Health Care Assistant -Bury Anticoagulant Monitoring Service

Job description

Job responsibilities

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Promote and monitor the appropriate and safe use of anticoagulant therapies within the service under the direction of the Contract Lead

1. Works under direction of the Anticoagulant Protocol
2. Perform near patient testing of all anticoagulant patients in a clinic or domiciliary setting
3. Maintain anticoagulant kit and equipment, ensuring adequate supplies to carry out the clinic and domiciliary visits
4. Participation in NEQAS quality assurance scheme and other routine equipment validation
5. Work as part of the anticoagulant team and wider team of health care professionals, ensuring they have timely access to data from your interventions with patients to facilitate safe and effective care
6. Maintain appropriate clinical and nonclinical records, in line with best practice
7. Follow national and local guidance regarding anticoagulation management
8. To take part in the Clinical Audit to ensure consistently high standards of anticoagulation monitoring care are maintained
9. Recognise signs of bruising or bleeding or symptoms of clot (including stroke) and be able to escalate patient need in a timely fashion to the relevant clinician
10. Report all adverse events and significant events in accordance with agreed procedures and participate in improvement activities to reduce reoccurrence
11. General housekeeping including management of deliveries and supplies to support contracts. Some manual handling may be required, in line with our Moving and Handling policy. Mandatory training on Manual Handling is required

Communication

Communicate effectively with patients and carers, recognising their needs for alternative methods of communication

• Undertake effective communication with patients in specific clinical situations
• Communicate effectively with the others in the AMS team and more generally with primary health care teams

• Build good relationships with practices, and health care professionals (e.g. GPs, pharmacists, other prescribers, district nurses etc.) to facilitate patient care.
• With the support from the clinical team reinforce the counselling points for patients throughout their care, providing advice and written support where appropriate

Planning and Organisation

Plan and prioritise daily and weekly workload, raising concerns as needed to the Anticoagulant Contract Lead

Personal and people development

Take responsibility for own developmental learning and performance, including participating in supervision

• Take responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal development
• Work with the AMS service to access appropriate training based on identified need
• To recognise and understand the roles and responsibilities of individuals working in the AMS team and wider primary health care team
• Be aware of the legal issues pertinent to the role of a Health Care Assistant (Level 1)

Responsibility for Financial Resources

None at this level

Corporate Responsibilities

Responsible for care of work equipment e.g. anticoagulant monitoring equipment, company IT equipment, mobile phone and security of all clinical systems used

Clinical Governance and Safety

Be aware of and comply with employment legislation and codes of good practice.

• Be aware of, and comply with, all company and practice infection prevention and control policies, to include hand hygiene, personal hygiene, environmental and food hygiene.
• Report any significant events within the time frame set out in the company policy.
• Follow current BCSH, NICE, NPSA guidance and local guidance regarding anticoagulant issues and alerts.

Training and Development

Responsible to fulfil mandatory training any in house AMS update sessions

• Complete a monitoring of oral anticoagulation course aimed at HCA level
• Complete in-house annual training review including peer review and ongoing competency review
• Health and Safety

The post holder is required to take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and other persons who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work. The post holder is also required to co-operate with their employing body to ensure that statutory and departmental regulations are adhered to

• All Health & Safety issues to be flagged to senior staff and the post-holder must comply with the IntraHealth Health & Safety Policy as well as any additional policy requirements within the clinical contract.

Identify the risks involved in work activities and undertake them in a way that manages the risks including but not exclusively the following:

Use and encourage others to adopt appropriate infection control procedures and maintain work areas in each clinical room so that they are clean, safe and free from hazards reporting of any potential risks identified, including:

1. hand washing

2. universal hygiene procedures

3. collection and handling of laboratory specimens

4. segregation and disposal of waste materials

5. decontamination of instruments and clinical equipment

6. reporting and treatment of sharps injuries

7. dealing with blood and body fluid spillages

8. Assist patients and colleagues in adhering to infection control policies

Understand and apply the principles of the cold chain

Ensure safe storage, rotation and disposal of Quality control and quality assurance products

Know the general principles of first aid and resuscitation to be able to undertake initial actions as appropriate

Know the health and safety policies and procedures within the workplace, including fire procedures, maintaining documentation, monitoring and maintaining of equipment and furniture within your area of responsibility

Use the computer monitor safely

Be able to identify the risks to health of microbiological and chemical hazards within the working environment according to the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health

• Use and encourage others to be familiar with the personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines

Service Improvement

• Be aware of and, if appropriate, assist in current patient questionnaires or clinical audit
• Contribute to the preparation of local guidelines, protocols and standards
• Work with colleagues in the team on the development of current and new services and other initiatives
• Deal with requests from patients and clinical staff for anticoagulation information leaflets

