Healthcare Support Worker - RDAC Chelsea, England
Job description
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is one of the leading cancer centres in the world and has an international reputation for the care and treatment it provides. The Royal Marsden serves a local, regional, national and international population from two hospital sites, Chelsea and Sutton.
We are looking for enthusiastic and committed Health Care Assistants to join our nursing team to help support our patients in the Rapid Diagnostic and Assessment Centre (RDAC) a at the Chelsea site. This is a great opportunity to develop your existing skills and knowledge, but also to learn new ones, including working in the one-stop breast clinics and a variety of other clinics.
There are many new and exciting educational opportunities for Health Care Assistants within the Royal Marsden Trust at the moment. The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is at the forefront in the delivery of the Care Certificate, which is the start of the career journey for Healthcare Support Workers.
The aim of the Care Certificate is to ensure that all new and existing support staff are taught and can demonstrate the right skills, knowledge and behaviour to provide high quality compassionate care. All applicants must have completed the Care Certificate or be in the process of completing it.
The successful candidate will be a Health Care Assistant with experience within a hospital setting.
For further information or to arrange an informal visit please contact Sister Malgorzata (Gosia) Suchorab 02073528171
The Heath Care Assistant (HCA) is an integral member of the team in the Rapid Diagnostic Assessment Centre (RDAC) caring for a variety of patients who attend RDAC for clinical review. The post-holder will be responsible for supporting the nursing staff by assisting with clinical duties as well as administrative duties as directed by the registered nursing staff.
The HCA will assist the nursing team in this fast-paced unit by supporting the management and co-ordination of all patients whom attend for, treatment and medical reviews within the department.
The HCA role is essential for the smooth running of RDAC; the post holder will demonstrate flexibility and good communication skills. Working closely with the nursing and medical teams within the department. The post holder will also have the opportunity to learn new skills and even care for their own patient case load under the supervision of the nursing team.
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a world-leading cancer centre. Our role is to offer our patients the best cancer care available anywhere in the world, and to continue to make a global contribution to finding better ways of diagnosing and treating cancer. We employ over 4,500 staff in a diverse range of careers including nursing, medical, science, radiography, pharmacy, occupational therapy, finance and administrative services. We have two hospitals – one in Chelsea, London, and one in Sutton, Surrey – as well as a Medical Daycare Unit in Kingston Hospital.
At The Royal Marsden, we deal with cancer every day, so we understand how valuable life is. When people entrust their lives to us, they have the right to demand the very best. That's why the pursuit of excellence lies at the heart of everything we do.
At the heart of the hospital is our dedicated team. We offer a stimulating and dynamic working environment, a wide range of staff benefits, learning and development opportunities and clear career pathways. There are opportunities to work flexibly across a range of areas and specialities and we welcome flexible working requests from point of hire to support employees work life balance. We are looking for employees who aspire to excellence, share our values and can play a crucial role in our on-going achievements.
For further information on this role, please see the attached detailed Job Description and Person Specification.
These responsibilities will be carried out under the guidance of the shift co-ordinator.
- Monitoring and recording patients’ vital signs (including blood pressure, pulse, temperature, oxygen saturation) and reporting any abnormal results to registered nursing staff.
- Measuring and recording patients’ height and weight
- Checking patients MRSA status on arrival to RDAC, under the supervision of senior nursing colleagues and screening patients if required
- Checking patient’s identification on arrival to unit and allergy status.
- Performing venepuncture, venous blood sampling and cannulation
- Reporting to nurses any problems arising during observation of, or conversations with, patients and carers.
- Co-operating with all colleagues to maintain a presentable and safe environment. Ensuring that all patient/public areas (including bedside where applicable) and utility rooms are clean and tidy at all times, and informing an appropriate member of staff when the required standard is not maintained.
- Preparing dressing/procedure trolleys, initially under the guidance of registered staff and following completed competency these tasks can be undertaken independently.
- Assisting nursing and medical staff where required with various clinical procedures, as delegated appropriately by a registered nurse.
- Cleaning equipment on a daily basis, including trolleys and drip stands.
- Provide clerical support, including faxing, photocopying and filling as required.
- Requesting and retrieving patients’ notes from medical records as required.
- Transferring medication charts/medications to and from pharmacy
- Transferring laboratory specimens to laboratory
