Primary Care Health Care Assisstant

Primary Care Health Care Assistant

Contract type: Bank / flexible worker
Location: Across Primary Care service locations and partner sites, according to service need
Hours: Flexible, including daytime, evening, weekend and bank-holiday shifts where required
Pay: £16 ph

Job purpose The Bank Primary Care Health Care Assistant will provide safe, compassionate and flexible clinical support across a range of Primary Care services, pilots and improvement initiatives.

Working under appropriate clinical direction and within an agreed scope of practice, the postholder will undertake approved observations, support patient flow, prepare clinical rooms, assist with infection prevention and control, provide formal chaperoning, maintain equipment and stock, and contribute to the safe delivery of patient care.

Depending on verified training and competency, the postholder may also support additional Primary Care activities such as phlebotomy, ECG recording, health checks, long-term-condition monitoring, vaccination clinics, point-of-care testing or specimen collection. No enhanced clinical task may be undertaken without documented training, competency assessment, appropriate authorisation and access to clinical supervision.

The postholder will work closely with:

• GPs and other Primary Care clinicians;
• registered nurses and nursing associates;
• administrators and reception staff;
• operational and service leads;

  1. Direct patient support

• Welcome patients and introduce the role clearly.
• Confirm patient identity before undertaking any care or recording information.
• Explain procedures within the postholder’s competence and obtain appropriate consent.
• Support patients to move safely through the service.

  2. Core clinical-support duties Subject to local policy, training and competency sign-off, duties may include:

• measuring and recording blood pressure;
• measuring pulse, respiratory rate, temperature and oxygen saturation;
• measuring height, weight and body-mass index;
• undertaking basic physiological observations;
• cleaning and preparing reusable clinical equipment in accordance with policy;
• supporting mobility and safe positioning within assessed competence; and
• escalating abnormal observations promptly to the responsible clinician.

3. Duties following separate competency sign-off Depending on service requirements and individual competencies, HCAs may also be asked to undertake:
 

• phlebotomy;
• 12-lead ECG recording;
• NHS or locally commissioned health checks;
• specimen collection;
• smoking-status recording and brief signposting;
• blood-pressure or cardiovascular-risk clinics;

  4. Chaperoning

• Act as a formal chaperone after completing the required training.
• Understand the purpose and boundaries of the chaperone role.
• Maintain an appropriate position during the examination or procedure.
• Escalate if the postholder cannot safely or appropriately act as chaperone.

  5. Recognition and escalation of deterioration

• Activate the site-specific emergency process when instructed or when urgent help is clearly required.

  6. Patient flow and operational support

• Work with administrators and clinicians to maintain safe patient flow.
• Help monitor waiting-room occupancy and identify patients who may need clinical review.
• Prepare patients for assessment when directed.
• Support the reconciliation of patients expected from another service with those who arrive.

  7. Infection prevention and clinical environment

• Follow hand-hygiene and infection-prevention procedures.
• Use personal protective equipment correctly.
• Clean clinical surfaces and equipment between patients in accordance with local schedules.

  8. Equipment, supplies and stock

• Complete delegated checks of clinical equipment and emergency supplies.
• Report missing, damaged, expired or malfunctioning items.

  9. Record keeping and clinical systems

• Record observations and care accurately on the approved clinical system.
• Use only the postholder’s own access credentials.
• Document escalation, chaperoning and other required activity.
• Follow downtime procedures if systems are unavailable.

  10. Safeguarding and patient welfare

• Recognise indicators of possible abuse, neglect, exploitation or risk.
• Escalate safeguarding concerns immediately through the appropriate route.
• Understand that safeguarding responsibility applies to adults and children.

The postholder must not:

• independently triage or diagnose patients unless separately trained and formally authorised;
• interpret diagnostic results;
• make independent discharge decisions;
• perform tasks for which competency has expired or has not been accepted locally;

  Person specification Essential qualifications and knowledge

• Care Certificate, equivalent healthcare-support qual
• Desirable qualifications and knowledge
• Level 2 or Level 3 healthcare qualification or equivalent.
• Current phlebotomy competency.
• Current ECG competency.
• Training in physiological observations and point-of-care testing.
• Formal chaperone training.

  Essential experience

• Experience of delivering care, support or direct services to patients or service users.
• Experience of working as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Experience of following care plans, procedures or delegated instructions.
• Experience of recording information accurately.
• Experience of recognising and escalating concerns.

  Desirable experience

• Previous HCA experience in General Practice, community services, urgent care or hospital care.
• Experience of observations, phlebotomy, ECGs or health checks.
• Experience of formal chaperoning.