Healthcare Assistant

Integrated Care System; Sunderland; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 29,000; Part time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in Sunderland is seeking a part-time Healthcare Assistant (HCA). You will assist medical staff, conduct health screenings, and provide compassionate patient care. The ideal candidate has NVQ 2 in Healthcare and excellent communication skills. This role offers 33 days annual leave and other benefits in a supportive environment.

Benefits

33 days annual leave

Pension scheme

Employee benefits

Qualifications

• Experience of working in a healthcare setting required.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills are a must.
• Ability to follow clinical policies and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Assist medical staff in treating patients, including preventive care.
• Provide phlebotomy and perform health screenings.
• Support patients with clear communication and care.

Skills

Communication Skills

Time Management

Teamwork

Patient Care

Reliability

Education

NVQ 2 in Healthcare

Literacy and Numeracy Grade C or above

NVQ 3 in Healthcare

Tools

EMIS

Job description

Location: Alliance Medical Group

Salary: £25,646.01 per annum (pro rata for part time)

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: Part-time, 20 hours per week

33 days annual leave + bank holidays, pension and additional employee benefits

Main duties of the job

In Sunderland, we have a vision to develophealthcare thats fit for the future.Sunderland GP Alliance, a non-for-profit organisation owned by thecitys GPs and representing over 250,000 patients, is part of that vision. Over the last few years, we have strived toimprove services for patients and staff, developing and implementing ambulatoryECG, the management of post-bariatric services in the community, decisionmaking and referral support software for GPs, a clinical pharmacy service forthirteen member practices, and post discharge clinics that reduce the administrationburden on surgeries.

We are looking for a dedicated and dynamic HCA witha strong team ethos to join our team to further enhance our nursing complement.

Sunderland GP Alliance Medical Practice is onePractice which operates over 4 sites (Galleries, Barmston, Silksworth and SouthHylton). We pride ourselves in providing a supportive and motivatingenvironment for our staff and believe that getting our work-life balance right,creates a happy, healthy and creative team

Weuse EMISWEB as our clinical information system.

About us

For a second year in a row Sunderland GP Alliance has been listed in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work and Better Health At Work - Gold Award, offering 33 days annual leave and other benefits

Sunderland GP Alliance is owned by the GP Practices of Sunderland and helps GPs work collaboratively for the benefit of patients and staff. We are a not-for-profit organisation, ensuring any surplus is reinvested back into better services for patients.

By working together, our General Practice community is able to provide innovative services across the city, and work collectively with other key system partners. You'll find great examples of this approach across our website including information on our Enhanced Access service, Clinical Pharmacist provision, and ECG service.

We also run a number of practices where we aim to provide the best possible services for patients. All of our practices (where inspected) have been rated as Good by the Care Quality Commission.

Job responsibilities

• To work in a supported learning environment todevelop the skills and knowledge required for a Healthcare role in GeneralPractice.
• To develop skills to assist medical and nursingstaff in the care of practice patients to include treatment, preventive care,screening and patient education. Thepost will include administrative duties as part of the role.
• Working under the indirect supervision of aqualified nurse and strictly in accordance with specific practice guidelinesand protocols, undertake tasks and duties delegated by the General Practitioneror qualified nurse.
• To attend the relevant courses and study daysrequired to fulfil the role.
• To gain knowledge and skills whilst workingalongside an experienced nurse mentor
• To provide nursing treatments to patientsindependently or in participation with nurse colleagues and generalpractitioners with reference to agreed protocols and guidelines.
• To provide general and specific health screenings to the practicepatients (within agreed protocols and guidelines) with referral to generalpractitioners or other health professionals as necessary

Clinical Practice

• To provide phlebotomy as required in accordance totraining and procedure
• To take ear, throat and skin swabs as directed bythe practice nurse or GP
• To take physiological measurements for patientsincluding blood pressure, pulse rate and rhythm, temperature, height and weight(body mass index), visual acuity, urinalysis and ECG in the surgery and or athome (if required)
• Undertake new patient health checks, peak flowmeasurement, spirometry, FeNO assessment, suture and clip removal (as perpractice policy) change simple dressings and carry out other tasks for whichyou have received appropriate training.
• To fit 24 hours BP machine as directed and inaccordance with training and procedure
• To provide adult immunisations such as FluPneumonia Vit B12 in accordance to training and procedure
• Assist as per practice policy GPs undertaking minorsurgery
• Prepare and maintain environments and equipment before, during and after patientinterventions
• Clearing and restocking of consulting/treatmentrooms, including timely order of stock items under your control
• Assist in raising awareness of health andwell-being by participating in patient health promotion
• Give accurate and appropriate information withinown competence
• Ensure that anomalies are reported to a seniormember of the clinical team
• Notify the Practice nurse or GP of any significantpatient issues

Communication

• Demonstrate sensitive communication styles toensure patients are fully informed, understand and consent to treatment andintervention
• Communicate sensitively and support patients whohave received bad news
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers,recognising the need for alternative methods of communication to overcomedifferent levels of understanding, cultural background and preferred ways ofcommunicating
• Anticipate barriers to communication and takeaction to improve communication
• Establish and maintain effective and timelycommunication with individuals and groups within the practice environment andwith external stakeholders
• Act as an advocate when representing patients andcolleagues

