Healthcare Assistant

NHS; Honiton; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare organization is seeking a Healthcare Assistant to support clinical and administrative teams. The successful candidate will assist in patient care, health promotion, and undertake various clinical responsibilities while ensuring high standards of patient care. This role offers the opportunity for ongoing training and development within a supportive team environment.

Qualifications

• Experience of working with the general public.
• Experience of working in a healthcare setting.
• Relevant experience in health promotion and long-term condition management.

Responsibilities

• Undertake new patient health checks.
• Provide clinical support to registered nurses and other professionals.
• Carry out baseline observations and manage clinical tasks.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Ability to work as part of a team

Problem solving and analytical skills

Effective time management

Education

Healthcare qualification (level 3 or 4)

Completed Care Certificate or equivalent qualification

Job description

Tosupport the practice nursing and administrative teams in the delivery ofclinical and administrative services, working as part of the practicemulti-disciplinary team, delivering care within their scope of practice to theentitled patient population.

The Healthcare Assistant will deliver and assist clinical staff inthe provision of treatment, preventative care, health promotion and patienteducation while also supporting the administrative team on an as-requiredbasis.

As partof this role, you commit to ongoing development and training.

You willbe part of a supportive team and will play a crucial role in all aspects ofnursing practice.

Interview Date: Afternoon of the 24th July

Main duties of the job

Thefollowing are the core responsibilities of the Healthcare Assistant. There maybe, on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks; this will be dependentupon factors such as workload and staffing levels:

a. Undertake new patient health checks.

b. Provide clinical support to registered nurses and other professionals.

c. Carry out baseline observations such as pulse oximetry, blood pressure, temperature and pulse rate, recording findings accurately.

d. Undertake wound care, dressings and other clinical tasks as required.

e. Support patients and the practice nurse with long term conditions and address health inequalities.

f. Carry out BMI checks as directed.

g. Act as a chaperone as required.

h. When trained, undertake venepuncture.

i. Play a key role in vaccination and immunisation programs.

j. When trained, administer flu vaccinations.

k. When trained, carry out ear irrigation under the supervision of the Practice Nurse.

l. Carry out ECGs as requested.

m. Ensure specimens are recorded and ready for onward transportation

o. Ensure all clinical rooms are adequately stocked and prepared for each session

p. Ensure fridges are cleaned routinely in accordance with extant guidance

q. Ensure clinical waste is removed from clinical areas and sharps bins replaced in accordance with the organisations IPC policy

r. Support health promotion and prevention activities.

About us

Honiton Surgery is a GP practice based in the heart of East Devon, and has a highly committed and friendly team of GP Partners, salaried GPs, Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Allied Health Professionals, Clinical Pharmacists, a multiskilled Practice Nursing Team and Clinical Research Team. We have a strong and supportive Management and Administrative Team.

We have a reputation for proving excellent care to our 18,500 patients and are rated Good by the CQC.

We are the lead practice for our PCN, working collaboratively with two other practices, Sid Vale Practice and Coleridge Medical Centre. We have developed a wider range of PCN teams and roles, including, Care Home Team, Mental Health and Wellbeing Team, First Contact Physiotherapists and Clinical Pharmacists.

Job responsibilities

Job summary

To support the practice nursing and administrativeteams in the delivery of clinical and administrative services, working aspart of the practice multi-disciplinary team, delivering care within theirscope of practice to the entitled patient population.

The Healthcare Assistant will deliverand assist clinical staff in the provision of treatment, preventative care,health promotion and patient education while also supporting theadministrative team on an as-required basis.

Aspart of this role, you commit to ongoing development and training.

Youwill be part of a supportive team and will play a crucial role in all aspectsof nursing practice.

Primary key responsibilities

The following are the core responsibilities of the HealthcareAssistant. There may be, on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks;this will be dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels:

a. Undertake new patient health checks.

b.Provide clinical support to registered nurses and other professionals.

c. Carry out baseline observations such as pulse oximetry, bloodpressure, temperature and pulse rate, recording findings accurately.

d. Undertake wound care, dressings and other clinical tasks as required.

e.Support patients and the practice nurse with long term conditions andaddress health inequalities.

f. Carry out BMI checks as directed.

g. Act as a chaperone as required.

h. When trained, undertake venepuncture.

i.Play a key role in vaccination and immunisation programs.

j. When trained, administer flu vaccinations.

k. When trained, carry out ear irrigation under the supervision of thePractice Nurse.

l. Carry out ECGs as requested.

m. Ensure specimens are recorded and ready for onward transportation

o. Ensure all clinical rooms are adequately stocked and prepared for eachsession

p. Ensure fridges are cleaned routinely in accordance with extantguidance

q. Ensure clinical waste is removed from clinical areas and sharps binsreplaced in accordance with the organisations IPC policy

r.Support health promotion and prevention activities.

s.Deliver basic clinical care interventions under supervision.

Secondary responsibilities

In addition to the primary responsibilities, the Healthcare Assistantmay be requested to:

a. Participate in practice audit as directed by the audit lead

b. Participate in local initiatives to enhance service delivery andpatient care

c. Support and participate in shared learning within the organisation

d. Complete opening and closing procedures in accordance with the dutyrota

Generic responsibilities

All staff have a duty to conform to thefollowing:

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion(ED&I)

A good attitude and positive action towardsEquality Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I) creates an environment whereall individuals can achieve their full potential. Creating such anenvironment is important for three reasons it improves operationaleffectiveness, it is morally the right thing to do and it is required by law.

