Job description

Job responsibilities

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE: HEALTHCARE ASSISTANT

REPORTS TO: SENIOR PRACTICE NURSE (Clinically)

PRACTICE MANAGER (Administratively)

HOURS: As per contract

LOCATION: Crown Street Surgery

Job 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.

Duties and responsibilities (Clinical and Administrative) :

The HCA will regularly work without supervision on assigned tasks involving direct care in support of the registered nurses. These duties, working to agreed practice protocols, will include:

Aspects of new patient registration health checks and CVD risk assessment

Weight checks

Routine blood pressure monitoring

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring

Dealing with pathology samples either by sending to the pathology laboratory or testing in surgery as appropriate

Simple first aid

Ear Syringing

Wounds & Dressings

B12 injections under Patient Group Direction

Influenza immunisations under Patient Group Direction

Dietary / lifestyle advice

Minor Surgery assistant

INR monitoring

Assist and chaperone the doctors when required.

Phlebotomy (including paediatric)

Maintaining and ordering stock supplies

Assisting with data collection

Simple assessments eg. wheelchair assessments

Assisting with chronic disease call and recall systems

Assisting with audit

Ensure all appropriate information is entered on the patients computer record through the correct templates.

Assisting with claims for services relating to nursing and HCA care as required.

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

Ensure accurate notes of all consultations and treatments are recorded in the patients notes on the clinical computer system as appropriate.

Ensure accurate completion of all necessary documentation associated with patient health care and registration with the practice/s.

Health & Safety

The post-holder will implement and lead on a full range of promotion and management their own and others health and safety and infection control as defined in the practice Health & Safety policy, the practice Health & Safety manual, and the practice Infection Control policy and published procedures. This will include (but will not be limited to):

Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines

Awareness of national and local 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 process

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 and sterile, and safe way, free from hazards. Initiation of remedial / corrective action where needed or escalation to responsible management

Actively identifying, reporting, and correction of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised

Keeping own work areas and general / patient areas generally 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 work space 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 recognizes the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation

Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues

Behaving in a manner that is welcoming to and of 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 own personal and/or professional development

Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work

Maintain and develop professional development and education either virtually or by attendance at courses and study days as deemed useful or necessary for the needs of the service

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

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

Recognize peoples 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

Assist in practice audits, CQC compliance evidence, QOF recalls and Ealing Standards

Student/staff education and training

Contribute towards the education and training of Nursing Associate students, health care support workers, medical students and those new to Primary care roles (including GP trainees).

The induction of relevant members of practice staff with special responsibility for Health Care Assistants as required.

Flexibility

This role profile is intended to provide a broad outline of the main responsibilities only. Further possible patient care needs may arise for which the surgery will provide training for. The post holder will need to be flexible in developing the role to ensure business needs are satisfied.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• GCSE grade A to C in English and Maths
• Qualified in NVQ level 2 or 3 in Health and Social Care
• Right to work in the UK
• Basic computer skills to navigate clinical software (ideally SystmOne)
• Previous experience working in GP / Primary care

Desirable

• Qualified in Phlebotomy (Adult and Paediatrics)
• Training completed in INR monitoring
• Holding, working towards, or willing to undertake additional qualification in asthma, diabetes, COPD, family planning

Experience

Essential

• Good communication skills both written and verbal
• Evidence of IT literacy and keyboard skills
• Knowledge of needs of patients with long term conditions including Asthma, COPD, Diabetes, Hypertension, Cardiovascular Disease
• Wound care/removal of sutures and staples
• ECGs
• Venepuncture
• New patient checks
• Understanding the importance of evidence-based practice
• Understand the requirement for PGDs and PSDs
• Evidence of team working skills and ability to build working relationships with colleagues and patients
• Evidence of ability to work autonomously appropriately
• Aware of accountability of own role and others role in a nurse led service
• Ability to respect patient and
• practice confidentiality

Desirable

• Experience of working in a busy clinical environment covering a range of HCA duties
• Awareness of local and national health policy
• Awareness of GMS contract and national/local enhanced services
• Awareness of clinical governance issues in primary care

Other

Essential

• Ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines
• Ability to put people at ease in stressful situations
• Commitment to ongoing professional development
• Ability to provide high standard of care
• Good interpersonal and communication skills
• Flexible, reliable and enthusiastic

