Healthcare Support Worker (Entry Level & Experienced)NHS
Job summary
Swaffham and Downham PCN is looking for a Healthcare Support Worker to join our nursing team, working flexibly across our member practices to support patients and clinical colleagues throughout the network.
This is a role we welcome applications for at two levels: as a first step into a healthcare career for someone with no prior clinical experience, or as a more established role for a candidate who already holds relevant Healthcare Assistant or Support Worker experience.
The post-holder will work at Support Worker Level Practice as described in the Primary Care and General Nursing Career and Core Capabilities Framework, delivering care and tasks delegated by a registered professional, and will operate under indirect supervision once competent, with direct supervision provided when learning new skills.
Main duties of the job
Deliver opportunistic and planned health promotion advice on diet, physical activity, alcohol and weight management, escalating to a registered clinician where specialist advice is needed.
Support smoking cessation activity, including brief interventions and signposting to local stop-smoking services.
Support delivery of NHS Health Checks and other prevention programmes, including basic measurements (height, weight, BMI, blood pressure).
Provide patients with health promotion literature and signpost to community, voluntary sector and social prescribing services.
Support uptake of national screening programmes (e.g. cervical, bowel, breast) through patient information and reminders.
Prepare vaccination clinics, including stock checks, cold chain monitoring, equipment set-up and clinic room readiness.
Support the administration of vaccines once trained, assessed as competent and formally authorised to do so.
Accurately record all vaccinations given on the clinical system (EMIS/SystmOne), including batch numbers and consent, in line with PCN and practice protocols.
Monitor patients following vaccination for immediate reactions and escalate any concerns promptly to a registered clinician.
Support seasonal campaigns (e.g. flu, COVID-19, RSV) and childhood or adult catch-up clinics across all PCN sites.
Assist with maintaining vaccine stock, ordering, and accurate cold chain documentation.
Job description
Main Duties and Responsibilities1. Health Promotion & Prevention Deliver opportunistic and planned health promotion advice on diet, physical activity, alcohol and weight management, escalating to a registered clinician where specialist advice is needed.
Support smoking cessation activity, including brief interventions and signposting to local stop-smoking services.
Support delivery of NHS Health Checks and other prevention programmes, including basic measurements, height, weight, BMI, blood pressure.
Provide patients with health promotion literature and signpost to community, voluntary sector and social prescribing services.
Support uptake of national screening programmes e.g. cervical, bowel, and breast, through patient information and reminders.
2. Vaccination & Immunisation Prepare vaccination clinics, including stock checks, cold chain monitoring, equipment set-up and clinic room readiness.
Support the administration of vaccines once trained, assessed as competent and formally authorised to do so.
Accurately record all vaccinations given on the clinical system (EMIS/SystmOne), including batch numbers and consent, in line with PCN and practice protocols.
Monitor patients following vaccination for immediate reactions and escalate any concerns promptly to a registered clinician.
Support seasonal campaigns e.g. flu, COVID-19, RSV, and childhood or adult catch-up clinics across all PCN sites.
Assist with maintaining vaccine stock, ordering, and accurate cold chain documentation.
3. Clinical Observations & Support Undertake and accurately record routine clinical observations, including blood pressure, pulse, temperature, respiratory rate, oxygen saturations, height, weight and urinalysis.
Support registered professionals during clinics, including chaperoning, preparing rooms and equipment, and assisting with clinical procedures.
Undertake ECG recording once trained and assessed as competent.
Undertake venepuncture-phlebotomy services once trained and assessed as competent, where required by the PCN.
Prepare, clean and maintain clinical rooms and equipment, including stock rotation and calibration checks, in line with infection control standards.
4. Long-Term Condition & MDT Support Support patients attending long-term condition review clinics e.g. diabetes, hypertension, COPD, and asthma, by taking measurements and completing structured templates ahead of clinician review.
Work alongside GPs, nurses, pharmacists, social prescribers and other ARRS roles as part of the wider Multi-Disciplinary Team.
Support proactive care initiatives, including virtual and in-person care home rounds and case-finding activities, under supervision.
Help identify patients experiencing health inequalities or wider social and welfare needs, escalating to the appropriate team member e.g. social prescriber and care coordinator.
5. Delegated Clinical Care Deliver basic wound care, including simple wound cleansing, dressing changes and skin care, strictly in line with a care plan set by a registered professional.
Support continence and personal care tasks as directed by a registered clinician, where required.
Carry out delegated care tasks accurately and safely, working within the defined limits of the role and competencies.
Recognise when a patient's presentation falls outside the scope of the role and escalate promptly to more senior clinical staff.
6. Records, Governance & Escalation Maintain accurate, contemporaneous and legible clinical records on EMIS-SystmOne, in line with PCN documentation standards.
Support data quality and template completion for PCN audits, QOF and Enhanced Access/DES requirements.
Report safety incidents, near misses and safeguarding concerns promptly, following PCN incident-reporting and safeguarding policies.
Maintain patient confidentiality at all times, in line with data protection legislation and the PCN's information governance policy.
7. Flexible Network Working Work flexibly across the PCN according to patient and service need.
Adapt to the working practices, clinical systems and teams of different member practices.
Travel between sites as required, in line with the PCN's travel and expenses policy.
General / Corporate Responsibilities Confidentiality: treat all information relating to patients, staff and PCN business as strictly confidential, in line with the Data Protection Act 2018, UK GDPR and the PCN's Information Governance policy.
Health & Safety: take reasonable care of your own health and safety and that of others, complying with the PCN's Health & Safety policy and reporting hazards promptly.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: treat all patients, visitors and colleagues with dignity and respect, and act in accordance with the PCN's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy.
Infection Prevention and Control: adhere to infection prevention and control policies and procedures at all times, including hand hygiene, use of PPE and safe waste disposal.
Safeguarding: act in accordance with the PCN's safeguarding children and adults policies, escalating any concerns promptly through the appropriate pathway.
Personal & Professional Development: participate in mandatory training, supervision, appraisal and the Care Certificate (where applicable), and take an active role in your own personal development plan.
Quality and Safety: contribute to a culture of continuous improvement, incident reporting and learning within the PCN.
Flexibility: undertake any other duties commensurate with the role and banding, as reasonably required by the PCN.
About us
Swaffham and Downham PCN is an innovative network that values its staff. We invest in wellbeing, training and development at every level, and we are proud to offer routes into healthcare careers for people at the very start of their journey, alongside opportunities for experienced practitioners to grow and specialise.