Healthcare Assistant

Job description

Job responsibilities

1. Nursing

• New patient registration checks, including completing any necessary paperwork and making any necessary claims to the Health Authority and referrals within the practice

• BP monitoring

• Urinalysis

• Phlebotomy

• ECG

• Assist with childhood and adolescent immunisations, maintaining any Child Health and practice records including completing any necessary claims to the Health Authority, reporting any problems to the practice administrator

• Provide lifestyle advice to patients making any necessary referrals within the practice

• Weight monitoring

• Ensure specimens are labelled and bagged ready for collection with the necessary paperwork completed

• Ensure clinical waste collection runs smoothly, reporting any problems to the nurse manager

• Ensure sharps bins are ready for collection

• Restocking/maintenance of equipment

• Restocking of clinical areas and consulting rooms

2. Administration and professional responsibilities

• Participate in the administrative and professional responsibilities of the practice team

• Ensure accurate and legible notes of all consultations and treatments are recorded in the patients notes

• Ensure the clinical computer system is kept up to date with accurate details recorded

• Ensure appropriate items of service claims are made accurately, reporting any problems to the practice administrator

• Ensure accurate completion of all necessary documentation associated with patient health care and registration with the practice

• Ensure collection and maintenance of statistical information required for regular and ad hoc reports

• Attend and participate in practice meetings as required

• Assist in formulation of practice philosophy, strategy and policy

• Restocking and maintenance of clinical areas and consulting rooms

• To create and send recall letters for clinics

• To assist in seasonal and special projects as requested e.g. flu campaign

• Ordering and display of health promotion materials

3. Management of medical records

• Ensure that records are accurately assembled in advance of each consulting session

• Ensure that records are available in the instances of urgent consultation

• Retrieve and re-file records as requested, ensuring that strict alphabetical order is adhered to

• Ensure correspondence, reports, results etc are filed in correct records

• Ensure records are kept neat and tidy and in good repair with all necessary information recorded correctly on the outer cover

4. Management of appointment system

• Ensure total familiarity with all appointment systems, including regular and incidental variations

• Book appointments and recalls, ensuring sufficient information is recorded to enable retrieval of the medical record

• Monitor flow of patients into the waiting room, ensuring the appointment system accurately reflects the arrival of patients

• Monitor effectiveness of the system and report any problems or variations to the senior receptionist

5. Any other delegated duties considered appropriate to the post

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE POST

• An understanding, acceptance and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality

• An ability to use own judgement, resourcefulness, common sense and local knowledge, to respond to patients enquiries and requests while adhering to practice limitations

• An understanding and acceptance of own capabilities and awareness of own limitations

• Ability to work without direct supervision and determine own workload priorities

• Basic keyboard and computer skills

• Flexibility of working hours

• Excellent communication skills

Confidentiality:

• In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately

• In the performance of the duties outlined in this job description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the practice as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential

• Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data

Health & safety

The post-holder will implement and lead on a full range of promotion and management their own and others health and safety and infection control as defined in the practice and 100Folds Health & Safety policy, Health & Safety manuals, and Infection Control policy and published procedures. This will include (but will not be limited to):

• Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines

• Awareness of national standards of infection control and cleanliness and regulatory / contractual / professional requirements, and good practice guidelines

• Responsible for the correct and safe management of the specimens process, including collection, labelling, handling, use of correct and clean containers, storage and transport arrangements

• Management and maintenance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the practice, including provision, ordering, availability and ongoing correct usage by staff

• Responsible for hand hygiene across the practice

• Ownership of infection control and clinically based patient care protocols, and implementation of those protocols across the practice

• Active observation of current working practices across the practice in relation to infection control, cleanliness and related activities, ensuring that procedures are followed and weaknesses / training needs are identified, escalating issues as appropriate

• Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks across clinical and patient process

• Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills, and initiate and manage the training of others across the full range of infection control and patient processes

• Monitoring practice facilities and equipment in relation to infection control, ensuring that provision of hand cleansing facilities, wipes etc. are sufficient to ensure a good clinical working environment. Lack of facilities to be escalated as appropriate.

• Safe management of sharps procedures including training, use, storage and disposal

• Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy, clean and sterile, and safe way, free from hazards. Initiation of remedial / corrective action where needed or escalation to responsible management

• Actively identifying, reporting, and correction of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised

• Keeping own work areas and general / patient areas generally clean, sterile, identifying issues and hazards / risks in relation to other work areas within the business, and assuming responsibility in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness across the business in consultation (where appropriate) with other sector managers

• Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum twice annually)

• Routine management of own team / team areas, and maintenance of work space standards

• Waste management, including collection, handling, segregation, container management, storage and collection

• Spillage control procedures, management and training

• Decontamination control procedures, management and training, and equipment maintenance

• Maintenance of sterile environments

• Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

Equality and diversity:

The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:

• Acting in a way that recognizes the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice and 100Fold procedures and policies, and current legislation

• Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues

• Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

Personal/Professional development:

The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by 100Fold as part of this employment, such training to include:

• Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work

Quality:

The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practice, and will:

• Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk

• Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision

• Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance

• Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs

• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources

Communication:

The post-holder should recognize the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

• Communicate effectively with other team members

• Communicate effectively with patients and carers

• Recognize peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly

Contribution to the Implementation of Services

You will:

• Apply both 100Fold, CIH and practice policies, standards and guidance

• Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work

• Participate in audit where appropriate

Problem Solving and Decision Making

Limited problem solving will be required and queries to be escalated.

Supervision & Management

The post holder will be managed by the Lead Clinician who will oversee their activities. Some parts of your work will be undertaken without direct supervision.

Person Specification

Skills, Knowledge and Competencies

Essential

• Great communication Skills
• Customer service skills/Patient focused
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Computer skills
• Organisational skills
• Effective time management skills
• Knowledge of IT systems, including ability to use work processing skills, emails and the internet to create simple plans and reports

Desirable

• Able to make suggestions for service improvement
• Knowledge of EMIS
• Confident around other Health Professionals
• Knowledge of community development approaches
• Knowledge of VCSE and community services in the PCN
• Demonstrates an understanding of Clinical Governance skill
• Health and Safety Awareness
• Basic first aid knowledge
• Basic knowledge about Blood Borne Diseases

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working directly in a healthcare assistant role, adult health and social care, learning support or public health/health improvement (including unpaid work)
• Experience working within a GP Practice

Qualifications

Essential

• NVQ Level 2 in Health and Social Care or equivalent
• Phlebotomy accredited

Desirable

• Immunisation and Vaccination accredited
• Ear Syringing accredited

Work Related Personal Qualities

Essential

• Ability to listen, empathise with people and provide person centred support in a non-judgemental way
• Able to get along with people from all backgrounds and communities, respecting lifestyles and diversity
• Adaptable to change
• Commitment to reducing health inequalities and proactively working to reach people in all communities
• Able to support people in a way that inspires trust and confidence, motivating others to reach their potential
• Able to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with people, their families, carers, community groups, partner agencies and stakeholders
• Ability to identify risk and assess/manage risk when working with individuals
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships and to promote collaborative practice with all colleagues
• Demonstrates personal accountability, emotional resilience and works well under pressure
• Ability to organise, plan and prioritise on own initiative, including when under pressure and meeting deadlines
• High level of written and oral communication skills
• Ability to work flexibly within a team or on own initiative

Desirable

• Full UK Driving Licence and own transport

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.

Employer details

Employer name

100Fold CIC

Address

Millbrook Surgery

Millbrook Gardens

Castle Cary

Somerset

BA7 7EE

Employer's website

https://www.100foldcommunity.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)