Job description

Job responsibilities

The main duties of the Healthcare Assistant will include:

Phlebotomy: taking blood samples safely and effectively, ensuring appropriate labelling, processing and preparation of specimens in line with practice protocols.

Clinical observations: undertaking blood pressure, pulse, temperature, oxygen saturations, height, weight and BMI measurements, as appropriate.

NHS Health Checks: carrying out health checks, collecting relevant clinical information and supporting patients with health promotion and preventative care.

Long-term condition support: assisting the nursing and clinical team with data collection and routine monitoring for patients with long-term conditions, including blood pressure, weight, urine testing and other relevant observations.

ECGs: undertaking ECGs as required and ensuring they are completed and recorded appropriately.

Urinalysis and specimen collection: carrying out routine urine testing and supporting the collection and processing of other clinical specimens.

Vaccination support: supporting the nursing team with vaccination clinics and other seasonal programmes, where appropriate and within the individual's training and scope of practice.

Wound care support: assisting the nursing team with wound care and dressing procedures as appropriate and within competence.

Chaperoning: acting as a chaperone for patients when required and in accordance with practice policy.

Infection prevention and control: maintaining high standards of infection prevention and control and ensuring clinical areas are clean, safe and appropriately stocked.

Clinical room management: ensuring equipment and clinical rooms are maintained, cleaned and stocked appropriately, reporting any issues to the relevant member of the team.

General clinical support: assisting the Practice Nurses, GPs and wider clinical team with patient care and other appropriate duties within the HCA's scope of practice.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience working as a Healthcare Assistant or in a relevant healthcare setting
• Effective time management, with the ability to plan, manage and organise workload
• Able to work within legal, ethical and professional guidelines, practice policies and procedures
• Able to work alongside people from all backgrounds, communities and religions respectfully
• Able to work as part of a team and independently with confidence
• Good interpersonal and communication skills
• Caring and compassionate approach to patient care
• Able to maintain confidentiality and respect patient dignity
• Able to manage stressful situations appropriately
• Good IT skills and the ability to learn and use new clinical systems
• Willingness to undertake training and develop clinical skills

Desirable

• Previous experience working within general practice/primary care
• Experience undertaking phlebotomy
• Experience undertaking NHS Health Checks
• Experience recording clinical observations
• Experience performing ECGs
• Experience supporting long-term condition reviews
• Experience with urinalysis and specimen collection
• Experience with wound care
• Experience supporting vaccination clinics
• Driving licence and access to a car

Qualifications

Essential

• Relevant healthcare qualification, such as Care Certificate, NVQ/QCF or equivalent

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

The Street Lane Practice

Address

12 Devonshire Avenue

Leeds

LS8 1AY

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.streetlanepractice.com/ (Opens in a new tab)

Job description

Job responsibilities

Scope of the Clinical Role

1. First point of contact for expert clinical assessment and diagnosis of patients presenting with MSK conditions in primary care. This will include patients who present with a range of complex musculoskeletal conditions and/or multiple pathologies and/or mental health and/or pain management needs and underlying pathologies/other primary conditions.

2. Use advanced clinical practice skills and clinical reasoning to provide comprehensive treatment and management support to patients who present with complex musculoskeletal conditions.

3. Work independently, without in-person day to day supervision, to assess, diagnose, triage, and manage patients, taking responsibility for prioritising and managing a caseload of the PCNs Registered Patients whilst liaising with the Professional Lead where appropriate.

a. effective shared decision-making with a range of first line management options (appropriate for a patients level of activation).

b. assessing levels of Patient Activation to support a patients own level of knowledge, skills and confidence to self-manage their conditions, ensuring they are able to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of self-management interventions, particularly for those at low levels of activation.

c. agreeing with patients appropriate support for self-management through referral to rehabilitation focussed services and wider social prescribing as appropriate.

d. designing and implementing plans that facilitate behavioural change, optimise patients physical activity and mobility, support fulfilment of personal goals and independence, and reduce the need for pharmacological interventions.

e. utilisation of an exercise program platform for patients treatment programs with supportive SMS/emails.

