Job Summary
We are seeking a dedicated, your enthusiasm, proactive attitude and compassionate Health Care Assistant to join our dynamic healthcare team. Working under the direct supervision of the senior 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.
Start Date: As soon as possible.
RESPONSIBLE TO
The HCA is responsible in the first instance to the Practice Nurse and thereafter to the PRACTICE Manager and then to the Partners.
PURPOSE OF THE JOB
The purpose of the post is to support the nurse and doctor teams by undertaking patient care tasks, clinical support tasks, infection control tasks, restocking and stock rotation.
SCOPE OF THE JOB
The HCA will perform tasks prescribed and delegated by the clinical team, working to agreed protocols and within defined competencies.
KEY RELATONSHIPS/CONTACTS
Internal:
- Practice Nursing Team
- GPs
- Doctors in Training
- Practice Manager/Office Manager
- Care Navigator and Administration Team
- Secretarial Team
Duties and responsabilities
Patient care
- New patient health checks and NHS health checks
- Venepuncture
- Urine testing/analysis
- Blood pressure measurement/monitoring including ambulatory BP monitoring
- ECG
- Height, weight measurement
- Lifestyle advice
- Smoking cessation
- Spirometry monitoring
- Oral glucose tolerance testing
- Chaperoning
- Diabetic foot checks
- Simple wound care
- INR monitoring
- Peak flow recording
- Wound swabs
The HCA will refer to a supervising member of the clinical team if deviation from the protocol is required, if unsure in any way, or where clinical judgement is required before proceeding.
Record keeping and administration
- Make accurate and contemporaneous records of all patient encounters in accordance with practice records guidelines.
- Contribute to nursing team record keeping (clinical, administrative, Health and Safety related records).
- Maintain skills in using patient appointment system.
Maintaining a safe clinical environment
General
The HCA will be aware of and comply with the practice’s Health and Safety Policy. This will include:
- Minimising risk to self and others in the workplace.
- Identifying and reporting hazards/risks and contributing to control measures.
- Adhering to all relevant policies including infection control and managing the cold chain.
- Contributing to keeping the working area and patient areas tidy and free from hazards.
- Using protective equipment and clothing provided and in accordance with the practice’s policy.
- Handling specimens and clinical waste/sharps in accordance with practice policy.
- Applying correctly spill control and decontamination policies.
- Ensuring sufficient supplies of all cleansing and infection control materials.
- Attending regular health and safety training.
Specific
- · Record fridge temperatures, clean fridges, promptly report temperature variations from standard.
- · Prepare clinical areas between patients in accordance with infection control procedures including cleaning surfaces and equipment.
- Dispose of all clinical waste/sharps in accordance with practice’s infection control protocol.
- Clean/maintain all equipment in accordance with infection control and equipment maintenance policies. Take action to manage spills or decontaminate affected areas.
Supplies management
- Check stock in all clinical rooms.
- Order replacement stock and restock clinical rooms.
- Maintain accurate stock records, including liaison with Practice Manager by providing order confirmations for invoice checking.
- Order most economic supplies available and use with economy.
- Order and maintain stock of health information leaflets and keep displays up to date.
Equipment maintenance and calibration
- Contribute to care and maintenance of equipment.
- Organise repair and regular maintenance and calibration of equipment, including equipment maintenance/checking/calibration log.
Communication
- Advise patients of the HCA role, its extent and limits.
- Advise patients appropriately and refer on if they require the services of a nurse, GP or other clinical team member.
- Communicate patient registration and clinical details to trained staff for further care and when concerns, questions or uncertainty of any kind arise.
- Communicate effectively, promptly and appropriately with patients and team members.
- Modify method of communication with patients to suit the situation, recognise problems/barriers and seek help at an early stage when they arise.
Personal development
The HCA will:
- Undertake training needed to ensure competencies for delivering all responsibilities.
- Attend and contribute to in-house training events.
- Take responsibility for own development including staff appraisals, giving and receiving feedback, performance management with the support and supervision of qualified staff.
- Undertake regular mandatory training (child protection, vulnerable adults, basic life support, moving and handling etc).
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 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 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.
- 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, 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 twice annually)
- Routine management of own team / team areas, and maintenance of workspace 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.
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 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 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 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:
- Recognize people’s needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.
- Proficiency in English with excellent communication skills to interact effectively with other team members and patients/carers.
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.
Other Duties
HCAs may, from time to time, be asked to undertake other reasonable duties, with appropriate training. It is important that all members of staff are prepared to undertake additional or relinquish current duties to maintain service delivery to patients. It is expected that requests from the Partners/Management Team/Lead Practice Nurse will not be unreasonably refused.
Join us if you’re passionate about making a positive impact through compassionate care! We value energetic individuals eager to support others’ well-being while growing their healthcare expertise. This paid position offers a rewarding environment where your dedication truly matters.
Pay: From £25,350.00 per year
Benefits:
Experience:
- GP Health Care Assistance: 2 years (required)
Language:
- Punjabi, Indi, or Arabic (preferred)
Work Location: In person
