The Healthcare Assistant supports the GPs and practice nurse by carrying out routine clinical tasks and keeping the clinical areas running safely.

Why join us: Chineham Medical Practice offers a friendly, supportive team, training and development, and the chance to make a real difference to our patients every day.

Main duties of the job
Clinical: Health checks, blood pressure monitoring, urinalysis, blood tests, ECGs, glucose checks, weight and patient measurements, simple wound care and stitch removal, lifestyle advice and chaperoning. After training, they also do contraceptive pill and blood pressure checks, smoking cessation and measuring for support stockings. They also process laboratory samples.

Administration and practice duties: They keep accurate patient records and documentation, follow infection control guidelines, and prepare rooms and equipment, including for implanons and minor surgery. They restock and tidy clinical areas, check expiry dates, manage sharps and clinical waste, and order health promotion materials. They also help with campaigns such as flu, attend practice meetings, and contribute to practice policy and strategy.

About us
About our team
Chineham Medical Practice is an NHS GP surgery with a friendly, close-knit team of GP Partners, salaried doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants, reception and administrative staff. We work closely together and look out for one another, and every member of the team, clinical or non-clinical, is valued for the part they play in caring for our patients.

Our atmosphere
We are a welcoming and supportive practice where people feel able to ask questions, share ideas and ask for help. Our management team is approachable, and we value open communication and respect for one another.

Our work ethic
We take pride in providing safe, compassionate and professional care. We are reliable, we work well as a team, and we are committed to doing the job properly. We encourage everyone to learn and develop, and we welcome new ideas on how we can improve the service we provide.

Benefits of working with us

• A friendly, supportive team
• Full induction, training and ongoing development
• NHS pension scheme
• Annual leave entitlement
• The satisfaction of making a real difference to patients in our local community

Details
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Salary: £13.50 an hour

Job responsibilities
Clinical
Assist in and perform routine tasks related to patient care as directed by GPs:

• NHS Health checks
• BP monitoring
• Urinalysis
• Phlebotomy
• Undertaking and downloading ECGs and referring on to clinicians as appropriate
• Contraceptive Pill/ blood pressure checks (after training)
• Glucochecks
• Patient instruction and calibration of blood pressure monitors
• Patient measurements and testing prior to a medical with the doctor
• Simple wound care (as delegated by practice nurse)
• Removal of stitches, as appropriate
• Provide lifestyle advice to patients making any necessary referrals within the practice
• Weight monitoring
• Process and manage laboratory samples, including requests by clinicians and administrative staff
• Measure patients for support stockings (after training)
• Chaperone duties as appropriate

Administration and other responsibilities

• Ensure infection control guidelines are maintained
• Prepare equipment and environment before, during and after patient care interventions, including assisting GPs with implanons and minor surgery
• Participate in the administrative and professional responsibilities of the practice team
• Ensure accurate and legible notes of all consultations and treatments are recorded in the patients computer records
• Ensure accurate completion of all necessary documentation associated with patient health care and registration with the practice
• Ensure collection and maintenance of statistical information required for regular and ad hoc reports
• Attend and participate in practice meetings as required
• Restocking and maintenance of clinical areas, including consulting rooms and treatment rooms
• Restocking/stock rotation and maintenance of equipment
• Cleaning and tidying clinical areas in treatment and consulting rooms, including emptying clinical waste bins
• Check expiry dates on medical equipment and vaccines
• Ensure sharps bins are ready for collection and placed in external waste receptacles
• To assist in seasonal and special projects as requested e.g. flu campaign
• Ordering and display of health promotion materials
• Assist in formulation of practice philosophy, strategy and policy

Special requirements for the post

• An understanding, acceptance and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality
• An ability to use own judgement, resourcefulness, common sense and local knowledge, to respond to patients enquiries and requests while adhering to practice limitations
• An understanding and acceptance of ones capabilities and awareness of own limitations
• Ability to work without direct supervision and determine own workload priorities
• Basic keyboard and computer skills
• Flexibility of working hours
• Excellent communication skills

A uniform must be worn at all times, which will be supplied by the practice.

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. 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 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 assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the practice health and safety policy, to include:

• Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines
• Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks
• Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills
• Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards
• Reporting potential risks identified.
• Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable and abused adults/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 recognises 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 which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

Personal and 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 appraisal, 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
• Preparing and updating own personal development plan.

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 recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

• Communicate effectively with other team members
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers
• Recognise 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

This job description is not meant to be wholly representative of the role and may be subject to adaptation.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Good general education
• Qualified to NVQ level 2

Desirable

• Qualified to NVQ level 3
• Qualified in phlebotomy

Knowledge and Skills
Essential

• Effective time management skills
• Basic IT skills
• Team worker
• Good communication skills
• Ability to provide quality care
• Ability to work independently following verbal and written instructions

Desirable

• Basic first aid skills
• Skills in ECGs, blood pressure checks and health checks
• Phlebotomy skills

Experience
Essential

• Experience within a health care setting

Desirable

• Experience in a GP practice

Employer details
The Chineham Medical Practice, Reading Road, Chineham, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG24 8ND, United Kingdom

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Practice Manager Karen Nicholls, karen.nicholls@nhs.net, 01256479244