Health Care Assistants in Primary Care

Job Summary

The Health Care Assistant will carry out assigned tasks involving direct care in support of, and supervised by, a registered nurse.

To assist and support all qualified nurses sharing the responsibilities for achieving the following objectives:
Provide and maintain the standard of patient care required by the NMC Code of Professional Conduct and Surgery Policies and Procedures. Use resources efficiently. Contribute towards the establishment of an environment conducive to good patient/staff morale and inter‑personal relationships. Play an active role in developing and supporting the nursing team.

• Carry out designated tasks as instructed by the Qualified Nurse.
• Acknowledge the need to demonstrate confidentiality relating to patient information and records.
• Communicate promptly, effectively and courteously to patients, staff and visitors, recognising the importance of directing enquiries to the Qualified Nurse.
• After training and assessment of competence the HCA to be able to undertake the following tasks: recording of blood pressure; recording height/weight of patients and smoking status; health‑check screening to an agreed protocol and reporting any findings accurately to qualified staff; simple dressing of wounds after assessment by a qualified nurse; performing ECGs and 24‑hr ECG monitoring; taking appropriate blood specimens as requested by doctor/nurse;
  
  testing urine specimens and accurately recording results; undertaking INR clinics; facilitating smoking‑cessation clinics.
• Clerical duties: assist qualified nurses in organising clinic appointments, sending patient letters and accurately recording information.
• Assist in any nursing audits that may take place.
• Other duties: keep all nurses’ rooms stocked with appropriate supplies and keep cupboards clean and tidy; keep all trolleys and instruments clean; assist with monitoring of stock levels to ensure effective use of resources; restock doctors’ rooms as necessary and keep their procedure trolleys clean and tidy.
• Communication: generate and keep accurate and concise clinical records in accordance with NMC guidelines; be aware of data‑protection issues particularly within a GP surgery; liaise effectively with other health professionals inside and outside the organisation, with regard to accepting and making clinical referrals; communicate effectively with patients and relatives, considering differences in language, literacy and culture; work closely with administration staff at the surgery;
  
  attend and contribute to various practice meetings as requested (the only reason for not attending will be annual, study or sick leave).
• Communicate effectively with other team members, patients and carers; recognise peoples’ needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.
• Confidentiality: respect the privacy of patients and the right to expect staff to 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, their carers, practice staff, other healthcare workers and the practice as a business organisation; all such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential and 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: assist in promoting and maintaining the health, safety and security of oneself and others 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 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;
  
  using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards; actively reporting health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when…