Senior Health Care Assistant

Senior Health Care Assistant - Bridgemary Medical Centre

The Senior Healthcare Assistant is an experienced member of the multidisciplinary practice team who delivers a broad range of high-quality clinical and preventive care to patients. The role combines direct patient care, accurate clinical administration, proactive long-term condition support, infection prevention and practical leadership within the healthcare assistant function.

The postholder is expected to work confidently and efficiently, recognise normal and abnormal findings, respond appropriately to deterioration or risk, and contribute to improving access, patient experience, quality and safety. This is not a registered practitioner role and does not include independent diagnosis, prescribing or autonomous clinical decision-making.

Scope of practice: The postholder must work within their demonstrated competence, the practice clinical governance framework and current written protocols. Clinical activities must be appropriately delegated by a registered healthcare professional. The postholder must decline or stop an activity and seek advice whenever it falls outside their competence, the patient’s condition changes, consent is uncertain or there is any clinical concern.

Key working relationships

• GP partners, salaried GPs, advanced practitioners, practice nurses, nursing associates and other registered clinicians.
• Practice management, reception, care navigation, secretarial, medicines and administration teams.
• Patients, relatives and carers, respecting consent and confidentiality.
• Primary Care Network teams, community services, laboratories, pharmacies and other health and care providers.

Main duties and responsibilities

Patient assessment and clinical procedures

• Undertake NHS Health Checks, new patient checks and other protocol-led health assessments, including relevant history, lifestyle information and observations.
• Measure and accurately record blood pressure, pulse, temperature, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, height, weight, body mass index and waist measurement; recognise results outside agreed parameters and **escalate** promptly.
• Undertake venepuncture and capillary sampling, including safe patient identification, specimen labelling, handling, storage and transport.
• Record 12-lead ECGs to the required technical standard, recognise the need for urgent clinical review and ensure a competent clinician interprets the trace.
• Undertake spirometry and reversibility testing only when trained, assessed as competent and authorised under the practice protocol; maintain quality standards and refer results for clinical interpretation.
• Undertake urinalysis, pregnancy testing and other approved point-of-care tests, completing quality-control checks and escalating findings in line with protocol.
• Undertake diabetic foot checks and other structured long-term condition observations within an agreed template, escalating risk indicators for registered-clinician review.
• Support ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and other approved diagnostic monitoring, including fitting, patient instructions, downloading and accurate recording.
• Provide simple wound care, dressings, staple or suture removal, where trained and authorised, and promptly **escalate** infection, poor healing, pain, bleeding or other concerns.
• Assist registered clinicians with minor surgery, women’s health procedures and other clinics, maintaining patient dignity, asepsis, equipment readiness and contemporaneous records.
• Act as a chaperone in accordance with practice policy, documenting the chaperone episode appropriately.
• Respond to medical emergencies within competence, summon appropriate clinical help and provide basic life support or other **immediate assistance** in accordance with training.

Medicines and immunisation support

• Administer specified medicines or vaccines only where legally permitted, covered by an appropriate patient-specific direction or other lawful mechanism, trained and assessed as competent, and authorised by the practice. Patient Group Directions cannot ordinarily be used by healthcare assistants.
• Complete all required pre-administration checks, confirm consent, record batch and expiry details, document the administration contemporaneously and recognise and respond to adverse reactions.
• Support vaccination and other planned-care programmes through preparation, stock control, patient recall and safe clinic flow.
• Monitor vaccine refrigerators and cold-chain records, respond to temperature excursions immediately, quarantine affected stock and **escalate** in line with policy.
• Order, receive, rotate and monitor clinical stock, vaccines, dressings and consumables; minimise waste and report discrepancies or shortages.

Health promotion and planned care

• Provide brief, evidence-based health promotion within competence, including smoking, alcohol, weight, physical activity and self-care advice, and signpost or refer through agreed pathways.
• Use motivational and person-centred communication to support patients to make informed choices without judgement or coercion.
• Support recall, review and screening programmes, identify eligible patients and help reduce inequalities in access and uptake.
• Recognise opportunities for prevention and **Make Every Contact Count** while keeping the patient’s immediate needs central.

Clinical records and results

• Create clear, accurate and contemporaneous electronic records using approved templates, clinical codes and terminology.
• Confirm patient identity and demographic information before any intervention and maintain accurate links between specimens, requests and records.
• Process laboratory samples and results-related tasks only within the defined workflow; never interpret or communicate clinical significance beyond competence.
• Use clinical systems, document management, messaging and approved digital tools securely and effectively.
• Maintain data quality and contribute to searches, call and recall, audit and performance monitoring as requested.

