Job Description

The post-holder is a Healthcare Assistant (HCA)

The HCA works within the organisation and supports the practice nursing and administrative teams in the delivery of clinical and administrative services. This role involves working as part of the practice multi-disciplinary team, delivering care within their scope of practice to the entitled patient population.

Having completed the Care Certificate or equivalent qualification, the HCA will deliver and assist clinical staff in the provision of treatment, preventative care, health promotion, long-term condition management and patient education while also supporting the administrative team on an as-required basis.

The HCA will work under the supervision of a registered clinician while developing competencies in community-based care. The role is at Support Worker Level and as described in NHS E Primary Care and General Practice Nursing Career and Core Capabilities Framework

The post-holder will be an integral part of the general practice team.

The following are the core responsibilities of the Healthcare Assistant in delivering health services. There may be, on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks. This will be dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels:

a. Consult with patients and their families to undertake assessments of patient need

b. Deliver and assist clinical staff in the provision of treatment, preventative care, health promotion, long-term condition management and patient education

c. Be an integral part of the general practice team

d. Provide clinical support to registered nurses and other healthcare professionals within the organisation

e. Deliver basic clinical care interventions under supervision, supporting continuity of care and patient safety initiatives

f. Act as a chaperone, as required

g. Ensure specimens are recorded and ready for onward transportation

h. Provide support during minor operations, as required

i. Ensure clinical waste is removed from clinical areas and sharps bins replaced in accordance with the organisation's IPC Policy

j. Work within national and local protocols where these exist

k. Be aware of your duties and responsibilities regarding current legislation and adhere to practice policies and procedures on Safeguarding Adults and Safeguarding Children

l. Recognise the boundaries of their practice and know when and to whom patients should be referred

m. Support in the delivery of enhanced services and other service requirements

n. Support the administrative team on an as-required basis

o. Undertake all mandatory training and induction programmes

p. Contribute to and embrace the spectrum of clinical governance

q. Maintain a clean, tidy, effective working area at all times

r. Attend a formal appraisal with their manager at least every 12 months. Once a performance/training objective has been set, progress will be reviewed on a regular basis so that new objectives can be agreed

Wider responsibilities

In addition to the primary responsibilities, the Healthcare Assistant has the following wider responsibilities:

a. Participate in any audits as directed

b. Participate in local initiatives to enhance service delivery and patient care

c. Support and participate in shared learning

Generic responsibilities

All staff at this organisation have a duty to conform to the following:

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

A good attitude and positive action towards Equality Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I) creates an environment where all individuals can achieve their full potential. Creating such an environment is important for three reasons - it improves operational effectiveness, it is morally the right thing to do, and it is required by law.

Patients and their families have the right to be treated fairly and be routinely involved in decisions about their treatment and care. They can expect to be treated with dignity and respect and will not be discriminated against on any grounds including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Patients have a responsibility to treat other patients and our staff with dignity and respect.

Staff have the right to be treated fairly in recruitment and career progression. Staff can expect to work in an environment where diversity is valued, and equality of opportunity is promoted. Staff will not be discriminated against on any grounds including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Staff have a responsibility to ensure that they treat our patients and their colleagues with dignity and respect.

Safety, Health, Environment and Fire (SHEF)

This organisation is committed to supporting and promoting opportunities for staff to maintain their health, wellbeing and safety.

The post-holder is to manage and assess risk within the areas of responsibility, ensuring adequate measures are in place to protect staff and patients and monitor work areas and practices to ensure they are safe and free from hazards and conform to health, safety and security legislation, policies, procedures and guidelines.

All personnel have a duty to take reasonable care of health and safety at work for themselves, their team and others and to cooperate with employers to ensure compliance with health and safety requirements.

