Clinical Healthcare Assistant in Chippenham

Working under the direct supervision of the Clinical Team 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:

• NHS Health Checks.
• ECG recording.
• INR's.
• Diabetic foot checks.
• Processing and management of laboratory samples requested by GPs/nurses.
• Clearing and re-stocking consulting rooms.
• Preparing and maintaining environments and equipment before, during and after patient care interventions.
• 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.

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. 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 implement and lead on a full range of promotion and management of 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 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.
• 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 people's 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.

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.
• Recognize 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.