Infection prevention, equipment and the clinical environment

• Apply standard infection prevention precautions, including hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment, aseptic technique where required, respiratory hygiene and safe management of blood and body-fluid exposure.
• Clean and decontaminate rooms and reusable equipment between patients in accordance with manufacturers’ instructions and practice policy; use single-use equipment correctly.
• Manage sharps and clinical waste safely, including segregation, storage, spill response and reporting of injuries or incidents.
• Complete and record routine equipment checks, cleaning schedules and stock checks; identify faults, remove unsafe equipment from use and **escalate** promptly.
• Prepare, clear and restock clinical rooms so they remain safe, clean, organised and ready for use.
• Contribute to infection prevention audits and improvement actions. Any designated lead duties must be formally agreed, trained, supported and appropriately governed.

Senior contribution and service improvement

• Model high standards of patient care, documentation, reliability and professional behaviour for other healthcare assistants and support staff.
• Support the induction, demonstration and supervised development of colleagues within the postholder’s own competence; formal assessment or sign-off must follow the practice governance arrangements.
• Help organise HCA clinics, identify capacity or workflow problems and suggest practical improvements to the Lead Practice Nurse or Practice Manager.
• Participate in clinical audit, significant event learning, quality improvement, complaints learning and inspection readiness.
• Maintain oversight of delegated stock, equipment or clinical-environment responsibilities and provide timely assurance or **escalation** to the responsible lead.
• Contribute flexibly during seasonal programmes, service pressures and changes in patient need, including working across practice sites where contracted.

Professional and organisational responsibilities

Communication and person-centred care

• Communicate clearly, respectfully and sensitively with patients, carers and colleagues, adapting for disability, language, literacy, culture, anxiety or cognitive need.
• Obtain valid consent before care, respect refusal and capacity considerations, and seek registered-clinician support where consent or capacity is uncertain.
• Preserve privacy and dignity during all care and maintain appropriate professional boundaries.
• Manage challenging interactions calmly, seek support when needed and report concerns through the correct route.

Safeguarding

Recognise and respond to indicators of abuse, neglect, exploitation, coercion, domestic abuse or self-neglect affecting children or adults. Follow practice safeguarding procedures, make accurate records, share concerns promptly with the safeguarding lead or responsible clinician and complete training appropriate to the role. The postholder must never investigate concerns independently or delay escalation.

Confidentiality and information governance

Maintain the confidentiality, integrity and security of patient, staff and business information in all formats. Access and share information only where there is a legitimate role‑related need and in accordance with law, professional guidance and practice policy. Use secure systems, protect passwords and smartcards, maintain clear screens and conversations, and report actual or suspected breaches immediately.

Health, safety and risk

• Take reasonable care of personal safety and the safety of patients, colleagues and visitors, following risk assessments and safe systems of work.
• Identify hazards, near misses, errors, incidents and deteriorating patients; make the immediate situation safe within competence and report or **escalate** without delay.
• Use lone-working, moving and handling, fire, hazardous substances and personal‑security procedures correctly.
• Maintain mandatory training, occupational health requirements and immunisation status relevant to the role.

Equality, inclusion and human rights

Promote equitable access and deliver care that is inclusive, non‑discriminatory and respectful of each person’s identity, beliefs, circumstances and protected characteristics. Make reasonable adjustments within the postholder’s role and raise barriers or patterns of inequality so that the practice can respond.

Quality, learning and accountability

• Be accountable for personal actions and omissions and seek supervision whenever required.
• Maintain an up-to-date competence portfolio, including training, observed practice, review dates and any restrictions on scope.
• Participate in induction, supervision, appraisal and continuing development, and promptly disclose when competence has lapsed or additional support is needed.
• Follow practice policies and protocols, but raise concerns where a process appears unsafe, unclear or inconsistent with good care.
• Use time and resources responsibly and contribute to effective teamwork and continuity of care.
• The postholder does not independently diagnose, prescribe, clinically interpret diagnostic tests or alter treatment plans.
• A task may be undertaken only where the postholder has been trained, assessed as competent, remains current, and has access to appropriate supervision and **escalation**.
• Delegation does not require the postholder to accept a task they believe is unsafe or beyond competence.
• Local protocols, medicines authorisations and competence records must define the exact procedures included in the postholder’s scope.

Review and flexibility

This job description describes the principal responsibilities of the role. It is not exhaustive. Duties may be reasonably amended following discussion to reflect service needs, provided that the postholder is appropriately trained, competent, supported and authorized. Material changes to the clinical scope or level of responsibility should trigger a formal review of the job description, person specification and remuneration.

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