting and a ideally a Healthcare Assistant role.

The post holder will deal with a wide range of health needs in a primary care setting, ensuring the highest standards of care of all patients. You will be available to undertake a variety of duties.

• NHS health checks and new patient checks
• ECG recording
• Phlebotomy
• Assisting the Practice Nurses.
• Undertake wound care, dressings and other clinical tasks as required
• Administer B12 injections and flu vaccinations
• Facilitate routine and 24-hour BP monitoring and ECG advising patients accordingly
• Chaperoning duties
• Processing and management of laboratory samples requested by GPs/nurses
• Vaccine/cold chain storage monitoring and recording of fridge temperatures.
• Clearing and re-stocking consulting rooms
• 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
• Ensure clinical waste is removed from clinical areas and sharps bins replaced in accordance with the practice IPC policy