Experienced Healthcare Assistant

Role Overview: The post holder must be compassionate, caring, and able to work effectively within a team. They will develop supervisory skills, demonstrate safe, evidence-based practice per the RCGP/RCN Health Care Assistant competency framework, and maintain personal development aligned with appraisal goals. Key Responsibilities: Communication: Communicate effectively with patients and the multidisciplinary team, adapting to patient needs and seeking support when necessary. Understand ethical issues and respect patient confidentiality, consent, and professional guidelines.

Work collaboratively within primary care teams, recognizing roles and responsibilities, and ensuring adherence to delegation and accountability principles. Maintain current knowledge of evidence-based guidelines and local/national policies. Engage in reflective practice and continuous learning, keeping mandatory training up to date. People and Personal Development: Understand and utilize clinical supervision for personal and organizational benefit.

Recognize stress indicators and manage stress in self and others. Stay informed about healthcare structures, contractual arrangements, quality monitoring, and improvement strategies. Work within personal competence boundaries and legal frameworks, consulting registered professionals as needed. Health, Safety, and Security: Adhere to health and safety protocols, including fire procedures, equipment monitoring, and safe VDU use.

Maintain security of patient information and comply with hazardous substances regulations. Report concerns promptly. Infection Control: Follow hand hygiene, universal precautions, specimen handling, waste disposal, equipment decontamination, sharps injury management, and use of PPE per guidelines. Emergency Situations: Know basic first aid and support emergency management following local protocols.

Vaccine and Drug Stock Control: Manage vaccine cold chain, storage, stability, rotation, and disposal. Oversee stock control and documentation under legal requirements, escalating concerns. Mandatory Training: Complete required training as per policy and role requirements. Risk Management and Reporting: Identify and report risks, adverse events, and safeguard patients by facilitating access to appropriate professionals.

Understand clinical governance and whistleblowing policies. Use workplace security systems and act as chaperone per policy. Quality and Service Improvement: Participate in service development and audits aligned with local policies. Engage with patient involvement and quality initiatives.

Personal Practice and Development: Manage time and resources responsibly. Maintain and stock working areas for self and colleagues. Equality and Diversity: Understand relevant legislation and promote equality, avoiding discrimination. Respect patient diversity in culture, beliefs, and preferences.

Act as advocate and challenge discrimination appropriately. Know local demographics to support equality in care delivery. Implement confidentiality, consent, and patient choice policies. Safeguarding: Be alert to signs of family violence, vulnerable adults, substance abuse, and child abuse.

Understand legal issues and local child protection procedures. Refer concerns to senior staff and guide patients to relevant services. Health and Wellbeing: Conduct procedures safely following risk assessment, infection control, and duty of care principles. Recognize contraindications, adverse reactions, and need for referrals (red flags).

Obtain informed consent and provide patient information appropriately. Know anatomy, physiology, and guidelines for clinical tasks (e.g., venepuncture, sample management). Communicate clearly about procedures, results, and follow-up. Investigations and Observations: Conduct and record clinical measurements (BP, pulse, respiratory rate, temperature, height/weight, BMI, visual acuity, ECG, blood glucose, lipid screening) within guidelines.

Perform advanced tasks post-training (doppler, spirometry, inhaler technique). Ear Care: After training, assess ear anatomy and perform ear care safely, recognizing needs of hearing-impaired patients and promoting safe ear hygiene. Vaccinations: Administer vaccines following standardized training, maintaining cold chain and safe technique. Address contraindications and side effects, manage adverse events, and maintain accurate records.

Vitamin B12 Injections: Understand indications, adverse effects, and administration protocols under training and patient-specific directions. Wound Care: Classify wounds, understand healing processes, and apply dressings per nurse direction. Refer non-healing wounds, educate patients on self-care, and monitor pain. Minor Surgery Support: Support patients and clinicians before, during, and after minor procedures, including emergency management, within medico-legal guidelines.

Emergency Management: Recognize and respond to emergencies (collapse, anaphylaxis, chest pain, seizures, hypoglycemia, respiratory issues, bleeding, poisoning, burns, fractures, falls) following protocols. Health Screening and Promotion: Promote awareness of local and national health policies and screening programs. Support public health initiatives and assess patients readiness for lifestyle changes. Provide brief interventions on smoking, diet, exercise, alcohol, and refer as appropriate.

Recognize health inequalities and respect patient values and communication needs. Promote mental well-being and recognize early mental health signs. Dementia Care: Communicate effectively with dementia patients, recognizing barriers and promoting physical health. Mens and Womens Health: Be aware of gender-specific health issues and provide advice/support, including opportunistic health promotion and well man checks after training.

Long Term Conditions: Obtain training before involvement in care of chronic conditions. Support management and monitoring per guidelines, recognizing mental health impacts. Diabetes: Assist patients in managing risks, diet, hypo/hyperglycemia, retinal screening, foot care, and self-care. Perform blood glucose monitoring and foot checks.

COPD and Asthma: Know prevention, symptoms, triggers, acute signs, inhaler use, and peak flow monitoring. Hypertension: Monitor blood pressure per practice protocols, including ambulatory monitors. Cardiovascular Disease: Identify risk factors, support screening and referral processes, recognize irregular pulse, perform lipid screening, and respond to cardiovascular emergencies. Additional Conditions Knowledge: Understand impact of cancers, kidney disease, liver disease, epilepsy, neurological conditions, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and thyroid disease.

Information and Knowledge: Maintain accurate documentation in line with practice and national policies.