Healthcare Support Worker

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Oxford; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

A major NHS teaching trust in Oxford is seeking a Theatre Support Worker. This role involves crucial collaboration with the theatre team to ensure a safe, clean environment for patients during surgeries. Responsibilities include maintaining infection control protocols and assisting registered nurses. The ideal candidate should prioritize patient care and demonstrate strong teamwork skills. Join a team dedicated to delivering high-quality healthcare and compassionate support to every patient.

Qualifications

• Ability to put patients at the heart of actions, recognizing different needs.
• Encourage a spirit of support, integrity, respect, and teamwork.

Responsibilities

• Provide a dignified and safe perioperative environment for patients.
• Maintain strict aseptic and infection control procedures.
• Transport conscious & unconscious patients while ensuring safety and dignity.
• Assist in providing a safe and clean environment for patients.
• Support registered theatre personnel and maintain hygiene standards.

Skills

Patient care

Teamwork

Infection control

Communication

Job description

Churchill Theatres Band 2 Theatre Support Worker Working in theatres is a unique privilege. It involves a lot of teamwork, preparing and cleaning the theatre environment and a commitment to support the theatre team to provide care to the patients whilst in the operating theatre. The successful candidate will be supported in practice by trained theatre staff to ensure the smooth running of the area they will work in, to be part of a team and to work flexibly in an environment of changing demands. This department provides 24-hour emergency cover, therefore there will be shift work, night duty and weekends as well as an on‑call commitment required. Oxford isn't just a good place to work; it's also a great place to live.

Responsibilities

• Provision of a dignified and safe perioperative environment for patients, colleagues and visitors
• Maintenance of strict aseptic and infection control procedures
• Contribution to and participation in the teamwork of the combined medical, surgical and allied health professional team
• Transport conscious & unconscious patients between all acute care areas, including radiology, wards and operating theatres ensuring their safety and dignity at all times.
• Participate as a member of the operating theatre team, assisting in providing a safe and clean environment to receive patients during the peri‑operative episode.
• Provide high quality patient care under the guidance and supervision of the senior nurse/operating department practitioner
• Maintain all theatre areas to a high level of hygiene following infection control guidelines
• Be responsible for the decontamination / disinfection of reusable medical devices and medical equipment (Endoscopy only)
• Ensuring all areas within the suite are clean, tidy and that adequate stock levels are maintained
• Cleaning, preparation and positioning of theatre equipment, furniture and operating lights according to theatre schedules and local policy
• Checking, connecting, preparing and providing equipment and supplies to registered theatre personnel during patient's peri‑operative stay
• Supporting registered theatre personnel by opening packs in a sterile fashion and manoeuvring equipment as required
• Assisting with the moving and positioning of the conscious and unconscious patients in preparation for surgery and/or treatment, ensuring that any intravenous infusions, drains or catheters are appropriately positioned.
• Supporting and re‑assuring patients during local anaesthetic procedures
• Completing all relevant documentation including patient notes/EPR, Theatre registers and care plans
• Remove clinical waste, linen and sharps within theatres and prepare for collection, being aware of local health and safety policies and procedures
• Clean theatres, recovery and corridors as required daily, observing the Trust Infection Control Policy and take special precautions where required
• Ensure changing rooms are kept tidy
• Participate in additional weekly cleaning programme to ensure the required standards of cleanliness following infection control guidelines are maintained in the department
• Clean and check theatre patient trolleys daily and between cases
• Complete daily checks of transport and patient trolley Oxygen cylinders and replace as required
• Maintain a stock of medical gas cylinders, returning empty cylinders to the store as agreed locally
• If required maintain stocks Theatre Scrubs as required and ensure stocks are counted daily to facilitate reordering
• Report immediately to a senior member of staff any incidents, accidents or complaints involving patients, staff or visitors, and take any necessary action as instructed

Key Skills & Qualifications

• Able to demonstrate the ability to put patients at the heart of what you do and recognising different needs by encouraging a spirit of support, integrity, respect and teamwork.

About the Trust

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research. The Trust comprises of four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury. Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community. We call this Delivering Compassionate Excellence and its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence. These values put patients at the heart of what we do and underpin the quality healthcare we would like for ourselves or a member of our family. Watch how we set out to deliver compassionate excellence via the OUH YouTube channel.