Healthcare Assistant - Primary Care Support Team

Kernow Health CIC

This job is now closed

Job summary

We are looking for dedicated and flexible Health Care Assistants to join our Staff Bank to cover short term vacancies at GP practices across Cornwall as and when required. As part of our flexible workforce, you will help to ensure that practices have sufficient cover to deliver their services while helping to support patients on their journey. This is a busy and challenging role where no two days are the same.

Working as part of the Staff Bank offers you the flexibility to travel as far as you choose on the days to suit you, allowing you to balance your work and home life. Working under the direction of the Nursing team in the GP Practice, you will undertake a variety of tasks. This may include taking blood, treating wounds, diabetic foot checks, urinalysis or carrying out ECG’s depending on the requirements of the practices and patient’s needs.

Main duties of the job

Health care Assistants in general practice frequently work autonomously to support the delivery of multi-disciplinary clinics. You will hold a minimum of Level 2 in Health and Social Care together with previous experience of working in a similar role or environment. Training can be provided for additional competencies where appropriate. You will be comfortable with working across different GP practice settings and locations and working with different IT systems and processes such as Emis or SystmOne.

We are looking for caring, compassionate and enthusiastic Health Care Assistants with an interest in patient care, good communication skills and a desire to help others.

About us

Kernow Health, a Community Interest Company, supports General Practice and delivers Primary Care Services at scale in Cornwall. Established in May 2011 by a group of Cornwall Practices, we are a GP owned provider organisation and deliver a number of NHS contracts across Cornwall, these include Cornwall 111 Integrated Urgent Care Service, School Immunisation Programme, Children’s Eating Disorder Service and Cornwall Training Hub [formally CEPN].

These contracts support the visions and values of the organisation, and also ensure that we are able to reinvest any profits made back into the company; again with the intention of supporting GP practices across Cornwall.

Kernow Health CIC is also now offering member practices support to regroup and rebuild through the new Excellence in Practice (EiP) programme.

Date posted

20 June 2022

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

Depending on experience Negotiable Variable dependant on the Practice

Contract

Bank

Duration

1 years

Working pattern

Flexible working

Reference number

E0306-22-1241

Job locations

Cudmore House

Treliske Industrial Estate

Truro

Cornwall

TR1 3LP

Job description

Job responsibilities

The duties will vary according to the practice requirements and the individual competencies, but an outline of the duties and responsibilities which may be undertaken is provided below:

• Participates in programmes for the management of long term conditions, e.g. hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes

• Assists patients and where appropriate encourages self-care and self-management of self-limiting conditions through health promotion

• Understands and works within own scope of practice and refers to other healthcare professionals where appropriate

• Works within own competency and relevant practice policies and procedural guidelines e.g. infection control, chaperoning etc.

• Encourages and supports individuals, families and groups to address issues which affect their health and social well being

• Early symptom recognition and presentation (including case finding) by the provision of outreach services, signposting to services and self-care opportunities

• Raises awareness among the population of symptoms, services and self-care/ self-management of long term conditions

• Undertakes advocacy to support patients to overcome barriers to accessing services and support them to navigate diagnostic and treatment processes where appropriate

• Undertakes liaison with patients’ GPs

• Represents the interests of individuals and families when they are not able to do so themselves

• Help to process data in connection with QOF recalling patients to attend clinics as and when necessary

• Assist in and perform routine tasks related to patient care as directed by senior nursing staff, GPs or other members of the practice team, which may include:

• Chaperoning duties

• BP monitoring

• Health Checks

• Urinalysis as required.

• Wound care including Doppler’s and compression therapy and removal of sutures/clips (depending on competency)

• Influenza vaccinations including pneumonia and shingles (depending on competency)

• Administering injections e.g. B12 under PSD (depending on competency)

• Smoking prevention as applicable (depending on competency)

• Diabetic feet (depending on competency)

• Ear Syringing (depending on competency)

• Spirometry and reversibility (depending on competency)

• Processing and management of laboratory samples requested by GPs/Nurses

• Vaccine/cold chain storage, monitoring and recording (depending on competency)

• Clearing and re-stocking consulting rooms

• Preparing and maintaining environments and equipment before, during and after patient care interventions including assisting GPs during the performance of minor operations depending on competency

• Ensure clinical waste collection runs smoothly as required and reporting any problems appropriately.

• Preparing medical equipment by ensuring infection and control procedures are adhered to as required.

• Carry out hypertension reviews as required.

• Assisting in the assessment and surveillance of patients’ health and well-being

For more information on key duties and responsibilities please see the attached job description.