Delivering A Quality Service

• Recognise and work within own competence
• Prioritise, organise and manage own workload in amanner that maintains and promotes quality
• Work with the team to deliver care according toNICE guidelines, evidence-based care and local policy
• Assess effectiveness of care delivery through selfand peer review, shared learning and formal evaluation including annualappraisal and revalidation
• Be aware of NHS policies and initiatives relevantto areas of practice and work with the practice team to respond to these anddevelop patient services
• Engage in the use of the audit cycle and patientfeedback mechanisms as a means of evaluating the quality of the work of selfand the team
• Understand responsibilities and legal requirementsrelating to confidentiality and data protection; these are outlined in thepractice policy on confidentiality and must be adhered to at all times
• Be aware of Duty of Candour and appropriatebehaviours regarding this within the practice
• Understand and apply policies that support theidentification of vulnerable children and adults, being aware of statutorychild/vulnerable adult health procedures and local guidance on Safeguarding
• Work within policies regarding domestic violence,vulnerable adults, substance abuse and addictive behaviour
• Manage and assess risk within the areas ofresponsibility, ensuring adequate measures are in place to protect staff andpatients
• Monitor work areas and practices to ensure they aresafe and free from hazards and conform to health, safety and securitylegislation, policies, procedures and guidelines

Leadership, Development and Training

• Take responsibility for own development andperformance; assessing own learning needs and undertake learning as appropriate
• Make effective use of learning opportunities withinand outside the workplace, evaluating their effectiveness and feeding backrelevant information to the wider practice team
• Participate in planning and implementing changeswithin the areas of care and responsibility
• Provide an educational role to patients, carers andfamilies
• Ensure awareness of sources of support and guidanceand provide information in an acceptable format to all patients, recognisingany difficulties and referring where appropriate.
• Undertake mandatory and statutory trainingrequirements
• Promote the role of the HCA in the provision ofcare

Team Working

• Understand own role and scope, and identify howthis may develop over time
• Work as an effective and responsible team member,supporting others and exploring the mechanisms to develop new ways of working
• Ensure clear referral mechanisms are in place tomeet patient need
• Participate in team activities that createopportunities to improve patient care
• Participate in and support local projects as agreedwith the practice management team

Utilising Information and IT Systems

• Use technology as an aid to management in planning,implementation and monitoring, presenting and communicating information(EMISWEB, NHS Mail and local intranet system)
• Review and process data using accurate Read codesand local templates to ensure easy and accurate retrieval for monitoring andaudit processes
• Manage information searches using the internet andlocal library databases, for example, the retrieval of relevant information forpatients on their condition
• Understand the responsibility of self and othersregarding the Data Protection Act and confidentiality

Confidentiality

• In the performanceof the duties outlined in this job description, the post-holder may have accessto confidential information relating to patients and their carers, Practicestaff and other healthcare workers. All suchinformation from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential.
• Informationrelating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or thebusiness of the Alliance may only be divulged to authorized persons inaccordance with the Alliances policies and procedures relating toconfidentiality, and the protection of personal and sensitive data.

Health & Safety

Thepost-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and othershealth, safety and security as defined in the Alliances Health & SafetyPolicy to include:

• Identifying therisk involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way thatmanages those risks.
• Ensuring that allaccidents or dangerous accidents are reported and investigated and follow upaction taken where necessary.

Equality and Diversity

Thepost-holder will support the quality, diversity and rights of patients, carersand colleagues to include:

• Acting in a waythat recognizes the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a waythat is consistent with current legislation.
• Respecting theprivacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues.
• Behaving in amanner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgemental andrespects their circumstances, feelings, priorities and rights.

Quality

Thepost-holder will strive to maintain quality within the Alliance, and will:

• Alert other teammembers to issues of quality and risk.
• Assess ownperformance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or undersupervision.
• Contribute to theeffectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and makingsuggestions on ways to improve and enhanced the teams performance.
• Work effectivelywith individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs.
• Effectively manageown time, workload and resources.

Communication

Thepost-holder should recognize the importance of effective communication withinthe team and will strive to:

• Communicateeffectively with other team members.
• Communicateeffectively with patients and carers.
• Recognise peoplesneeds for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.

Person Specification

Experience

• Experience of working in a healthcare setting
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with the ability to maintain clear, concise records
• Experience of working as a HCA in a primary care environment
• Working with EMIS

Qualifications

• NVQ 2 in Healthcare or Health associated equivalent qualification
• Literacy and Numeracy Grade C or above
• NVQ 3 in Healthcare Care Certificate
• NHS Health Check Training
• Ear Irrigation Training

Motivation and Skills

• Effective time management
• Reliable
• Ability to work as part of a team and autonomously
• Ability to follow clinical policies and procedures
• Caring and compassionate approach to patient care
• Ability to work flexibly

Other

• Disclosure Barring Service Check
• Car driver with appropriate license

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.