Healthcare Assistant

**SOUTHAM SURGERY**

**JOB TITLE: HEALTHCARE ASSISTANT**

**REPORTS TO: SENIOR PRACTICE NURSE (Clinically)**

**PRACTICE MANAGER (Administratively)**

**Job summary**:
Working under the direct supervision of the senior 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**:

- Phlebotomy
- New patient health checks
- ECG recording
- Blood pressure +24hr
- Dressings
- Compression dressings and measuring for stockings
- Suture removal
- B12 injections
- Weight maintenance
- NHS health checks
- Spirometry
- Over 75’s administration
- Flu vaccinations for adults and children
- Pneumonia vaccinations
- Shingles vaccinations
- Chaperoning duties
- Processing and management of laboratory samples requested by GPs/nurses
- Sterilising, cleansing and maintenance of surgical equipment
- Vaccine/cold chain storage, monitoring and stock rotation
- 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

**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. Thy 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 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 but 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
- 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