Health Care Assistant

Job summary

:

Working under thedirect supervision of the senior practice nurse and strictly in accordance withspecific practice guidelines and protocols, the healthcare assistant willassist the practice clinical team in the provision and delivery of prescribed programmes of patientcare including but not limited to:

Duties and responsibilities:

New patienthealth checks

ECGrecording

Phlebotomy

Spirometry

Chaperoningduties

Processingand management of laboratory samples requested by GPs/nurses

Sterilising,cleansing and maintenance of surgical equipment

Vaccine/coldchain storage, monitoring and recording

Surgical equipmentand vaccine re-stocking and stock rotation

Clearingand re-stocking consulting rooms

Preparingand maintaining environments and equipment before, during and after patientcare interventions, including assisting GPs during the performance of minoroperations

Assistingin the assessment and surveillance of patients health and well-being.

Main duties of the job

Duties and responsibilities: As above plus:

Undertakingspecific clinical activities for named patients that have been delegated andtaught specifically in relation to that individual

Helping toraise awareness of health and well-being and how it can be promoted

Assistingwith the collection and collation of data on needs related to health andwell-being

Performurinalysis

Measuringand accurately recording patient blood pressure

Measuringand accurately recording patient height and weight measurement

Givingappropriate and predetermined advice and guidance to patients on healthy eatingand living

Undertakingelectrocardiograms and downloading the results onto the computer and in to thepatients electronic record

Undertakingphlebotomy procedures

Prepareall equipment and facilities and assist with minor surgical procedures

Actas a clinician chaperone at the request of patients or clinicians

Todevelop and maintain relationships with the patient, families, carers or theiradvocates

Toreport any problems/changes/complaints concerning the practice and the qualityof medical care provided to patients to the Practice Manager

See full Job Description for more details.

About us

We are a large innovative andfriendly GMS practice in North Dorset who are big on development, invest in ourteam and are keen to create opportunities for career development through routessuch as portfolio working and giving autonomy to take the lead and useinitiative. As a partnership we have demonstrated our commitment todiversification from the traditional model, having both an Advanced Nurse Practitioner,Clinical Pharmacist and a Manager as partners in our organisation.

We are passionate about giving allour team a voice and input into the way we work and provide care for ourcommunity. We are very fortunate to have a large MDT already andrecognise the importance of a holistic approach to health care. We have beenpart of The Altogether Better Programme and now have a team of health championsand social prescribers which support this approach.

We are a fun loving practice, lookingfor like minded enthusiasts to come and join us and deliver healthcareembracing new models of care.

Located in a beautiful part of NorthDorset (Shaftesbury and Sturminster Newton and surrounding areas), we enjoyexcellent transport links, fantastic local schools (both state and private) andthe coast is within easy reach for sailing, diving and outdoor pursuits

Job description

Job responsibilities

Duties and responsibilities:

Working under thedirect supervision of the senior practice nurse and strictly in accordance withspecific practice guidelines and protocols, the healthcare assistant willassist the practice clinical team in the provision and delivery of prescribed programmes of patientcare including but not limited to:

New patienthealth checks

ECGrecording

Phlebotomy

Spirometry

Chaperoningduties

Processingand management of laboratory samples requested by GPs/nurses

Sterilising,cleansing and maintenance of surgical equipment

Vaccine/coldchain storage, monitoring and recording

Surgical equipmentand vaccine re-stocking and stock rotation

Clearingand re-stocking consulting rooms

Preparingand maintaining environments and equipment before, during and after patientcare interventions, including assisting GPs during the performance of minoroperations

Assistingin the assessment and surveillance of patients health and well-being

Undertakingspecific clinical activities for named patients that have been delegated andtaught specifically in relation to that individual

Helping toraise awareness of health and well-being and how it can be promoted

Assistingwith the collection and collation of data on needs related to health andwell-being

Performurinalysis

Measuringand accurately recording patient blood pressure

Measuringand accurately recording patient height and weight measurement

Givingappropriate and predetermined advice and guidance to patients on healthy eatingand living

Undertakingelectrocardiograms and downloading the results onto the computer and in to thepatients electronic record

Undertakingphlebotomy procedures

Prepareall equipment and facilities and assist with minor surgical procedures

Actas a clinician chaperone at the request of patients or clinicians

Todevelop and maintain relationships with the patient, families, carers or theiradvocates

Toreport any problems/changes/complaints concerning the practice and the qualityof medical care provided to patients to the Practice Manager

Inputand code patient clinical information in to the practice clinical system

Ensurerelevant nGMS prompts for the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) are codedand recorded appropriately

