Post Title: HEALTH CARE ASSISTANT Salary : £12.89 per hour Hours of Employment : As Contracted Appointment : Permanent contract Reports to: Nurse Consultant/Manager (Clinically) Practice Manager (Administratively) Accountable to: Partners Location: The post will be across our Practices in Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Job Summary: The Health Care Assistant will carry out assigned tasks involving direct care in support of, and supervised by, a registered nurse. Knowledge, Skills and Experience Required: 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. KEY AREAS: Roles and Responsibilities: 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 To record height/weight of patients and smoking status To undertake health check screening to an agreed protocol and report any findings accurately to qualified staff Undertake simple dressing of wounds after assessment by qualified nurse Perform ECGs and 24hr ECG Monitoring Take appropriate blood specimens as requested by doctor/nurse Test urine specimens and accurately record results To undertake INR clinics To facilitate Smoking Cessation Clinics Clerical Duties: To assist qualified nurses in organising clinic appointments to send patient letters and accurately record information. To assist in any nursing audits that may take place. Other Duties: To keep all nurses rooms stocked with appropriate stores and keep all cupboards clean and tidy. To keep all trolleys clean and instruments clean. To assist with monitoring of stock levels to ensure effective use of resources. To restock doctors rooms as necessary and keep their procedure trolleys clean and tidy. Communication: To generate and keep accurate and concise clinical records in accordance with NMC guidelines. To be aware of data protection issues particularly within a GP surgery. To liaise effectively with other health professionals both 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. As well as the nursing team there is a need to work closely with administration staff at the surgery. It will be necessary to 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 Communicate effectively with patients and carers Recognize peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly 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 & 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 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 Actively reporting of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised Keeping own work areas and general / patient areas generally clean, assisting in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness consistent with the scope of the job holders role Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum annually) Reporting potential risks identified 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 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.