5. Independently recognise where diagnostic tests including routine and specialist x-rays, MRI imaging, ultrasound scans and blood and other pathology tests are required. Interpret the results alongside traditional physiotherapeutic assessment techniques and non-clinical information to aid clinical diagnosis and decisions on potential treatment options/clinical interventions.

6. Be able to clinically justify referral into appropriate MSK pathways or community care spinal treatment service, rehabilitation services or secondary care services such as rheumatology, orthopaedics and neurology.

7. Use professional judgement and advanced clinical reasoning skills to make decisions about safe and effective patient care in unpredictable situations, including when there is incomplete/contradictory information.

8. Demonstrate understanding of the impact of physiotherapeutic interventions on existing conditions and treatment programmes e.g. podiatric treatment, drug therapies, etc. ensuring that physiotherapy interventions are integrated and supportive of the whole treatment aims promoting a holistic approach to condition management

9. Recognise potential underlying non-MSK related disease and conditions that present as MSK symptoms and to refer appropriately.

10. Work in partnership with the patient at all times to attain maximum participation in treatment programmes. This will include working with patients from diverse social background and cultures and understanding how this will affect treatment proposals and models.

11. Be accountable for decisions and actions via Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration, supported by a professional culture of peer networking/review and engagement in evidence-based practice.

Service/Professional Leadership/Consultancy

12. Integrate the FCP role into the wider primary care team, proactively working with the primary care team to build robust relationships and practices where practicable by providing expert advice and source of expertise in the management of musculoskeletal conditions to specialist healthcare professionals and members of the primary care team, including advising GPs on management of MSK conditions.

13. Contribute to the development of referral guidelines for MSK and MSK related conditions from primary care to other NHS services that will direct referrals to other primary care services, community, secondary and tertiary [specialist] services through feedback to the MSK Professional Lead.

14. Work with the PCN team to support preventative strategies for local populations, patient groups and individuals.

15. Active engagement in annual development review processes and peer review, embracing evidence-based practice.

16. Contribute to monitoring and review of service standards for MSK primary care services through feedback back on the service of peers to MSK professional Lead if best practice has not been followed.

17. Participate in/support investigations into complaints and clinical errors/incidents when appropriate.

Education/Workforce & Self Development

18. Participate in developing education and training of specialist physiotherapists up-to post-graduate level to support the development of advanced clinical practice skills and knowledge within the wider physiotherapy workforce if mutually agreeable.

19. Provide ad hoc training and supervision, some of which maybe to postgraduate level, for specialist primary care professionals, including GPs in order for them to develop specialist MSK patient referral and management skills.

21. Provide and receive clinical supervision through supportive WhatsApp groups for the FCP service.

22. Maintain a professional portfolio of advanced clinical practice knowledge and skills through participation in internal and external development opportunities.

Research and Evaluation

23. Promote and lead the integration of evidence-based practice and national guidelines into own and local FCP MSK service practice.

24. Use expert knowledge of evidence-based guidelines and national frameworks to influence the development of FCP services within the primary care team.

25. Lead or participate in research and MDT research projects as appropriate. This may include participation in cross organisational research and audit programmes.

26. Present and disseminate research and clinical audit findings to the primary care team as required.

27. Use audit and research to develop and improve service guidelines, care protocols, delivery of triage services and referral pathways.

Communication/Building Networks

28. When opportunities present, take the lead in communicating and influencing across the PCN the benefits of the FCP role in primary care.

29. Promote and explain the FCP role and what it can deliver to a range of audiences including patient groups, individual patients and other primary care team members, including GPs and care navigation teams.

30. Communicate effectively and appropriately with patients and their carers. This will include explaining the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment choices available to manage multi-pathology and complex conditions. It will also involve communicating limitations on treatment outcomes and managing expectations.

