Staff Bank Healthcare AssistantNHS

Job summary

Kernow Health CIC proudly hosts the Staff Bank on behalf of all General Practices in Cornwall. We are looking for dedicated and flexible Healthcare Assistants to cover short-term vacancies at GP practices as and when required. As part of our flexible workforce, you will help to ensure that practices have sufficient cover to deliver their services while helping to support patients on their health and wellbeing journey.This is a busy and challenging role where no two days are the same.

Working via the Staff Bank will offer you the flexibility to travel within an agreed radius from your home address, on days that suit you, which enables you to balance your work and home life.Working under the direction of the Nursing team in the GP Practice, you will undertake a variety of tasks. This may include taking blood, treating wounds, diabetic foot checks, urinalysis or carrying out ECGs depending on the requirements of the practices and patients needs.

Our only expectations are that those who are registered with the Staff Bank work at least 3 shifts within a 6-month period and keep up to date with mandatory training which we pay you to complete.

Main duties of the job

Health care Assistants in general practice frequently work autonomously to support the delivery of multi-disciplinary clinics. You will hold a minimum of Level 2 in Health and Social Care together with previous experience of working in a similar role or environment. Training can be provided for additional competencies where appropriate. You will be comfortable with working across different GP practice settings and locations and working with different IT systems and processes such as Emis or SystmOne.

We are looking for caring, compassionate and enthusiastic Health Care Assistants with an interest in patient care, good communication skills and a desire to help others.

Job description

Working under the direct supervision of a registered nurse and strictly in accordance with specific practice guidelines and protocols, the healthcare assistant will assist the practice clinical team in the provision and delivery of prescribed programmes of patient care.

The Healthcare Assistant works as part of the primary care team to provide high-quality patient care and support within the GP practice. Under the direction of GPs, Practice Nurses, and other healthcare professionals, the post holder delivers a range of clinical and health promotion activities, helping to improve patient outcomes and ensure the effective delivery of services. The HCA will provide compassionate, patient-centred care while maintaining high standards of confidentiality, safety, and professionalism.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Participates in programmes for the management of long term conditions, e.g. hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes
• Assists patients and where appropriate encourages self-care and self-management of self-limiting conditions through health promotion
• Understands and works within own scope of practice and refers to other healthcare professionals where appropriate
• Works within own competency and relevant practice policies and procedural guidelines e.g. infection control, chaperoning etc.
• Encourages and supports individuals, families and groups to address issues which affect their health and social well being
• Early symptom recognition and presentation (including case finding) by the provision of outreach services, signposting to services and self-care opportunities
• Raises awareness among the population of symptoms, services and self-care/ self-management of long term conditions
• Undertakes advocacy to support patients to overcome barriers to accessing services and support them to navigate diagnostic and treatment processes where appropriate
• Undertakes liaison with patients GPs
• Represents the interests of individuals and families when they are not able to do so themselves
• Help to process data in connection with QOF recalling patients to attend clinics as and when necessary
• Assist in and perform routine tasks related to patient care as directed by senior nursing staff, GPs or other members of the practice team, which may include:
• Chaperoning duties
• BP monitoring
• Health Checks
• Urinalysis as required.
• Wound care including Dopplers and compression therapy and removal of sutures/clips (depending on competency)
• Influenza vaccinations including pneumonia and shingles (depending on competency)
• Administering injections e.g. B12 under PSD (depending on competency)
• Smoking prevention as applicable (depending on competency)
• Diabetic feet (depending on competency)
• Ear Syringing (depending on competency)
• Spirometry and reversibility (depending on competency)
• Processing and management of laboratory samples requested by GPs/Nurses
• Vaccine/cold chain storage, monitoring and recording (depending on competency)
• Clearing and re-stocking consulting rooms
• Preparing and maintaining environments and equipment before, during and after patient care interventions including assisting GPs during the performance of minor operations depending on competency
• Ensure clinical waste collection runs smoothly as required and reporting any problems appropriately.
• Preparing medical equipment by ensuring infection and control procedures are adhered to as required.
• Carry out hypertension reviews as required.
• Assisting in the assessment and surveillance of patients health and well-being

About us

Kernow Health CIC is a Community Interest Company supporting General Practice and delivering Primary Care Services at scale across Cornwall. Established in 2011 by a group of Cornwall practices, we are a GP-owned provider organisation delivering several NHS contracts, including:

• Cornwall 111 Integrated Urgent Care Service
• School Immunisation Programme
• Cornwall Primary Care Training Hub
• Special Allocation Scheme

All profits are reinvested to benefit primary care across Cornwall, supporting sustainable and locally responsive healthcare.

Why Join Kernow Health CIC?

Working with us, you will benefit from:

• Access to NHS Pension Scheme
• Competitive sickness, maternity and paternity provisions
• Competitive annual leave, with the ability to buy and sell leave
• Employee benefit programme through Vivup
• Access to training and continuous professional development through the Cornwall Primary Care Training Hub
• The opportunity to work within a high performing, supportive, multidisciplinary and forward-thinking urgent care service

Please note, we reserve the right to close the advert early should there be a significantly high level of applications.