Health Care Assistant jobs in United Kingdom

We are inviting applications for a HealthCare Assistant, preferably with General Practice experience, to join our dedicated clinical team of 9 GPs, 3 ANPs, 5 Practice Nurses, 1 Nurse Associate and 1 Phlebotomist.

You will be enthusiastic, self‑motivated and confident to work in a busy environment. You will be exposed to new challenges and responsibilities to ensure continual professional development. You will work under the direct supervision of our Lead Nurse and GPs.

We are a close knit supportive team with a low staff turnover.

Days of work tbc

• ECG recording
• Chaperoning duties
• Vaccine cold chain storage, monitoring and recording
• Surgical equipment and vaccine re‑stocking and stock rotation and maintenance of stock levels.
• Clearing and re‑stocking consulting rooms
• Preparing and maintaining environments and equipment before, during and after patient care interventions including assisting GPs during the performance of minor operations
• Assisting in the assessment and surveillance of patients health and well‑being
• Undertaking specific clinical activities for named patients that have been delegated and taught specifically in relation to that individual
• Helping to raise awareness of health and well‑being and how it can be promoted
• Assisting with the collection and collation of data on needs related to health and well‑being
• Vaccinations, including Covid, Flu, B12, RSV, Pneumo, Shingles
• Assisting with Dopplers
• Pre‑assessment observations for chronic disease management (e.g., Diabetes, CHD, LD)

Aylmer Lodge Cookley Partnership cares for over 15,500 patients in the Kidderminster and Cookley areas of Worcestershire. We are a progressive, GMS, training practice that uses the EMIS web clinical system. We have two sites with our main surgery being located in Kidderminster and our branch dispensing surgery in Cookley. We have a CQC rating of Good. The Practice has a strong teaching and training ethos and highly values every member of its team. We offer an excellent employment package, dependent upon experience, which includes access to the NHS pension scheme. Salary will be dependent on experience.

Job Summary

Working under the direct supervision of the Lead Practice Nurse and strictly in accordance with specific Practice guidelines and protocols, the Healthcare Assistant will assist the Practice clinical team in the provision and delivery of prescribed programmes of patient care.

Duties and Responsibilities:

A wide range of duties to include:

• ECG recording
• Vaccine/cold chain storage, monitoring and recording
• Surgical equipment and vaccine re‑stocking and stock rotation and maintenance of stock levels.
• Clearing and re‑stocking consulting rooms
• Preparing and maintaining environments and equipment before, during and after patient care interventions including assisting GPs during the performance of minor operations
• Assisting in the assessment and surveillance of patients health and well‑being
• Undertaking specific clinical activities for named patients that have been delegated and taught specifically in relation to that individual
• Helping to raise awareness of health and well‑being and how it can be promoted
• Assisting with the collection and collation of data on needs related to health and well‑being
• Assisting with Dopplers
• Pre‑assessment observations for chronic disease management (e.g., Diabetes, CHD, LD)

Confidentiality:

• In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately.
• In the performance of the duties outlined in this Job Description, the post‑holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, Practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the Practice as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential.
• Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the Practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the Practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data.

Health & Safety:

The post‑holder will implement and lead on a full range of promotion and management of their own and others health and safety and infection control as defined in the practice Health & Safety Policy, the practice Health & Safety Manual, and the practice Infection Control policy and published procedures. This will include (but will not be limited to):

• Using personal security systems within the workplace according to Practice guidelines
• Awareness of national standards of infection control and cleanliness and regulatory / contractual / professional requirements, and good practice guidelines
• Responsible for the correct and safe management of the specimens process including collection, labelling, handling, use of correct and clean containers, storage and transport arrangements
• Management and maintenance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the practice including provision, ordering, availability and ongoing correct usage by staff
• Responsible for hand hygiene across the practice
• Ownership of infection control and clinically based patient care protocols, and implementation of those protocols across the practice
• Active observation of current working practices across the practice in relation to infection control, cleanliness and related activities, ensuring that procedures are followed and weaknesses / training needs are identified, escalating issues as appropriate
• Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks across clinical and patient process
• Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills, and initiate and manage the training of others across the full range of infection control and patient processes
• Monitoring practice facilities and equipment in relation to infection control, ensuring that provision of hand cleansing facilities, wipes etc are sufficient to ensure a good clinical working environment. Lack of facilities to be escalated as appropriate.
• Safe management of sharps procedures including training, use, storage and disposal
• Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy, clean and sterile, and safe way, free from hazards. Initiation of remedial / corrective action where needed or escalation to responsible management
• Actively identifying, reporting, and correction of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised
• Keeping own work areas and general / patient areas generally clean, sterile, identifying issues and hazards / risks in relation to other work areas within the business, and assuming responsibility in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness across the business in consultation (where appropriate) with other sector managers
• Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum twice annually)
• Routine management of own team / team areas, and maintenance of work space standards
• Waste management including collection, handling, segregation, container management, storage and collection
• Spillage control procedures, management and training
• Decontamination control procedures, management and training, and equipment maintenance
• Maintenance of sterile environments

Equality and Diversity:

• Acting in a way that recognises the importance of people's rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with Practice procedures and policies, and current legislation
• Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues
• Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non‑judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

Personal/Professional Development:

• Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development
• Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work

Quality:

• Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk
• Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision
• Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the team's performance
• Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs
• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources

Communication:

• Communicate effectively with other team members
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers
• Recognise people's needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly

Contribution to the Implementation of Services:

• Apply Practice policies, standards and guidance
• Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work
• Participate in audit where appropriate

• NVQ level 2 in Health & Social Care
• NVQ level 3 in Health & Social Care
• Qualified in phlebotomy

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.