All personnel are to comply with the:

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

Environmental Protection Act 1990

Environment Act 1995

. Fire Precautions (workplace) Regulations 1999

Other statutory legislation which may be brought to the post holder's attention

Confidentiality

The organisation is committed to maintaining an outstanding confidential service. Patients entrust and permit us to collect and retain sensitive information relating to their health and other matters pertaining to their care. They do so in confidence and have a right to expect all staff will respect their privacy and maintain confidentiality at all times.

It is essential that, if the legal requirements are to be met and the trust of our patients is to be retained, all staff must protect patient information and provide a confidential service.

Quality and Continuous Improvement (CI)

To preserve and improve the quality of the organisations outputs, all personnel are required to think not only of what they do but how they achieve it. By continually re-examining our processes, we will be able to develop and improve the overall effectiveness of the way we work.

The responsibility for this rests with everyone working within the practice to look for opportunities to improve quality and share good practice and to discuss, highlight and collaborate with the team to create opportunities to improve patient care.

This practice continually strives to improve work processes which deliver healthcare with improved results across all areas of our service provision. We promote a culture of continuous improvement where everyone counts, and staff are permitted to make suggestions and contributions to improve our service delivery and enhance patient care.

Staff should interpret national strategies and policies into local implementation strategies that are aligned to the values and culture of general practice. All staff are to contribute to investigations and root cause analyses whilst participating in serious incident investigations and multidisciplinary case reviews.

Induction

We will provide a full induction programme, and management will support you throughout the process.

Learning and development

The effective use of training and development is fundamental in ensuring that all staff are equipped with the appropriate skills, knowledge, attitude and competences to perform their role. All staff will be required to partake in, and complete mandatory training as directed. It is an expectation for this post-holder to assess their own learning needs and undertake learning as appropriate.

The post-holder will undertake mentorship for team members and disseminate learning and information gained to other team members to share good practice and inform others about current and future developments (e.g., courses and conferences). The post-holder will provide an educational role to patients, carers, families and colleagues in an environment that facilitates learning.

Collaborative working

All staff are to recognise the significance of collaborative working and understand their own role and scope and identify how this may develop over time. Staff are to prioritise their own workload and ensure effective time-management strategies are embedded within the culture of the team.

Teamwork is essential in multidisciplinary environments, and the post-holder is to work as an effective and responsible team member, supporting others and exploring the mechanisms to develop new ways of working and to work effectively with others to clearly define values, direction and policies impacting upon care delivery.

Effective communication is essential, and all staff must ensure they communicate in a manner which enables the sharing of information in an appropriate manner.

All staff should delegate clearly and appropriately, adopting the principles of safe practice and assessment of competence. Plans and outcomes by which to measure success should be agreed.

Managing information

All staff should use technology and appropriate software as an aid to management in the planning, implementation and monitoring of care and presenting and communicating information.

Data should be reviewed and processed using accurate SNOMED codes to ensure easy and accurate information retrieval for monitoring and audit processes.

Service delivery

Staff will be given detailed information during the induction process regarding policy and procedure.

The post-holder must adhere to the information contained within the organisation's policies and regional directives, ensuring protocols are adhered to at all times.

Security

The security of the organisation is the responsibility of all personnel. The post-holder must ensure they always remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity immediately to their line manager.

Under no circumstances are staff to share the codes for the door locks with anyone and are to ensure that restricted areas remain effectively secured. Likewise, password controls are to be maintained and are not to be shared.

Professional conduct, uniforms and appearance

All staff are required to dress appropriately for their role and in accordance with the organisation's Uniforms, Dress and Appearance Policy. All staff members are to ensure that their conduct is commensurate with line management expectations and practice protocol.

Leave

All personnel are entitled to take leave. Line managers are to ensure all their staff are afforded the opportunity to take a minimum of 27 days' leave each year and should be encouraged to take all their leave entitlement.

Public holidays will be calculated on a pro-rated basis dependent on the number of hours worked.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Permanent

Pay: 13.00-13.75 per hour

Benefits:

Company pension Employee discount Enhanced maternity leave
Work Location: In person