Health Care Assistant

Job responsibilities

Health Care Assistant- Job Description March 2025 Springfield Surgery

The post holder is responsible for the delivery of health care assistant services care to our practice population. The post will be clinically supported by the two partners, three salaried GPs and the practice nurses within the team. The post will have a focus upon supporting our patients to be healthy with monitoring of long-term conditions. The post holder will work collaboratively with the general practice team to meet the needs of our patients in a compassionate way. We encourage and support learning and development to achieve these aims.

Key responsibilities:

Clinical

Undertake ECGs.

Undertake phlebotomy

Undertake hypertension reviews and diabetic first checks.

Undertake urinalysis and requesting pathology tests for example urine culture.

Undertake new patient checks

Undertake B12 injections.

Undertake smoking cessation and weight management appointments

Chaperoning when required by another clinician.

Attend and participate in practice meetings.

On occasion there may be a requirement to attend a home visit

Any other delegated duties appropriate to the post.

Communication:

The post holder will always recognise the importance of communication and strive to communicate effectively with team members, patients and carers.

They will recognise and work within their own competence.

They will produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete records of patient consultations, consistent with legislation, policies and procedures.

They will prioritise, organise and manage their own workload in a manner that maintains and promotes quality.

Team working:

The post holder will work as an effective and responsible team member, supporting others and asking for support if required.

They will work in a way that is consistent with our purpose and values.

Management of risk:

The post holder will manage and assess risk within the areas of their responsibility, ensuring adequate measures are in place to protect staff and patients.

They will monitor work areas and practices to ensure they are safe and free from hazards and conform to health, safety and security legislation, policies, procedures and guidelines.

They will undertake mandatory and statutory training.

They will apply infection control measures within the practice according to local and national guidelines.

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. 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 confidential

Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons, in accordance with practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data

Health & safety

The post-holder will implement 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 personal hand hygiene

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 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 by:

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 which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

Learning and development

The post holder will disseminate learning and information gained to other team members in order to share good practice and inform others about current and future developments.

They will assess their own learning needs and undertake learning as appropriate.

They will take responsibility for their own development and participate in an annual individual appraisal.

They will make effective use of learning opportunities within and outside the practice.

They will provide an educational role to patients, carers, families and colleagues in an environment that facilitates learning.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Evidence of clinical qualifications and skills
• A demonstrable commitment to professional development
• Competency in basic duties required for the post
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Willingness to contribute to multi-professional working
• Ability to work well autonomously and within a team)
• Experience of dealing with the public/patients
• Able to demonstrate enthusiasm to develop health care assistant skills
• An understanding, acceptance and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality
• ...