Senior Health Care Assistant HCA

The Orchard Medical Centre; Bristol; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 26,000; Full time

Job summary

A primary care clinic in Bristol is seeking a Senior Health Care Assistant (HCA) to support NHS health checks and vaccinations. The role requires flexibility to work evenings and weekends, with responsibilities including patient care, delivering health checks, and providing vaccinations under legal protocols. Ideal candidates will hold a Level 2 Diploma in Health and Social Care, have relevant healthcare experience, and exhibit strong communication skills. This position offers an opportunity to enhance community health services.

Benefits

1.25x normal rate for Saturday shifts

Supportive team environment

Qualifications

• Experience of working as a Health Care Assistant or similar health care role directly with patients.
• Commitment to undertake learning and development courses.
• Understanding of Confidentiality and Data Protection Act.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high quality health checks.
• Provide vaccinations under legal protocol.
• Support patient health and wellbeing initiatives.

Skills

Patient care

Communication skills

Flexible approach

Education

City and Guilds RQF Level 2 Diploma in Health and Social Care

Good standard of education (GCSEs A to C)

Job description

Senior Health Care Assistant (HCA) for Health Promotion

Please be aware that only candidates who provide a supporting statement addressing how they meet the essential criteria will be considered. This statement can be brief and doesn't need to be lengthy, but we encourage you to cover each point.

We anticipate interviews to take place in WC 9th or 16th February with a start date as soon as possible afterwards.

The purpose of this role is to work in PCNled clinics across our network of surgeries, primarily delivering NHS health checksand biannual covid and flu vaccinations. There will also be the opportunityto work in additional areas such as delivering learning disability and severemental illness (SMI) physical health checks, additional vaccinations (e.g.pneumonia and shingles), as well as providing other health care assistance tovarious PCN projects within the role holders scope of capabilities andtraining, such as blood pressure outreach clinics, promoting the uptake ofvarious cancer screening projects, FeNO clinics etc.

Therole holder must have a positive can-do approach and be willing to workflexibly which includes working evenings and weekends as well as the abilityto travel and work across various surgery locations within the network.

Pleasenote that you will be required to work 4 hours on Saturday mornings, from08:45 to 12:45. This willbe paid at 1.25x your normal rate. The remaining 22.5 hours can be worked across three or fourweekdays, with some flexibility.

Main duties of the job

Please see the Job Description & Person Specification (JD&PS) in the supporting information. This is a downloadable PDF document.

About us

Network 4 Primary Care Network (PCN) is basedin South Gloucestershire and comprises four general practices (Downend HealthGroup, Green Valleys Health, The Orchard Medical Centre, and Three ShiresMedical Practice) and together serve a patient population of approximately69,000.

Primary Care Networks form a key buildingblock to the NHS long term plan, enabling GP practices to work together atscale and provide greater proactive,personalised, coordinated, and more integrated health and social care forpeople close to home.

Job responsibilities

NHS Health Checks

NHS Health Checks are offered by GeneralPractices and are commissioned by South Gloucestershire Council. The keyservice outcome of the NHS Health Check programme is to reduce the inequalityin disability and premature mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD)through risk assessment, risk awareness and risk management.

Patients are eligible for this service ifthey are aged between 40-74 years of age and have not received an NHS HealthCheck within the last 5 years (exclusions apply see service spec). CVD is a significant contributory factor towards the current level of healthinequalities in South Gloucestershire, with death from CVD four times higher among people in the most deprived communities to those in the most affluent.The NHS Health Check programme provides a systematic approach to theidentification and management of people with the common risk factors andoffers an opportunity to help people to improve their health and wellbeing.

The purpose of the Health Checker role is todeliver high quality health checks to patients by offering a person-centredapproach to raising awareness of current health behaviours, identifying areasof potential risk about developing cardiovascular disease and onward referralfor further investigation and/or lifestyle support to encourage and maintainhealthier lives. Role holders will be expected toensure the patients attending an NHS health Check have a good experience byrespecting, empowering, and working in partnership with people throughouttheir intervention.

We have developed a successfulcovid and flu vaccination programme with clinics now being delivered acrossour 10 surgeries. This at scale service also includes annual flu vaccinationsand we are beginning to expand into delivering other vaccination services asa PCN. We are committed to providing high-quality care for our patients, andto working collaboratively to reduce the impact of health inequalities acrossour patient population.

The primary purpose of this role is to workas part of a small and friendly team as an unregistered Health Care Assistantproviding vaccinations under the legal mechanisms of the covid-19 NationalProtocol or Patient Specific Directives (PSDs), as well as any otherimmunisation/vaccination programmes that are delivered at scale by thenetwork. There are also opportunities to take part in outreach clinics, includingvaccinating in care homes and to people who are housebound, practice supportwork (e.g. Phlebotomy clinics) and PCN projects.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• City and Guilds RQF (NVQ) Level 2 Diploma in Health and Social Care (Adults) or equivalent qualification or experience (significant experience as a Health Care Assistant or similar role in Primary Care may be accepted in lieu of qualification).
• Good standard of education and high levels of numeracy and literacy (such as GCSEs grade A to C or equivalent).

Experience

• Experience of working as a Health Care Assistant or similar health care role directly with patients (e.g., vaccinator, care co-ordinator etc)
• Experience of autonomous working
• Commitment and willingness to undertake learning and development courses as required to ensure competency for role, including NHS Health Checker e-learning and competency framework, Care Certificate, COVID-19 vaccine specific training, basic life support, anaphylaxis, as well as all NHS statutory and mandatory training
• Understanding of Confidentiality and Data Protection Act
• Broad knowledge of Clinical Governance
• Basic knowledge of audit and the ability to undertake this when given guidelines and instruction
• Knowledge of infection and prevention control
• Effective skills in communicating sensitively and commitment to working with people and motivating them to take control of their life and access activities, support and advice which is available
• Able to request pathology tests, processing results and advising patients accordingly
• Able to undertake Venepuncture/phlebotomy (or willingness to undertake training course)
• Ability to work within own scope of practice and understanding when to refer to other clinical staff
• Ability and experience of supporting, training and mentoring junior members of staff
• Practical skills and knowledge of cold chain procedures and medicines management

Values & Behaviours

• Commitment to and focused on quality, promotes high standards
• Flexible approach to work and ability to cope with uncertainty and change
• Values diversity and difference, operates with integrity and openness
• Works well with others, is positive and helpful, listens, involves, respects, and learns from the contribution of others
• Actively develops themselves and supports others to do the same
• Ability to work in a variety of settings
• Understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal
• Awareness of the need to adhere to policies
• Able to work in a flexible manner in order to meet changing work patterns and service needs

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.