Quality

• Be aware of and, if appropriate, assist in current clinical audit
• Contribute to the preparation of local guidelines, protocols and standards
• Work with colleagues in the team on the development of current and new services and other initiatives
• Deal with requests from patients and clinical staff for health information leaflets

Clinical skills, health and well being

• Undertake, record, and follow guidelines for the tasks for which you have received appropriate training, which will predominately be INR monitoring
• Dependant upon service developments and suitable training, undertake and record other similar healthcare tasks such as
• Blood glucose monitoring
• Height and Weight
• Influenza, Pneumococcal and COVID-19 vaccinations
• Venepuncture

Prepare and maintain environments and equipment before, during and after patient care interventions

Give accurate and appropriate information to patients and groups within own competence

Where appropriate, provide support and encouragement to medication compliance, especially anticoagulants

Have a basic understanding of the common conditions requiring anticoagulation

Information process

Record information and activities undertaken with patients and carers in an accurate and timely fashion using manual or computer systems as appropriate

• Inputs accurate data about patients to ensure accurate retrieval of information for monitoring and auditing processes
• Maintain confidentiality or information relating to patients, relatives, staff, AMS service and practices
• Take the necessary precautions when transmitting information

Equality and diversity

Identify patterns of discrimination and take action to overcome this and promote diversity and equality of opportunity

Enable others to promote equality and diversity in a non-discriminatory culture

Support people who need assistance exercising their rights

Act as a role model in the observance of equality and diversity good practice

Accept the rights of individuals to choose their care providers, participate in care and refuses care

Assist patients from marginalised groups to access quality care

Person Specification

Attitudes/Skills/Qualities

Essential

• Work calmly under pressure and to deadlines
• Conscientious and flexible
• Proactive attitude and can demonstrate initiative
• Self-starter
• Attention to detail
• Enthusiasm for the role
• Flexible approach to work, in line with the needs of the service such as evening or weekend working as necessary
• Empathetic
• Professional manner and able to work as part of a team
• Commitment to engage in mandatory training and appropriate continuing educational sessions suitable for the role
• Recognise peoples right to privacy and dignity treating every person with respect
• Positive role model
• Demonstrates a basic understanding of the needs of the patient and the role of the HCA
• Aware of own limitations.
• Ability to provide good quality care
• Ability to work without direct supervision including conducting domiciliary visiting
• Ability to work both as a team member
• Have good listening, interpersonal, communication and observational skills with people of all ages and professional colleagues of all disciplines
• Able to communicate well in person but also in writing, over the telephone or video facilities (eg Teams) and within group discussions
• Organised and reliable
• Ability to plan own workload with priorities and objectives
• Effective time management.
• Basic IT literacy i.e. use of e-mail, the internet, apps, Microsoft office, word processing and clinical systems
• Demonstrate an understanding of the data protection act and patient confidentiality, clinical and information governance, safeguarding and Caldicott requirements
• Follow organisation policies and procedures at all times
• Excellent record keeping and attention to detail
• Understand issues regarding accountability and delegation
• Manual dexterity and manipulation skills to facilitate point of care blood tests
• Ability to handle and maintain simple medical point of care equipment and devices
• Ability to manage equipment quality checks and stock rotation
• Understanding of clinical waste management and good infection control practice
• Car driver with current and valid UK driving licence and access to a vehicle
• Adaptable to change
• Must either be Hepatitis B immune or be willing to undergo an immunisation course

Desirable

• Positive role model
• Knowledge of point of care INR monitoring
• Knowledge of anticoagulant management in patients
• Awareness of blood and respiratory borne virus.
• Any background in supporting medication compliance
• Knowledge of SystmOne
• Knowledge of INRstar
• Ability to use multiple IT systems concurrently
• Understanding of the data protection act, GDPR and patient confidentiality, consent, clinical governance, information governance and Caldicott requirements

Qualifications

Essential

• Maths and English at level 2 (or previous equivalent) or above.
• Care Certificate

Desirable

• Certificate in POC use or anticoagulation services

Experience

Essential

• Previous work in anticoagulant clinic is not essential
• Experience working in a primary care setting.
• Experience of working unsupervised.
• Experience of working as part of a team
• Computer literate
• Experience in preparing and maintaining environments and equipment before, during and after patient interventions.
• Experience of following protocols including infection control procedures

Desirable

• Previous experience in an anticoagulant clinic
• Previous experience in a peripatetic role
• Experience of conducting visits to patients homes.
• Experience of using clinical systems including SystmOne and INRstar.
• Health and safety awareness.

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

Intrahealth Ltd

Address

Intrahealth Offices

Trafford Park

Greater Manchester

M17 1LB

Employer's website

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