Desirable

• Experience and interest in education within a primary care setting
• Able to do home visits if needed using own care

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

Crown Street Surgery

Address

21-23 Crown Street, 2 Lombard Court

Acton

W3 8SA

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.crownstreetsurgery.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Title: Practice Nurse

Reports to: Lead Nurse & GP Partners

Job summary:The post holder will be either an experienced practice nurse, or a nurse wanting to work towards becoming a competent practice nurse following an extensive training programme. They will act within their professional boundaries to provide high quality, holistic care for their patients in a safe, multi-disciplinary environment. The role includes delivering nursing care including smears, childhood/adult/travel immunisations, wound care, venepuncture, ECGs, health education and specialist clinics around management of long term conditions. NMC requirements will be met and the individual will work within the NMC code and to agreed practice standards and protocols. The post holder will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team and provide support, training and development for HCAs. The post holder will understand the GMS contract, QoF, national and local enhanced services and their impact on patient care.

Main responsibilities & clinical skills

To deliver a high standard of patient care using specialist practice nursing skills. Implement and evaluate individual treatment plans for patients with a known long-term condition such as (but not exclusive to) mental health, learning disabilities, diabetes, CHD, asthma, COPD and hypertension under agreed protocols.

Undertake annual review and provide support to patients in understanding their long-term condition and ability to self manage using a care and support planning approach.

Identify and manage as appropriate, treatment plans for patients at risk of developing a long-term condition.

To review patient medications to enhance compliance

Prioritise health problems and intervene appropriately to assist the patient in complex, urgent or emergency situations, including initiation of effective health care.

Able to provide telephone advice as required for all nursing related activities including long term condition management.

Implement and participate in vaccination and immunisation programmes for both adult and children, in the surgery, offsite at a planned area (eg church hall) or at the patients home (for housebound).

Advise, support and where appropriate, administer vaccinations for travelling abroad.

Competent and up to date in anaphylaxis, CPR and AED. Support and manage health needs of women presenting for cervical cytology screening

Assess and care for patients presenting with wounds. Undertake procedures such as phlebotomy, ECGs, urinalysis, stich/staple removal and INR monitoring (if appropriate training completed)

To act as or support the Infection Prevention Control (IPC) lead and to work to the IPC Policy providing or supporting the implementation of audits, training, support and evidence of compliance to the practice manager

To provide or support the production of the IPC annual statement in conjunction with the practice manager

To help develop, implement and embed an effective care management programme for the frail and housebound patients registered at the practice as needed

To develop, implement and embed health promotion and wellbeing programmes

To request pathology services and process pathology results as required To maintain accurate clinical records in conjunction with extant legislation

To ensure read(SNOMED) codes are used effectively by all members of the nursing team

To be part of the team discussion and upskilling where needed for long term conditions or enhanced services requirements where the need arises

To ensure compliance with the practice chaperone policy

To liaise with external services/agencies to ensure the patient is supported appropriately (vulnerable patients etc.)

To delegate clinical responsibilities appropriately (ensuring safe practice and the task is within the scope of practice of the individual)

Deliver opportunistic health promotion during consultations.

Contribute to maintaining disease registers and managing patient cohorts

Communication

Communicate effectively with patients and carers, recognising the need for alternative methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding, cultural background and preferred ways of communication.

Liaise and maintain good working relationships with all members of the practice team.

Maintain communication and liaise with other disciplines across primary, secondary and tertiary care services as necessary

Contribute to and work effectively within both the multi-disciplinary team within the practice and across the wider health system

Delivering a quality service

Recognise and work within own competence and professional code of conduct as regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete records for patient consultations, consistent with legislation, policies and procedures.

Prioritise, organise and manage own case/workload in a manner that maintains and promotes quality.

Assess effectiveness of care through self and peer review. Support and participate in shared learning across the practice.

Participate in the management, review and learning opportunities from patient complaints, clinical incidents and near-miss events in accordance with practice policy.

Develop and review audit protocols and process for the practice, effectively utilising the audit cycle

Develop, review and implement nursing protocols in conjunction with the partners and the rest of the nursing team.

Continually review clinical practices, responding to national policies and initiatives where appropriate

Understand and apply legal policy that supports the identification of vulnerable and abused children and adults. Be aware of statuary child/vulnerable adult health procedures and local guidance.