Reportany changes in a patients condition to a Registered Nurse or Doctor

Maintainyour personal development profile

Confidentiality

In the course of seeking treatment,patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relationto their health and other matters. Theydo so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect theirprivacy and act appropriately

In the performance of the dutiesoutlined in this job description, the post-holder may have access toconfidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staffand other healthcare workers. They mayalso 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 mayonly be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practice policiesand procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitivedata

Health &Safety

Thepost-holder will implement and lead on a full range of promotion and managementtheir own and others health and safety and infection control as defined in thepractice Health & Safety policy, the practice Health & Safety manual,and the practice Infection Control policy and published procedures. This willinclude (but will not be limited to):

Using personal security systemswithin the workplace according to practice guidelines

Awareness of national standards ofinfection control and cleanliness and regulatory / contractual / professionalrequirements, and good practice guidelines

Responsible for the correct and safemanagement of the specimens process, including collection, labelling,handling, use of correct and clean containers, storage and transport arrangements

Management and maintenance ofPersonal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the practice, including provision,ordering, availability and ongoing correct usage by staff

Responsible for hand hygiene acrossthe practice

Ownership of infection control andclinically based patient care protocols, and implementation of those protocolsacross the practice

Active observation of currentworking practices across the practice in relation to infection control,cleanliness and related activities, ensuring that procedures are followed, andweaknesses / training needs are identified, escalating issues asappropriate

Identifying the risks involved inwork activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages thoserisks across clinical and patient process

Making effective use of training toupdate knowledge and skills, and initiate and manage the training of others acrossthe full range of infection control and patient processes

Monitoring practice facilities andequipment in relation to infection control, ensuring that provision of handcleansing facilities, wipes etc are sufficient to ensure a good clinicalworking environment. Lack of facilities to be escalated as appropriate.

Safe management of sharps proceduresincluding training, use, storage and disposal

Using appropriate infection controlprocedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy, clean and sterile, and safe way,free from hazards. Initiation of remedial / corrective action where needed orescalation to responsible management

Actively identifying, reporting, andcorrection of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately whenrecognised

Keeping own work areas and general /patient areas generally clean, sterile, identifying issues and hazards / risksin relation to other work areas within the business, and assumingresponsibility in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness acrossthe business in consultation (where appropriate) with other sector managers

Undertaking periodic infection controltraining (minimum twice annually)

Routine management of own team /team areas, and maintenance of work space standards

Waste management includingcollection, 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

Demonstrate due regard forsafeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

Equality anddiversity

The post-holderwill support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers andcolleagues, to include:

Acting in a way that recognizes the importance ofpeoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practiceprocedures and policies, and current legislation

Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefsof patients, carers and colleagues

Behaving in a manner that is welcoming to and ofthe individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelingspriorities and rights.

Personal/Professionaldevelopment

The post-holder will participate in any trainingprogramme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, such trainingto include:

Participation in an annual individual performancereview, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personaland/or professional development

Taking responsibility for own development,learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others whoare undertaking similar work

Quality

The post-holder will strive to maintain qualitywithin the practice, and will:

Alert other team members to issues of quality andrisk

Assess own performance and take accountability forown actions, either directly or under supervision

Contribute to the effectiveness of the team byreflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improveand enhance the teams performance

Work effectively with individuals in otheragencies to meet patients needs

Effectively manage own time, workload andresources

Communication:

The post-holder should recognize the importance of effectivecommunication within the team and will strive to:

Communicate effectively with other team members

Communicate effectively with patients and carers

Recognize peoples needs for alternative methodsof communication and respond accordingly

Contribution tothe Implementation of Services:

The post-holder will:

Apply practice policies, standards and guidance

Discuss with other members of the team how thepolicies, standards and guidelines will affect own work

Participate in audit where appropriate

Review and Approval

Allemployees are entitled to have at least an annual job and development reviewwith their line manager, which will include drawing up a personal developmentplan and reviewing the job description.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Essential Criteria: Qualified in Phlebotomy Experience in undertaking ECGs, blood pressure, urinalysis/samples Good general education to GCSE standard or equivalent Experience within a health care setting Good interpersonal and communication skills Good organisational and teamworking skills Effective time management Ability to work independently Computer literate Understanding, acceptance and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality Able to work under pressure and keep calm Be Flexible and adaptable Full Driving Licence

Desirable

Desirable Criteria: Experience in Primary Care Knowledge of System One clinical system Basic First aid knowledge Health & Safety Awareness

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