Healthcare Assistant

Job overview

An exciting opportunity for motivated & enthusiastic people to join our friendly and diverse perioperative team

We welcome applicants with good communication skills who desire to work in a multidisciplinary team committed to providing high quality, patient centred care in a fast paced environment. Experience in operating theatres or hospital setting desirable, not essential as successful applicants will be supported, having their training needs met by our own education team. You will be supported to attain your Care Certificate and if required, functional skills in maths and English. This, on top of potential for NVQs or apprenticeships if needed/desired will help broaden your knowledge and skills base to help you in this role, and your future career.

Our department consists of 8 theatres over 3 main areas. We provide for a range of surgical specialties including:

Orthopaedics & trauma

General Surgery

Urology 

Gynaecology

Robotic Surgery (Gen. Surg, Gynae, Urology)

Max Facs

ENT 

Breast & Endocrine Surgery

Obstetrics

In addition, successful applicants may be asked occasionally to provide assistance in other ward areas.

We offer a supportive & challenging work environment with a supernumerary period which is adapted to the level of previous experience of practiced staff. With access to development courses and opportunities to promote career progression, leadership and clinical skills, our Practice Development Team are committed to support the development of all staff.

Main duties of the job

An operating department Healthcare Assistant (HCA) is a crucial part of the multidisciplinary team. They assist setting up theatres and preparing the Theatre and patient for surgery, as well as assisting the Theatre practitioners and surgical team during surgical procedures with equipment, instruments and patient care.

Main duties include:

To work as a member of the multidisciplinary team; To help prepare equipment and the theatre environment for surgical lists; Collect patients from ward areas, transfer and position patients for procedures; Participate in providing physical and psychological support to the patient; To assist the surgical team with assigned tasks; To adhere to all departmental and Trust policies and procedures.

Working for our organisation

At UHSussex, diversity is our strength, and we want you to feel included to help us always put the Patient First. Your uniqueness and experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of Staff Networks to help break down barriers, and can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) and a Veteran Aware Trust.

We treat our patients and staff with the same compassion and empathy we expect for ourselves. We’re here for them when they need us, and we go above and beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in our Wellbeing Programme for staff which is extensive and designed to support you when you need it, including where possible, flexible working to support work life balance - because we know that to look after others we must first look after ourselves. 

As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research, we value learning, teaching and training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us and throughout your career we will help you to grow and develop. We hope that in choosing UHSussex you are choosing a long and happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make and feel valued for all that you do.

We look forward to receiving your application and the start of your journey with UHSussex. 

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Communication

· Exchanges routine information with and offers support and reassurance to patients in a sensitive and appropriate manner, recognising that there may be barriers to understanding, particularly with regard to the patient’s age.

· Responds to phone calls and refers as appropriate.

· Participates in collection and entry of statistical information into the Galaxy System.

Service Delivery and Improvement

· Contributes to maintaining an environment suitable to the needs of patients and staff in accordance with Health and Safety and Infection Control.

· Participates in maintaining a tidy, well-stocked and safe clinical environment.

· Participation in the correct disposal of clinical/non-clinical waste in accordance with Trust policy.

· Duty of personal care in relation to equipment, patient valuables and stock control.

· Inputs data using computerised record system as directed by supervising nurse.

· Adheres to BSUH policies, guidelines and protocols.

· After appropriate training and assessment, assists in the decontamination and preparation of all surgical instrumentation.

· After appropriate training, assists in the daily checking of resuscitation equipment, glucometer and hemocue, reporting any malfunction to a senior practitioner in charge of the department.

· To act as a member of the theatre team by acting as the circulating person

People Management and Development

· No direct people management responsibilities but to mentor, teach and supervise any new members of the HCA team. Assist new members of the team to navigate Trust policies and procedures and to access electronic data.

Patient Care Delivery

· Assists other theatre staff with the individual care needs within the clinical area.

· Assists other theatre staff with the implementation and evaluation of planned care.

· After appropriate training and assessment undertake a range of basic observations and personal care detailed in individual skills inventory, under the supervision and direction of the supervising theatre staff.

· Records basic observations and reports those observations to the supervising theatre staff.

· Articulates concerns about the welfare/well-being of any patient to a registered practitioner/nurse immediately.

· Awareness of emergency procedures and how to activate them when needed.

· Maintains the privacy and dignity of carers.

· Assists in the transfer and positioning of anaesthetised patients e.g. trolley to table, according to local policy.

Learning and Development

· Attend mandatory training updates as required.

· Undertake training as necessary in line with the development of the post and as agreed with the line manager as part of the personal development process.

· Achieve and demonstrate agreed standards of personal and professional development within agreed timescales.

· Identify own learning needs and jointly plan training requirements with your line manager

· Participate in the Trust’s appraisal process to discuss how your role will help deliver the best possible care to our patients and help to deliver any changes in service.

This job description is an outline of the role and responsibilities. From time to time due to the needs of the service, we may ask you to flexibly undertake other duties that are consistent with your role and banding, including project work, internal job rotation and absence cover.

The job description and person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the department and the organisation.

Person specification

Training and qualifications

Essential criteria

Care Certificate or ability to work towards Educated to GCSE level or equivalent

Desirable criteria

Interest in undertaking further training

Experience

Essential criteria

used to working in a busy and pressured environment

Desirable criteria

experience in hospital or operating theatre setting Previous experience in patient care

Skills

Essential criteria

Good communication skills - written and verbal Good interpersonal and teamworking skills under sometimes difficult conditions Manual dexterity Physical ability to carry out activities required e.g manual handling loads, transferring patients and pushing beds

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Essential criteria

Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (as appropriate to role)

Important information for applicants

Flexible Working: If you would like to explore potential options regarding flexible working please speak with the appropriate recruiting/line manager. 

DBS Checks: As part of our commitment to a safe working environment, we undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check on all new employees where the role is eligible for a criminal record check . We make offers in line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1975.

Skilled Worker Visa: Applications for Skilled Worker sponsorship are welcome for those that meet the Visa and Immigrations eligibility criteria. For further information please visit the gov.uk website searching for Skilled Worker.

Closing adverts early: Please apply as early as you're able for this role. In the event of exceptional interest we may close adverts earlier than specified.

UHSussex reserves the right to close the role early if we receive a high volume of applications

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