Job summary
To support the practice nursing and administrative teams in the delivery of clinical and
administrative services, working as part of the practice multi-disciplinary team, delivering
care within their scope of practice to the entitled patient population.
The Healthcare Assistant will deliver and assist clinical staff in the provision of treatment,
preventative care, health promotion and patient education.
Main duties of the job
The following are the core responsibilities of the Healthcare Assistant. There may be, a requirement to carry out other tasks
a. Undertake new patient health checks
b. Support the Practice Nurse with health promotion programmes
c. Carry out baseline observations such as pulse oximetry, blood pressure,
temperature and pulse rate, recording findings accurately
d. Facilitate routine and 24-hour BP monitoring, advising patients accordingly
e. Undertake wound care, dressings and other clinical tasks as required
f. Support the Practice Nurse with the management of chronic disease clinics
g. Carry out BMI checks as directed
h. Act as a chaperone as required
i. When trained, undertake venepuncture
j. When trained, administer flu vaccinations
k. When trained, carry out ear irrigation under the supervision of the Practice Nurse
l. Carry out ECGs as requested
m. Ensure specimens are recorded and ready for onward transportation
n. Provide support during minor operations as required
o. Ensure all clinical rooms are adequately stocked and prepared for each session
p. Ensure fridges are cleaned routinely in accordance with extant guidance
q. Ensure clinical waste is removed from clinical areas and sharps bins replaced in
accordance with the organisations IPC policy
r. Deliver opportunistic health promotion where appropriate
About us
We are a practice of five GP partners, and 1 salaried GP, we also use regular GP Locums. The nursing team currently consists of one nurse practitioner, three practice nurses, one HCA and a phlebotomist. We have various ARRS roles working in the practice; pharmacy team, mental health practitioner and MSK specialists. We are also a training practice with six GP registrars in practice as well as two students from Sheffield Medical School.
Here
at the Lakeside Practice, we care for a community of over 9200 patients. Askern is
situated 7 miles North of Doncaster City Centre. We have a mixed class of patients which
include farmers, traveller population and low-income families. It is an ex-mining community, which now
provides a workforce for the services industry and light industry. The coal mines have long gone, but they left a
legacy in our older patients which means now we must care for a community with
very high incidence of COPD, lung cancer and heart disease. There is also a high prevalence of diabetes
and obesity within our community.
This
is balanced by also having a high number of very young children (and their
young mums), which offers further challenges.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To support the practice nursing and administrative teams in the delivery of clinical and
administrative services, working as part of the practice multi-disciplinary team, delivering
care within their scope of practice to the entitled patient population.
The Healthcare Assistant will deliver and assist clinical staff in the provision of treatment,
preventative care, health promotion and patient education while also supporting the
administrative team on an as-required basis.
To provide the highest quality of patient care in the area
All staff have a duty to conform to the following - Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I)
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 holders 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.
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 this organisations outputs, all personnel are
required to think not only of what they do but how they achieve it. By continually reexamining 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 organisation to look for
opportunities to improve quality and share good practice and to discuss, highlight and work
with the team to create opportunities to improve patient care.
At this organisation, we continually strive 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 developmentThe 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 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 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 organisations policies
and regional directives, ensuring protocols are always adhered to.
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 passwords are not to be shared.
Professional conduct All staff are required to dress appropriately for their role.
Leave
All personnel are entitled to take leave. Line managers are to ensure all their staff are
afforded the opportunity to take 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 description
Job responsibilities
To support the practice nursing and administrative teams in the delivery of clinical and
administrative services, working as part of the practice multi-disciplinary team, delivering
care within their scope of practice to the entitled patient population.
The Healthcare Assistant will deliver and assist clinical staff in the provision of treatment,
preventative care, health promotion and patient education while also supporting the
administrative team on an as-required basis.
To provide the highest quality of patient care in the area
All staff have a duty to conform to the following - Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I)
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 holders 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.
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 this organisations outputs, all personnel are
required to think not only of what they do but how they achieve it. By continually reexamining 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 organisation to look for
opportunities to improve quality and share good practice and to discuss, highlight and work
with the team to create opportunities to improve patient care.
At this organisation, we continually strive 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 developmentThe 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 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 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 organisations policies
and regional directives, ensuring protocols are always adhered to.
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 passwords are not to be shared.
Professional conduct All staff are required to dress appropriately for their role.
Leave
All personnel are entitled to take leave. Line managers are to ensure all their staff are
afforded the opportunity to take 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.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Healthcare qualification (level 3 or 4) or working towards
- gaining equivalent level
- Phlebotomy certification
Desirable
- Previous completion of the HCA Care Certificate - as
- detailed within GP Mythbuster No 57 - HCAs in General
- Practice
- Vaccination certification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with the general public
- Experience of working in a healthcare setting
Desirable
- Experience of working in a primary care environment
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Ability to record accurate clinical notes
- Chaperone procedure
- New patient medicals, including height, weight, BP, pulse
- Venepuncture
- ECGs
Desirable
- Wound care/removal of sutures and staples
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Healthcare qualification (level 3 or 4) or working towards
- gaining equivalent level
- Phlebotomy certification
Desirable
- Previous completion of the HCA Care Certificate - as
- detailed within GP Mythbuster No 57 - HCAs in General
- Practice
- Vaccination certification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with the general public
- Experience of working in a healthcare setting
Desirable
- Experience of working in a primary care environment
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Ability to record accurate clinical notes
- Chaperone procedure
- New patient medicals, including height, weight, BP, pulse
- Venepuncture
- ECGs
Desirable
- Wound care/removal of sutures and staples
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.