We are looking to recruit a highly motivated and enthusiastic Healthcare Assistant, to join our team at Compass House.
This is a permanent contract of 36 hours per week. The working pattern would be three to four days, 8am to 6pm, including a Friday, and Enhanced Access cover until 8pm on a Tuesday evening on a rota basis. Pay starts at £12.96 per hour and will depend on experience.
We are based in a fantastic purpose-built Centre in Brixham, have a growing list size of 15,000+ patients. We are rated Outstanding by CQC and have achieved Investors in People Gold award.
For an informal discussion about the opportunity please contact our Nurse Manager, Jemma Jakeman, [email protected]
Main duties of the job
Working in accordance with the NMC Code of Conduct, the post-holder will provide assessment, treatment, screening, health education services and advice to patients.
Please see attached Job Description for more information.
About us
Compass House is a dynamic, forward-thinking practice and we are seeking a nurse with a similar outlook to join us in developing our exciting plans for the future. We have an excellent support team, high patient satisfaction scores and low staff turnover, offering a rewarding environment.
Job summary:
Working in accordance with the NMC Code of Conduct, the post-holder will provide assessment, treatment, screening, health education services and advice to patients.
The post-holder will work with reference to practice agreed protocols and guidelines, providing nursing treatments to patients both independently and in participation with nurse colleagues and general practitioners.
The post-holder will have the required level of training and competence and will work within patient specific directions where these are available.
Duties and responsibilities:
- Identifying significant abnormalities
- Checking compliance with and adherence to appropriate treatments using an holistic patient-centred approach
- Recognising abnormalities
- Assessing routine wounds including trauma
- Identifying significant abnormalities
- Obtaining appropriate information using a lifestyle questioning approach and identifying appropriate health promotion issues
- Working with patients to develop a management plan where health problems or potential health problems are identified
- Recognising issues and gathering sufficient information to refer (e.g. drugs; domestic violence; child protection; vulnerable adults; senior patients; social problems)
- Recognising issues and gathering sufficient information to refer (e.g. women’s and men’s health, sexual health, older people)
- Undertaking monitoring tasks (e.g. smears) and providing advice as appropriate
- Providing in-depth monitoring and advice as appropriate to the level of the post-holder’s specialty and working with the patient in deciding on management plans.
- Venepuncture
- Simple dressings
- ECG
- Assisting the general practitioner and/or undertaking some simple procedures
- Providing routine ear care if trained
- Being proactive in the identification of Carer’s
- Communicating with key workers
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 and lead on a full range of promotion and management of their own and others’ health and safety and infection control as defined in the practice health & safety policy, the practice health & safety manual, 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; 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
- Management and maintenance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the practice, including provision, ordering, availability and ongoing correct usage by staff
- 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, and initiate and manage the training of others across the full range of infection control and patient processes
- Monitoring practice facilities and equipment in relation to infection control, ensuring that provision of hand-cleansing facilities, wipes etc. are sufficient to ensure a good clinical working environment. Lack of facilities to be escalated as appropriate.
- 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 way, safe and free from hazards. Initiation of remedial / corrective action where needed or escalation to responsible management
- Actively identifying, reporting and correcting 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 twice annually)
- Routine management of own team / team areas, and maintenance of work space standards
- Waste management including collection, handling, segregation, container management, storage and collection
- Spillage control procedures, management and training
- Decontamination control procedures, management and training, and equipment maintenance
- Maintenance of sterile environments
- Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children & adults at risk.
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 people’s 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:
In addition to maintaining continued education through attendance at any courses and/or study days, 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:
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 team’s 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 people’s 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.
- Contribute to extended access rotas as required
Special requirements for the post:
An understanding, acceptance and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality
- An ability to use own judgement, resourcefulness, common sense and local knowledge, to respond to patient’s enquiries and requests while adhering to practice limitations
- An understanding and acceptance of one’s capabilities and awareness of own limitations
- Ability to work without direct supervision and determine own workload priorities
- Basic keyboard and computer skills
- Valid UK driving licence and access to a vehicle that can be used for work purposes.
This job description is not definitive or exhaustive and may be reviewed in the light of changing circumstances at a personal or organisation level.
Pay: From £12.96 per hour
Application question(s):
- Access to a car to use for work based journeys.
Experience:
- Healthcare Assistant: 1 year (preferred)
Licence/Certification:
- Driving Licence (preferred)
Work Location: In person
