Healthcare Assistant in Chelmsford

Location: Chelmsford

Hours: 40 hours per week

Salary: £27,040 per annum

ACES is a pioneering independent provider of NHS ophthalmic care in the community and one of the first centres nationally to take innovative fast track cataract surgery out of a hospital setting. Delivering the highest standard of clinical eye care with expert consultant ophthalmologists putting patient care at the heart of everything we do.

With NHS waiting lists for cataracts surgery growing at an alarming rate, ACES offers patients an alternative option, providing them with life changing cataract surgery in as little as four weeks. We are enormously proud to be able to provide our patients with immediate care and support the NHS.

We’ve been providing NHS eye care in the East of England since 2007 and will be expanding this year across the UK. We provide a range of services including: cataract surgery, YAG laser treatment, glaucoma treatment, oculoplastics and general ophthalmology.

With patient care our priority, ACES is committed to providing exceptional and timely community emergency and routine ophthalmology outpatient services. With the latest in ophthalmic technology, we are able to consistently provide excellent clinical outcomes for all of our patients, giving them their best possible quality of life.

The main objectives of our services are to:

• Reduce waiting times for patients with eye conditions.
• Deliver exceptional care without the requirement for a hospital stay.
• Have a positive impact on patients’ lives.
• Provide care closer to home for the patient in line with DoH guidelines.
• Reduce overall waiting times in the health economy.
• Create additional capacity in secondary care.
• Aim to provide a fast and efficient patient focused pathway in collaboration with patient representatives and primary care professionals.
• Use new technologies and the latest equipment, maintain the highest levels of care at the cutting edge of ophthalmology.

Currently, tens of thousands of patients across the United Kingdom are on NHS waiting lists for essential eye care procedures, such as cataract surgery. The longer these patients go without surgery, the more likely it is that their eyesight will further deteriorate, or that they will experience an adverse event due to their poor vision.

At ACES, our mission is to ensure all patients are given a choice when it comes to their eye care. Obtaining access to ACES allows patients to have treatment quicker and allows them to live their lives to the fullest immediately.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

Following appropriate training, supervised practice and competency achievement assessments, you will be able to undertake the role of Healthcare Assistant (HCA) within the surgery team in ophthalmic (IOL) theatres. You will also be responsible for the following:

• Pre-operative testing; conducting tests prior to examination and treatment and assisting during the consent appointment process, including providing information to patients prior to their Cataract procedure.
• Patient discharging; instructing the patient pre and post procedure on the care of the eyes, updating medical records, making follow up appointments.
• Co-ordinating: Controlling patient flow on the day of the consent appointment and surgery appointments to ensure minimum waiting times for patients and managing queries.
• Assisting the surgeon during consent appointments and treatments – acting as scrub assistant, taking notes for the surgeon; instilling eye drops.
• Undertaking the role of HCA in IOL theatre to assist the surgical team and patients during surgery and associated tasks such as decontamination of instruments.
• Actively participating in the end of treatment day activities; updating patient files, filing, compiling ‘end of day’ reports for head office, cleaning the department, stock and lens ordering.
• Reporting untoward incidents – taking an active role in patient safety issues and quality and risk management.

Essential Skills

• Previous experience within optical or healthcare environment
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills
• Ability to absorb and convey highly technical information
• Adaptable with a flexible approach to work
• Excellent time management skills and ability to prioritise tasks
• A confident and professional individual who has fantastic organisational skills
• Professional telephone manner
• Demonstrate confidentiality, integrity and discretion
• A valid UK driving licence and own car is essential
• Flexibility to travel to other clinics when required

What’s in it for you?

• An industry leading salary
• No nightshift and No on-call
• State of the art, modern working environment
• 29 days’ annual leave per year
• Free Laser Eye Surgery and Intraocular Lens Surgery
• Free eye tests
• Discounted prescription eyewear and sunglasses
• Generous Optical Express friends and family discount scheme
• Ongoing training and development opportunities

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a global organisation where you will have the opportunity to grow and develop within a professional working environment. ACES is an equal opportunities employer.