Patients and their families have the rightto be treated fairly and be routinely involved in decisions about theirtreatment and care. They can expect to be treated with dignity and respectand will not be discriminated against on any grounds including age,disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancyand maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Staff have the right to be treated fairlyin recruitment and career progression. Staff can expect to work in anenvironment where diversity is valued, and equality of opportunity ispromoted. Staff will not be discriminated against on any grounds includingage, 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 they treat our patients and theircolleagues with dignity and respect.

Safety, Health, Environment and Fire (SHEF)

This organisation is committed tosupporting and promoting opportunities for staff to maintain their health,wellbeing and safety.

The post holder is to manage and assessrisk within the areas of responsibility, ensuring adequate measures are inplace to protect staff and patients and monitor work areas and practices toensure they are safe and free from hazards and conform to health, safety andsecurity legislation, policies, procedures and guidelines.

All personnel have a duty to takereasonable care of health and safety at work for themselves, their team andothers and to cooperate with employers to ensure compliance with health andsafety requirements.

All personnel are to comply with the:

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

Fire Precautions (workplace)Regulations 1999

Other statutorylegislation which may be brought to the post holders attention

Confidentiality

The organisation is committed tomaintaining an outstanding confidential service. Patients entrust and permitus to collect and retain sensitive information relating to their health andother matters pertaining to their care. They do so in confidence and have aright to expect all staff will respect their privacy and maintainconfidentiality.

It is essential that, if the legalrequirements are to be met and the trust of our patients is to be retained,all staff must protect patient information and provide a confidentialservice.

Quality and Continuous Improvement (CI)

To preserve and improve the quality of thisorganisations outputs, all personnel are required to think not only of whatthey 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 waywe work.

The responsibility for this rests witheveryone working within the organisation to look for opportunities to improvequality and share good practice and to discuss, highlight and work with theteam to create opportunities to improve patient care.

At this organisation, we continually striveto improve work processes which deliver healthcare with improved resultsacross all areas of our service provision. We promote a culture of continuousimprovement where everyone counts, and staff are permitted to makesuggestions and contributions to improve our service delivery and enhancepatient care.

Induction

We will provide a fullinduction programme, and management will support you throughout the process.

Learning and development

The effective use of training anddevelopment is fundamental in ensuring that all staff are equipped with theappropriate skills, knowledge, attitude and competences to perform theirrole. All staff will be required to partake in and complete mandatory trainingas directed. It is an expectation for this post holder to assess their ownlearning needs and undertake learning as appropriate.

The post holder will undertake mentorshipfor team members and disseminate learning and information gained to otherteam members to share good practice and inform others about current andfuture developments (e.g., courses and conferences).

The post holder will provide an educationalrole to patients, carers, families and colleagues in an environment thatfacilitates learning.

Collaborative working

All staff are to recognise the significanceof collaborative working and understand their own role and scope and identifyhow this may develop over time. Staff are to prioritise their own workloadand ensure effective time-management strategies are embedded within theculture of the team.

Teamwork is essential in multidisciplinaryenvironments and the post holder is to work as an effective and responsibleteam member, supporting others and exploring the mechanisms to develop newways of working and work effectively with others to clearly define values,direction and policies impacting upon care delivery

Effective communication is essential, andall staff must ensure they communicate in a manner which enables the sharingof information in an appropriate manner.

Managing information

All staff should use technology andappropriate software as an aid to management in the planning, implementationand monitoring of care and presenting and communicating information.

Data should be reviewed and processed usingaccurate clinical codes to ensure easy and accurate information retrieval formonitoring and audit processes.

Staff will be given detailed informationduring the induction process regarding policy and procedure.

The post holder must adhere to theinformation contained within the organisations policies and regionaldirectives, ensuring protocols are always adhered to.

The nature of this post may undoubtedly change. As such flexibility is essential. The post holder is required to carry out any duties that may reasonable be requested from the partners, management team or line managers. No Job Description can give a complete account of all aspects of the post. Therefore, from time to time the demands of the organisation will require adjustments in the responsibilities of the post. No such adjustments, however, may be made without the agreement of the Partners, Management Team without full consultation with the post-holder.

Person Specification

Clinical Knowledge and Skills

• Able to carry out:
• ECGs
• venepuncture
• new patient medicals
• chaperone procedures
• ability to record accurate clinical notes
• SKILLS:
• Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
• Ability to work as part of a team and autonomously
• Good interpersonal skills
• problem solving and analytical skills
• Effective time management
• PERSONAL QUALITIES:
• Polite and confident
• flexible
• high levels of integrity and loyalty
• punctual and committed
• motivated
• ability to work under pressure

Qualifications

• Healthcare qualification (level 3 or 4) or working towards gaining equivalent level
• Completed Care Certificate or equivalent qualification

Experience

• Experience of working with the general public
• Experience of working in a healthcare setting
• Relevant experience in health promotion and long- term condition management
• Experience of working in a primary care environment

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.