Healthcare Assistant job description & person specification
Job Title
Healthcare Assistant
Line Manager
Practice Nurses/GP’s
Accountable to
Practice Manager
Hours per week
25 -30 per week
Over 5 days
Pay
Dependent upon experience
Job Summary
To support the practice nursing team in the delivery of nursing services, working as part of the practice multidisciplinary team, delivering care within their scope of practice to the entitled patient population. The healthcare assistant will deliver and assist clinical staff in the provision of treatment, preventative care, health promotion and patient education.
Mission Statement
Our Mission is to:
- Put our patient’s welfare at the heart of all we do.
- Listen to patients
- Promote best medical practice, share expertise and refer on to the appropriate service where necessary
- To provide continuous learning with our organisation and promote clinical governance within our teams
- Be Innovative, adaptable and respond to the changing face of general practice.
- Strive to improve the health of our population and encourage self-care
- Use our resources wisely and in a cost effective manner
- Encourage patients to use the practice resources and those of the wider NHS responsibly
- Balance the needs of individual patients with those of the wider practice population
- Value and protect our staff
Our Values are:
- To be caring
- To be responsible
- To have integrity
- To be trustworthy
- To strive for excellence
Vision Statement
We are committed to provide high quality, effective and accessible care in a responsive, considerate manner. We aspire to be an organisation that staff are proud of, building upon our existing team working relationships and levels of mutual support
Generic Responsibilities
All staff at Greenbank Surgery have a duty to conform to the following:
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
A good attitude and positive action towards ED&I creates and environment where all individuals are able to achieve their full potential. Creating such an environment is important for three reasons: it improves operational effectiveness, it is morally the right thing to do, and it is required by law.
Patients and their families have the right to be treated fairly and be routinely involved in decisions about their treatment and care. They can expect to be treated with dignity and respect and will not be discriminated against on any grounds including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Patients have a responsibility to treat other patients and our staff with dignity and respect.
Staff have the right to be treated fairly in recruitment and career progression. Staff can expect to work in an environment where diversity is valued and equality of opportunity is promoted. Staff will not be discriminated against on any grounds including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Staff have a responsibility to ensure that you treat our patients and their colleagues with dignity and respect.
Safety, Health, Environment and Fire (SHEF)
This practice is committed to supporting and promoting opportunities to for staff to maintain their health, well-being and safety. You have a duty to take reasonable care of health and safety at work for you, your team and others, and to cooperate with employers to ensure compliance with health and safety requirements. All personnel are to comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Environmental Protection Act 1990, Environment Act 1995, Fire Precautions (workplace) Regulations 1999 and other statutory legislation.
Confidentiality
This practice is committed to maintaining an outstanding confidential service. Patients entrust and permit us to collect and retain sensitive information relating to their health and other matters, pertaining to their care. They do so in confidence and have a right to expect all staff will respect their privacy and maintain confidentiality at all times. It is essential that if, the legal requirements are to be met and the trust of our patients is to be retained that all staff protect patient information and provide a confidential service.
Quality & Continuous Improvement (CI)
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.
Induction Training
On arrival at the practice all personnel are to complete a practice induction programme; this is managed by Practice Nurse/GP.
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.
Service Delivery
Staff at Greenbank Surgery must adhere to the information contained with practice policies and regional directives, ensuring protocols are adhered to at all times. Staff will be given detailed information during the induction process regarding policy and procedure.
Security
The security of the practice is the responsibility of all personnel. Staff must ensure they remain vigilant at all times and report any suspicious activity immediately to their line manager. Under no circumstances are staff to share the codes for the door locks to anyone and are to ensure that restricted areas remain effectively secure
Professional Conduct
At Greenbank Surgery, staff are required to dress appropriately for their role. Administrative staff will be provided with a uniform whilst clinical staff must dress in accordance with their role.
Leave
All personnel are entitled to take leave. Line managers are to ensure all of their staff are afforded the opportunity to take their allocated minimum days leave each year, and should be encouraged to take all of their leave entitlement.
Primary Responsibilities
The following are the core responsibilities of the healthcare assistant. There may be on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks; this will be dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels:
- New Patient Health Checks
- NHS Health Checks
- B12 Injections
- Flu Vaccinations under PSD
- BP Checks
- Chaperoning Duties
- ECG’s
- Appropriate Annual Reviews
- Assisting GP/Practice Nurse in coil/implant fitting/removal
- Processing and management of laboratory samples requested by GP’S/Nurses
- Vaccine/cold chain storage, monitoring and recording
- Clearing and re-stocking consulting rooms
- Preparing and maintaining environments and equipment before, during and after patient care interventions including assisting GP’s during the performance of minor operations
- Use of own transport to do home visits
- Lead in practice campaigns – Public Health Champion
- Responsible for stock checks and ordering
Secondary Responsibilities
In addition to the primary responsibilities, the healthcare assistant may be requested to:
- Participate in practice audit as directed by the aduit lead
- Participate in local initiatives to enhance service delivery and patient care
- Support and participate in shared learning within the practice
Person Specification – Healthcare Assistant
Qualifications
Essential
Desirable
Healthcare qualification (level 3 or 4) or working towards gaining equivalent level
✓
Phlebotomy certification
✓
Care Certificate
✓
ECG Training + Certificate
✓
Basic Immunisation and Injection Technique Training
✓
Minor Ops Basic Training
✓
QRisk Training
✓
Experience
Essential
Desirable
Experience of working in a primary care environment
✓
Experience of working with the general public
✓
Experience of working in a healthcare setting
✓
Clinical Knowledge & Skills
Essential
Desirable
Wound Care / Removal of sutures & staples
✓
ECG’s
✓
Venepuncture
✓
New patient medicals inc. Height, weight, BP, Pulse
✓
Chaperone procedure
✓
Ability to record accurate clinical notes
✓
Skills
Essential
Desirable
Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
✓
Strong IT skills
✓
Clear, polite telephone manner
✓
Competent in the use of Office and Outlook
✓
Systmone user skills
✓
Effective time management (Planning & Organising)
✓
Ability to work as a team member and autonomously
✓
Good interpersonal skills
✓
Ability to follow clinical policy and procedure
✓
Personal Qualities
Essential
Desirable
Polite and confident
✓
Flexible and cooperative
✓
Motivated
✓
Problem solver with the ability to process information accurately and effectively, interpreting data as required
✓
High levels of integrity and loyalty
✓
Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations
✓
Ability to work under pressure / in stressful situations
✓
Effectively able to communicate and understand the needs of the patient
✓
Commitment to ongoing professional development
✓
Effectively utilises resources
✓
Punctual and committed to supporting the team effort
✓
Other requirements
Essential
Desirable
Flexibility to work outside of core office hours
✓
Car driver/Full clean driving licence
✓
This document may be amended following consultation with the post holder, to facilitate the development of the role, the practice and the individual. All personnel should be prepared to accept additional, or surrender existing duties, to enable the efficient running of the practice.
Job Types: Part-time, Permanent
Pay: From £13.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Company pension
- On-site parking
- Referral programme
Education:
- GCSE or equivalent (preferred)
Experience:
- Primary care: 2 years (preferred)
Language:
Licence/Certification:
- Driving Licence (preferred)
Work Location: In person
