Healthcare Assistant - General Wards - PRUH

Job overview

This vacancy is for Band 3 Senior HCA at the Surgical Pre-assessment Clinic at Orpington Hospital, which is part of King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The position is full time – 37.5 hours per week.

We are looking for someone who is caring and compassionate, who has excellent communication skills and good IT skills. The person will hold skills in Phlebotomy and recording ECGs. This is a rewarding role for someone who is organised and eager to develop their skills in a fast‑paced clinical environment. You will gain valuable experience in outpatient care, with opportunities for further training and progression.

Please note that this vacancy may close earlier than the advertised closing date if a sufficient number of applications are received.

Main duties of the job

• To work with minimal supervision, assisting the registered nurses in identifying patient fitness and suitability for elective surgery.
• To provide baseline observations, phlebotomy, ECG recording and near patient testing, demonstrating the ability to accurately interpret observations, noting normal from abnormal, reporting all abnormal findings to the registered nurse for further action.
• Support the development of the Surgical Pre-assessment Clinic – planning, implementing and evaluating standards of care and their application in a progressive and changing environment.
• To assist with administrative and clinical duties to ensure the effective running of the department.
• To supervise, support and facilitate the training of junior Health Care Assistants.
• To maintain own personal development with support from Matron.

Working for our organisation

The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. Transforming Healthcare is the vision at the heart of the King’s Strategy – 2026 to 2031. Together, we are pursuing six strategic ambitions: delivering high-quality patient care; being a great place to work; leading pioneering research, innovation and education; building strong and successful partnerships; providing timely and efficient care; and ensuring long-term financial sustainability. Achieving these ambitions will require all of us to work as one Team King’s, united by a shared commitment to our values of being caring, collaborative, inclusive and innovative. By living these values every day, we will transform healthcare for our patients, our communities and each other

We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.

King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To prepare the clinical areas for patients attending for pre-operative assessment.
• Ensure appropriate supplies of gloves, aprons, hand sanitizer, is available in all clinical rooms.
• To greet patients on arrival, checking patient identifiers.
• Obtain patient consent prior to undertaking any observations or tests.
• Ensure the patient has completed the required preop questionnaire.
• Take and record a complete set of observations, escalating appropriately to a registered nurse as required.
• Measure and record the patient’s height, weight and Body Mass Index.
• Undertake electrocardiogram (ECG) recording and point of care testing (e.g. blood sugar, urinalysis)
• Take appropriate MRSA screen as per Trust Policy.
• To assess patients skin integrity and report any concerns to registered nurse.
• To collect clinical specimens including blood samples as requested.
• To act as a patient chaperone, ensuring that privacy and dignity are maintained.
• To assist in maintaining appropriate levels of consumables – restock phlebotomy trollies.
• To assist in the maintenance and safekeeping of patient’s property in line with Trust policy
• To assist in the maintenance of up to date, comprehensive and accurate electronic records in accordance with current legal requirements.
• To participate in maintaining standards of hygiene, cleanliness and infection control, reporting problems as appropriate.
• To ensure that equipment is always clean, stored safely when not in use and report faults as appropriate
• To assist patients with activities of daily living whilst encouraging independence, as appropriate

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Completed Care Certificate
• Completed Trust Band 2 Competency document (internal candidates only)

Desirable criteria

• Functional Skills Level 2 in Numeracy and Literacy or GCSEs Maths and English Grades A-C
• NVQ level 3 or equivalent experience

Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria

• Demonstrate skills in Phlebotomy and recording ECGs
• Significant experience within a care setting/environment

Skills and Competencies

Essential criteria

• Able to communicate with the multi-disciplinary team, update others in the team and use handover effectively.
• Able to talk to people about sensitive issues in a supportive manner but also challenge others assertively where necessary.
• Demonstrate excellent time management skills.

IMPORTANT

• Check your email account regularly as this is how we will communicate with you
• If you delete the job from any of your accounts, you may be prevented from accessing further communications
• To enquire about your application or inform us of any changes in your circumstances, please contact the named person on this advert
• Please provide email addresses for referees where possible
• Please review the documentation on our recruitment microsite, particularly the Trust’s criminal records checking policy
• All staff have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and for ensuring they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.
• Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. On occasion, we might close a vacancy early due to a high number of applications being received. You are advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

AI tools like chatbots and virtual assistants can support you as you complete your application. For example, they can check for spelling or grammar errors, or help you to decide what to include. They shouldn’t however replace your own responses or be used to write the application for you.

Relying too much on AI can negatively impact your chances of success because automatically generated answers:

• might not be specific or relevant enough to address the criteria in the recruitment profile
• often seem generic and not personalised enough – an AI response won’t show your unique voice and perspective
• could misrepresent information about you, such as your qualifications, skills and experience

We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully. You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct.

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King's College Hospital is part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC), a pioneering collaboration between King's College London, and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts.