Health Care Assistant London, England
Job description
Job description and person specification
Job title
Healthcare Assistant
Line manager
Gabby Quintanilla
Accountable to
Lead Practice Nurse
Hours per week
37.5
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 whilst also supporting the administrative team on an as-required basis.
Mission statement
Hammersmith Surgery doctors, nurses and staff are committed to delivering high quality, holistic, compassionate, courteous and up to date, patient centered care, and we practice within the national and local guidelines, in a pleasant and comfortable environment. We treat our patients with respect and ensure confidentiality, and we welcome feedback
Generic responsibilities
All staff at Hammersmith Surgery have a duty to conform to the following:
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
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
- Coronavirus Act 2020
- Other statutory legislation which may be brought to the post holder’s 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 organisation’s outputs, all personnel are required to think not only of what they do but how they achieve it. By continually re-examining 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.
Hammersmith Surgery continually strives 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
At [Hammersmith Surgery, you will be required to complete the induction programme and the practice management team will support you throughout the process.
Learning and development
The 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 by Gabby Quintanilla (Lead Nurse). 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/read codes 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 organisation’s 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 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 a minimum of 20 days’ 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.
Primary responsibilities
The following are the core responsibilities of the Healthcare Assistant. There may be, on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks; this will be dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels:
- Undertake new patient health checks
- Support the practice nurse with health promotion programmes
- Carry out baseline observations such as pulse oximitery, blood pressure, temperature and pulse rate, recording findings accurately
- Facilitate routine and 24-hour BP monitoring, advising patients accordingly
- Undertake wound care, dressings and other clinical tasks as required
- Support the practice nurse with the management of chronic disease clinics
- Carry out BMI checks as directed
- Act as a chaperone as required
- When trained, undertake venepuncture
- When trained, administer flu vaccinations
- When trained, carry out ear irrigation under the supervision of the practice nurse
- Carry out ECGs as requested
- Ensure specimens are recorded and ready for onward transportation
- Provide support during minor operations as required
- Ensure all clinical rooms are adequately stocked and prepared for each session
- Ensure fridges are cleaned routinely in accordance with extant guidance
- Ensure clinical waste is removed from clinical areas and sharps bins replaced in accordance with the organisation’s IPC policy
- Deliver opportunistic health promotion where appropriate
Secondary responsibilities
In addition to the primary responsibilities, the Healthcare Assistant may be requested to:
- Participate in practice audit as directed by the audit lead
- Participate in local initiatives to enhance service delivery and patient care
- Support and participate in shared learning within the organisation
- Complete opening and closing procedures in accordance with the duty rota
Person specification – Healthcare Assistant
Qualifications
Essential
Desirable
Healthcare qualification (level 3 or 4) or working towards gaining equivalent level
✓
Previous completion of the HCA Care Certificate (as per GP Mythbuster No 57 - HCAs in General Practice
✓
Phlebotomy certification
✓
Vaccination certification
✓
Experience
Essential
Desirable
Experience of working with the general public
✓
Experience of working in a healthcare setting
✓
Experience of working in a primary care environment
✓
Clinical knowledge and skills
Essential
Desirable
ECGs
✓
Venepuncture
✓
New patient medicals, including height, weight, BP, pulse
✓
Chaperone procedure
✓
Ability to record accurate clinical notes
✓
Wound care/removal of sutures and staples
✓
Skills
Essential
Desirable
Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
✓
Strong IT skills
✓
Clear, polite telephone manner
✓
Competent in the use of Office and Outlook
✓
EMIS/SystmOne/Vision user skills
✓
Effective time management (planning and organising)
✓
Ability to work as a team member and autonomously
✓
Good interpersonal skills
✓
Ability to follow clinical policy and procedure
✓
Personal qualities
Essential
Desirable
Polite and confident
✓
Flexible and cooperative
✓
Motivated
✓
Problem solver with the ability to process information accurately and effectively, interpreting data as required
✓
High levels of integrity and loyalty
✓
Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations
✓
Ability to work under pressure/in stressful situations
✓
Able to communicate effectively and understand the needs of the patient
✓
Commitment to ongoing professional development
✓
Effectively utilise resources
✓
Punctual and committed to supporting the team effort
✓
Other requirements
Essential
Desirable
Flexibility to work outside core office hours
✓
Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check
✓
Occupational Health clearance
✓
Notes:
The job description and person specification may be amended following consultation with the post holder to facilitate the development of the role, the organisation and the individual.
All personnel should be prepared to accept additional, or surrender existing duties, to enable the efficient running of the organisation.
Annex C – Shortlisting form – Essential criteria
The essential criteria for the role of Healthcare Assistant are detailed below and are aligned to the person specification for this position. The candidate will be asked at interview for confirmation/examples of where they meet the essential criteria. Where applicable, the relevant documentation/certificates are to be supplied
No
Essential criteria
1
Healthcare qualification (level 3 or 4) or working towards gaining equivalent level
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: From £25,350.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
Schedule:
- 8 hour shift
- Monday to Friday
Ability to commute/relocate:
- London: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Work Location: One location
