Mammography Assistant

Job description

Job responsibilities

• Provide assistance and support to the Breast Imaging clinical team.
• Develop professional relationships with patients and carers.
• Prepare imaging rooms prior to examinations/procedures following infection control and other Trust policies.
• Observe local information governance procedures including patient identification and accurate data entry.
• Change and prepare patients prior to examination giving explanation of procedure.
• To be actively involved in each breast imaging procedure following ANTT when required.
• Chaperone patients including during breast intervention procedures giving support and care in a professional and empathetic way.
• Assistant in the care in a wide variety of often anxious and worried patients and their families.

• Provide basic care, assistance, and support to patients, including situations where difficult conversations may take place.
• Provide post-procedural care for patient maintaining privacy and dignity of patients at all times.
• Provide patients with appropriate post-procedural information leaflets and letters.
• Provide and receive sensitive information concerning a patients medical condition.
• Responsible for maintaining equipment cleanliness post procedure which can include hazardous substances.
• Report any change in patient condition or any problem or hazard within the department to the senior radiographer in charge.
• To ensure efficient workflow is maintained by monitoring patient pathways and escalate any issues to the senior radiographer in charge.
• Work independently in regards to routine delegated tasks following established good practice and refer non routine tasks appropriately.

• Provide administrative support including the use of patient appointment systems.
• Co-operate with all disciplines when receiving telephone, email, and all other requests including enquires from patients.
• Operate relevant Trust I.T systems, inputting, maintaining, and monitoring accurate patient data entry and updating patient records in a timely manner.
• Maintain patient confidentiality at all times following Trust policies and data protection laws.
• Monitoring of stationary/clinical stock levels within the department and requesting supplies where appropriate.
• Be accountable for own actions.
• Plan and prioritise own workload to meet service demands.
• Seek advice for those duties/tasks which go beyond prescribed schemes of work.
• To be flexible in covering cross site working on the mobile van sites and act as receptionist as well as transporting paperwork/stock to the mobile van sites when required.

Planning and Organisational Duties

• Prioritise allocated tasks and adjust as necessary.
• Monitor and request supplies of breast screening stock to ensure the smooth and efficient running of the department.
• Participate in departmental audits including cleaning regimes and other daily tasks.

• Liaise with referrers, patients, and carers, answering queries and arranging appointments.
• Arranging follow up/recall appointments as/when instructed.
• Retrieval of case notes and previous images where required, prior to patient attendance.
• Maintain workflow of departmental records and file accordingly.
• Support the Department and Service as dictated by the Directorate and the Trust.
• Identify errors in administration and resolve them within a set time-frame seeking advice where necessary.

Communications and Key Working Relationships

• Acquire information from patients to confirm identity, previous attendance and any other details required by the department.

• Effective communication skills to assist in the care of a wide variety of often anxious and worried patients and their families, giving consideration to potential barriers to understanding.

• Communicate effectively with patients possessing various emotional, physical, and mental issues using tact and persuasion when required.
• Recognise and report any situations, behaviours or errors that could result in poor care outcomes.

• Participate as a member of the department team providing the highest standard of holistic care and ensuring effective communication with other members of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT).

• Answer telephone enquiries from multiple sources, taking messages as required.
• Liaise with porters regarding the transit of patients and arranging necessary transport.
• Liaise with Trust wards, other departments and medical staff regarding in-patient and out-patient examinations.
• Maintain the patients respect, dignity, and privacy, and to act with kindness and courtesy to all members of the public.
• Attending and participating in team meetings.
• Contribute to a culture where all staff feel safe to raise their concerns, where speaking up about what these are is a normal part of their routine.
• Act in accordance with all organisational policies and procedures and within expected values and behaviours.

Responsibility for Finance

• Ensure the efficient and cost-effective use of resources within the departmental offices.

Responsibility for Human Resources

• Compliance with Trust Policies and procedures including Code of Conduct.
• Compliance with mandatory training requirements in accordance with Trust policy.

Responsibility for Health & Safety

Compliance with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 the post holder is required to fulfil a proactive role towards the management of risk in all of their actions. This entails the risk assessment of all situations, the taking of appropriate actions and reporting of all incidents, near misses and hazards, and a statutory duty of care for their own personal safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions.

