Health Care Assistant

Location

Newcastle upon Tyne | United Kingdom

Job description

Job Title Health Care Assistant Reports to Practice Nurse Clinically Practice Manager Administratively / Organisationally Accountable to Practice Manager / Partners Hours 16 hours per week Job Summary The post-holder will: Work under the direct supervision of the Practice Nurse and strictly in accordance with specific Practice guidelines and protocols, the Health Care Assistant will assist the Practice clinical team with the care of Practice patients, to include treatment, preventative care, screening and patient education provision and delivery of prescribed programmes of patient care. Main responsibilities 1. Nursing The post-holder will perform various nursing duties, inclusive of: Venepuncture, glucose tolerance tests, blood pressure checks, height, weight monitoring, body mass index, urinalysis, phlebotomy. Participating in programmes for the management of long-term conditions, e.g. basic annual diabetic, coronary heart disease / NHS Health Checks, asthma and other relevant clinics. Provide lifestyle advice to patients making any necessary referrals within the Practice. Encouraging self care and self-management of self-limiting conditions through health promotion. Ensure specimens are labelled and bagged ready for collection with the necessary paperwork completed. Processing and management of laboratory samples requested by GPs/Nurses 2. Administrative and Professional responsibilities The post-holder will: 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 clinical targets are achieved at all patient contacts. 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. To assist in seasonal and special projects as requested e.g. flu campaign. Order and display of Health Promotion materials Restock consumables for medical equipment Restock clinical areas and consulting rooms Act as a chaperone when requested to, either by a patient or a clinician. 3. Management of appointment system The post-holder will: Book appointments and recalls ensuring sufficient information is recorded. 4. Infection Control The post-holder will: 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: hand washing; universal hygiene procedures; collection and handling of laboratory specimens; segregation and disposal of waste materials; decontamination of instruments and clinical equipment; reporting and treatment of sharps injuries; dealing with blood and body fluid spillages; and assisting patients and colleagues in adopting sound infection control measures. Understand and apply the principles of the cold chain. Ensure safe storage, rotation and disposal of vaccines and drugs within area of responsibility. Ensure clinical waste collection runs smoothly, reporting any problems to the Practice Nurse or Practice Manager. Ensure sharps bins are ready for collection with accurate labelling. 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 (CoSHH). 5. Service Improvement The post-holder will: 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. Be aware of current approaches, including research, to the management of patient care within general practice. Clauses common to all Job Descriptions 6. 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. 7. 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, to include: Using personal security equipment in the workplace. Identifying the potential risks involved in work and deciding on the appropriate course of action to report/manage such risks. Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills. Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards. 8. 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 and abilities. Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues. Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to individuals, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances and feelings. 9. 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 individual performance reviews when required and identify individual training requirements. Partaking in staff training of other members of the Practice. Statutory training e.g. CPR, safeguarding. 10. 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. 11. Communication The post-holder should recognise 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 peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly. 12. 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. Contribute to PHCT meetings. 13. Other This job description is neither exhaustive nor exclusive and will be reviewed periodically in conjunction with the post holder. The post holder is required to carry out any reasonable duties that may be requested by the Partners and/or the Practice Manager. The post holder will be required to adhere to any practice requirements, or stipulations arising within a legislative context from a recognised and legitimate third party.

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