Work within policies relating to domestic violence, vulnerable adults, substance abuse and addictive behaviour and refer as appropriate. Use resources appropriately and effectively

Team working

Understand own role and scope within the practice and identify how to develop over time.

Work as an effective and responsible team member, supporting others across the practice.

Delegate clearly and appropriately, adopting the principles of safe practice and assessment of those undertaking delegated duties.

Accept delegation from other nurses, prioritise their workload and ensure effective time-management strategies are embedded in own practice.

Work effectively with others to clearly define values, direction and policies impacting on delivery of care. Participate in team activities that create opportunities to improve patient care.

Management of risk

Monitor work areas and practice to ensure they are safe and free from hazards and conform to health, safety and security legislation, practice policies, procedures and guidelines.

Ensure safe storage, rotation and disposal of vaccines and drugs is undertaken including following guidelines regarding cold chain.

Undertake mandatory and statutory training as required by the practice.

Apply infection control measures within the practice according to Infection Control Policy and national guidelines.

Work in accordance with the practices confidentiality policy and Staff Handbook.

Utilising information

Use technology as an aid to management and planning, implementation and monitoring, presenting and communication of information.

Review and process data using accurate national codes and templates in order to ensure easy and accurate retrieval of data for patient care as well as monitoring and audit purposes.

Learning and development

Assess own learning needs and undertake additional learning as required.

Support the learning and development of the healthcare assistants working within the practice as required, providing guidance when necessary, conducting appraisals and training needs analyses as required

Supporting other junior members of the clinical team including medical students, nursing students and postgraduate nurse and medical trainees, where needed partake in appraisals

Support all members of the nursing team,

Make effective use of learning opportunities within and outside the practice, evaluating their effectiveness and feeding back relevant information.

Support and disseminate learning and information gained to other team members in order to share good practice.

Provide education to patients, carers and their families and to colleagues in an environment that facilitates learning.

Equality and diversity

Act as a good role model in good practice relating to equality and diversity.

Identify patterns of discrimination, take action to overcome this and promote diversity and quality of opportunity.

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

culture.

Monitor and evaluate adherence to local chaperoning policies.

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

This document is not intended to cover all duties required within the role and is to be used as a guideline for the general duties required for the professional and efficient operation of the Practice. As the Practice moves forward certain duties could change and/or be replaced.

Person Specification

General and Professional requirements

Essential

• Good standard of appearance as befits a role dealing with members of the public, patients and colleagues.
• Ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines
• Able to cope with unexpected situations, clinical emergencies and provide solutions to problems
• Ability to put people at ease in stressful situations
• Willingness to look for new ideas, improvement and embrace change
• High levels of integrity and loyalty
• Commitment to ongoing professional development
• Flexible, reliable and enthusiastic
• Able to work extra hours when required

Desirable

• Experience and interest in education within a primary care setting
• Experience of teaching or mentoring
• Able to travel between sites using own car

Experience

Essential

• Good communication skills both written and verbal
• Evidence of IT literacy and keyboard skills
• Knowledge of needs of patients with long term conditions including Asthma, COPD, Diabetes, Hypertension, Cardiovascular Disease
• Wound care/removal of sutures and staples
• ECGs
• Venepuncture
• New patient medicals
• Requesting pathology tests
• Understanding the importance of evidence-based practice
• Understand the requirement for PGDs and associated policy
• Immunisations (routine, childhood and travel)
• Travel medicine
• Knowledge of health promotion strategies
• Evidence of team working skills and ability to build working relationships with colleagues and patients
• Evidence of ability to work autonomously appropriately
• Aware of accountability of own role and others role in a nurse led service
• Ability to respect patient and
• practice confidentiality

Desirable

• Experience of working in a busy clinical environment covering a range of nursing duties
• Awareness of local and national health policy
• Awareness of GMS contract and national/local enhanced services
• Awareness of clinical governance issues in primary care

Qualifications

Essential

• Good level of general education
• Recognised nursing qualification
• NMC Adult Nurse Registration

Desirable

• Additional post registration qualifications
• Holding, working towards, or willing to undertake additional qualification in asthma, diabetes, COPD, family planning
• Previous experience as a practice nurse

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Crown Street Surgery

Address

21-23 Crown Street, 2 Lombard Court

Acton

W3 8SA

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.crownstreetsurgery.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)