Healthcare Assistant

We are looking for a Health Care Assistant to join our current team of 2 Practice Nurses, 1 HCA, and one of our Patient Support Team who also works as a phlebotomist. Ideally, we are looking for someone to work between 22-37.5 hours a week to include Friday, but we will work with the right candidate to find a mutually agreed rota.

We strongly encourage all interested applicants to come to the practice and meet the team as part of the application process.

We serve a diverse patient population with a wide range of healthcare needs. It's a great opportunity to use all your skills and knowledge to make a difference to their lives and support them to live healthily and well.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for an experienced Health Care Assistant with a passion to work as part of a team supporting patients with long-term conditions. You'll be working face to face to deliver treatment room services, long-term condition reviews, and health checks.

Ideally, you'll already have some general practice skills under your belt - preferably vaccinations and immunisations. We can offer support in your ongoing development from our experienced Nurse team.

About us

We are a medium-sized practice based across two sites that are located very closely. We aim to provide our patients with continuity of care, building on our combined strengths. We have a deep-seated commitment to our patients and staff, believing in supporting our colleagues to deliver their best. We support both individual staff development and regular team time together to celebrate success and keep improving. Our nurses and HCAs are highly valued as a core part of the practice team.

We believe in supporting our staff to work safely to deliver excellent care while preserving work/life balance for all.

Job responsibilities

Job Title: Healthcare Assistant

Reporting to:The Senior Practice Nurse (Clinically)

The Practice Manager (Administratively)

Role summary: Working under the direct supervision of the senior practice nurse and strictly in accordance with specific practice guidelines and protocols, the healthcare assistant will assist the practice clinical team in the provision and delivery of prescribed programmes of patient care.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support senior nurses and clinicians in patient care tasks as directed.
• Follow established practice protocols to ensure safe and effective care delivery.
• Contribute to the implementation of tailored care plans and health interventions.
• Maintain accurate patient records and assist in clinical data entry.
• Promote a clean and safe clinical environment in compliance with infection control standards.
• Provide compassionate, patient-centered care, respecting patient dignity and confidentiality.

Qualifications and Skills:

• Strong communication and teamwork abilities.
• Ability to follow clinical instructions and protocols effectively.
• Basic knowledge of healthcare practices and patient care principles.
• Commitment to ongoing learning and professional development.

Duties and responsibilities:

• Undertake patient health checks to support care planning.
• Assist practice nurses with health promotion programs for patients.
• Carry out baseline observations (e.g., pulse oximetry, blood pressure, temperature, pulse rate) and accurately record findings.
• Facilitate routine and 24-hour BP monitoring and advise patients on results.
• Provide wound care and dressings as needed.
• Support chronic disease management clinics (e.g., diabetes foot check, hypertension) with the practice nurse.
• Carry out BMI checks as directed.
• Act as a chaperone during patient consultations when required.
• Venipuncture.
• Administer flu vaccinations and other S/C injections.
• Carry out ECGs.
• Ensure clinical rooms are adequately stocked and prepared for each session.
• Maintain cleanliness of fridges and ensure they meet guidelines.
• Ensure clinical waste is disposed of properly and sharps bins are replaced in line with IPC (Infection Prevention Control) policies.
• Deliver opportunistic health promotion when appropriate.
• Assist with urinalysis and third-party checks.
• 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.
• Assisting in the assessment and surveillance of patients' health and well-being.
• Helping to raise awareness of health and well-being and how it can be promoted.
• Assisting with the collection and collation of data on needs related to health and well-being.

Confidentiality:

• While seeking treatment, patients entrust us with sensitive information regarding their health and other matters. They 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. 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 assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others' health, safety, and security as defined in the Practice Health & Safety Policy.
• 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 processes.
• 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, sterile, and safe way, free from hazards. Initiation of remedial / corrective action where needed or escalation to responsible management.
• Actively identifying, reporting, and correcting health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised.
• Keeping own work areas and general / patient areas 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 workspace 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 recognises the importance of people's rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with the Practice policies and procedures, and current legislation.
• Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs, and beliefs of patients, carers, and colleagues.
• Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to 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 the Practice as part of this employment, such training to include:
• Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of their own personal and/or professional development.
• Taking responsibility for their 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 team's 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.
• Recognise people's needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.

Contribution to the Implementation of Services:

• The post-holder will:
• Apply 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.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Qualified Health Care Assistant.
• Qualified in Phlebotomy.

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.