This job description is not exhaustive. It describes the main duties and responsibilities of the post. It may be subject to change in the light of developing organisational and service needs and wherever possible change will follow consultation with the post holder.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• BSc/MSc degree in Physiotherapy
• Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration
• Can demonstrate working at Level 7 [within the ACP framework] capability in MSK related areas of practice or equivalent (such as advanced assessment diagnosis and treatment)
• Completion of recognised FCP qualification either signed off portfolio or HEI course.

Desirable

• Non-medical prescribing qualification
• Joint and Soft Tissue Injections
• Further MSc modules in MSK Conditions

Experience

Essential

• Experience of unsupervised independent diagnosis and management of varied MSK conditions
• Experience in applying the physiotherapy process to include MSK assessment, interpretation, individual care planning, motivation, monitoring and evaluation of highly specialized MSK treatment
• Working knowledge of Microsoft and GP IT systems, Systm1 and EMIS, alongside prescribing data monitoring systems
• Experience of contributing to and service delivery/evolving evidence led practice and delivery in a changing environment

Desirable

• Experience of working within the primary care environment of MSK
• Working towards advanced clinical practitioner status
• Previous supervisory experience
• Experience of working with a diverse range of stakeholders
• Cognitive behavioural and motivational interviewing approaches / skills

Analytical/Personal and Communication Skills

Essential

• Able to understand and analyse complex issues and balance competing priorities in order to make difficult clinical decisions.
• Support individual patient care by an ability to analyse and interpret complex clinical/ often incomplete information, pre-empt and evaluate issues, and recommend and appropriate course of action to address the issues
• Excellent interpersonal and organisational skills
• Ability to evidence a sound understanding of the NHS principles and values
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, able to influence and persuade others articulating a balanced view and able to constructively question information
• Ability to communicate over the telephone and face to face as a physiotherapy professional
• Ability to co-ordinate and prioritise workloads able to multi-task as well as be self-disciplined and highly motivated
• Demonstrates a flexible approach in order to ensure patient care is delivered

Desirable

• Experience of working within a primary care setting
• Evidence of working across organisational boundaries within health and social care
• Independent thinker with demonstrated good judgement, problem-solving and analytical skills
• Evidence of inspiring and motivating teams with the ability to communicate passionately, effectively.
• Ability to negotiate effectively within the MDT or across a range of services/providers.
• High degree of personal credibility, emotional intelligence, patience and flexibility
• Ability to cope with unpredictable situations
• Confident in facilitating and challenging others

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

The Street Lane Practice

Address

12 Devonshire Avenue

Leeds

LS8 1AY

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.streetlanepractice.com/ (Opens in a new tab)

Job description

Job responsibilities

-Provide secretarial support for the practice to include timely and accurate preparation of patient referrals.

-Working closely with internal clinical and administrative staff to ensure optimal levels of patient care and timely follow up actions.

-Liaising with external services regarding receipt and progress of referrals

-Managing electronic referral lists, e.g. eRS and Advice and Guidance actions

-Updating patients, proactively and on request.

-Ensuring full compliance with information governance standards policies around confidentially and security of patient records.

-Complying with all mandatory training.

-Tasks and elements of the job description may be varied with changing needs of the practice and technologies.

Person Specification

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

Essential

• 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.

Experience

Essential

• - NHS clinical secretarial experience
• - Experience of working in a GP practice
• - IT / Microsoft Word/Excel etc
• - Referral processes and eRS

Desirable

• -Good computer skills
• -Good literacy and numeric skills
• -Fast and accurate typing
• -Excellent communication skills
• -Excellent organisational and self management skills
• -Ability to work on own initiative and as a team player
• -Excellent telephone manner & written English
• -Desire to learn
• -Able to work and communicate effectively others
• -Understanding of importance of patient care and confidentiality
• -Personable, friendly and respectful of patients and colleagues

Employer details

Employer name

The Street Lane Practice

Address

12 Devonshire Avenue

Leeds

LS8 1AY

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.streetlanepractice.com/ (Opens in a new tab)