Responsibility for Teaching

• Assist in the induction of new staff sharing knowledge/experience of work practices.
• Provide day to day supervision to new and less experienced staff.

Work Circumstances & on-call

• Assist in the transfer of patients onto the examination table using safe moving and handling techniques, utilising transfer aids as required.
• Assist patients in wheelchairs including toileting.
• Act as a chaperone, observing infection control procedures to be able to safely deal with hazardous substances and bodily fluids.
• Record and dispose of all clinical waste and sharps bins within all Breast Imaging sites.
• Physically support patients who require help to undress for imaging/clinical procedures.
• Physical effort required to rotate and store appropriately, new supplies of stock and to transfer history/image folders within the department and externally throughout the working day on a daily basis.
• Long periods of standing required whilst working.
• Frequent periods of concentration.
• Are present during breaking bad news conversations.
• Multi-site working. The post will require travel to Mobile Unit sites.

Standard Duties & Responsibilities

The Trust operates a No Smoking Policy.

All Wrightington Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust staff employed within Clinical Environments and have contact with children, vulnerable adults; service users and their families must familiarise themselves, be aware of their responsibilities and adhere to Local Safeguarding Childrens Board, Local Safeguarding Adult Board and WWL Procedures for Safeguarding and Protecting Children which are available on the Trust Policy Library.

In accordance with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016, employees who are required to interact regularly with the public, both face to face, and by telephone, are required to be able to speak English to an appropriate standard relevant to their role, i.e. with confidence and accuracy, using correct sentence structures and vocabulary, and without hesitation.

Compliance with the General Data Protection Regulations 2016, Data Protection Act 2018 and Information Governance Principles the postholder is not entitled to use for their own benefit or gain, or to divulge to any persons, firm or other organisation whatsoever, any confidential information belonging to the Trust or relating to the Trusts affairs or dealings which may come to their knowledge during employment.

Compliance with the Health & Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice on the Prevention and Control of Infections and related guidance the post holder is required to fulfil a proactive role towards the reduction and management of healthcare related infection in all of their actions. This entails compliance with Trust Infection Prevention and Control policy and related Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs); along with risk assessment of all situations; as staff have a statutory duty of care for their own personal safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions. Staff must be fully compliant with Trust Infection prevention and Control eLearning policy.

All applicants to any post within the Trust are required to declare any involvement either directly or indirectly with any firm, company, relevant person or organisation which has any interest with the Trust, the services provided by the Trust or any element of patient care. Failure to do so may result in an employment application being rejected, or if it is discovered after appointment the omission of such information could lead to dismissal. This includes any form of private practice relating to medical care.

Compliance with Trust Policies and Procedures including the Code of Conduct.

See attached Job Description to advert to see full details.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• GCSE pass in Maths and English or equivalent / relevant experience

Desirable

• Health Care Qualification
• I.T. Qualification

Experience

Essential

• Working in a healthcare/NHS environment
• Working with healthcare/NHS I.T. systems
• Providing basic level of care and support
• Working to deadlines

Desirable

• Customer care
• Working in Radiology
• Use of ANTT

Skills

Essential

• Communicate effectively
• Effective time management
• Prioritise and organise workload effectively
• Ability to work in challenging situations
• Able to adapt to meet the needs of the service
• Problem solving/ analytical skills within own working environment
• Keyboard skills

Desirable

• Experience in using the internet
• Competency in Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook

Knowledge

Essential

• Understanding patient confidentiality and data protection
• Understanding infection control and prevention

Desirable

• NHS Breast Screening Programme

Additional

Essential

• Flexible approach to changing patterns of work.
• Willingness to undertake appropriate training and development
• Current UK driving licence.
• Use of vehicle - Role requires ability to travel cross site and into community when required.
• Must be able to work effectively both alone and as part of a team.
• Responsible and organised.
• Speak English to an appropriate standard relevant to their role, i.e. with confidence and accuracy, using correct sentence structures and vocabulary, and without hesitation
• Diplomatic, courteous, patient

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Employer name

Wrightington Wigan & Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Thomas Linacre Centre

Parsons Walk

Wigan

WN1 1RR

Employer's website

http://www.wwl.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)