Health Care Assistant

Job Description

As a Healthcare assistants you will be helping healthcare professionals to care for patients. As a healthcare assistant you are responsible for assisting in caring for patients/residents in nursing homes, residential homes & other settings.

The job of a healthcare assistant overlaps with that performed by a nurse. However, you are not allowed to administer medication or perform complex nursing procedures. You must ensure patients are constantly kept as comfortable as possible along with recording observations of patients throughout the day

You will be required to help during emergency situations, for instance during emergency resuscitations if you are trained to do so. Should a patient die, you will be responsible for washing and preparing the body prior to the visit of relatives and transportation to the morgue.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The precise tasks carried out by healthcare assistants will obviously vary depending upon which healthcare professional requires help. However, typical tasks include:

• Helping patients to undertake personal tasks, including washing, showering, and using the toilet
• Serving food to patients and helping them to eat if they are physically weak
• Making the beds & changing linen where necessary
• Talking to patients to ease loneliness and feelings of isolation
• Listening to the needs of patients and acting on these needs as appropriate
• Turning patients who are required to spend a lot of time in bed, to avoid bed sores
• Helping patients move around their environment, to feel comfortable in care homes or hospitals. This involves keeping their living area extremely clean and tidy
• Improving the mobility of patients
• Giving out & collecting bedpans
• Emptying catheter bag when necessary
• Ensuring that supplies of medical equipment are replenished
• Taking & recording patient temperature, if trained to do so
• Recording the pulse rate of the patient if trained to so
• Taking the respiration rate of the patient if trained to do so
• Notifying healthcare professionals if temperatures, pulse rates, or respiration rates seem abnormal or worrying
• Measuring the weight of the patient
• Performing electrocardiograms, which allow healthcare assistants to monitor a patient’s heart activity
• Preparing patients for therapy or medical treatment
• Assisting the healthcare professional whilst they administer therapy or treatment
• Ensuring that the patient is comfortable whilst the therapy or treatment is being administered
• Ensuring protection against abuse
• Recording the patient’s progress following each session of therapy or treatment
• Recording & reporting care progression of patients, including incidents & accidents

SKILLS

Healthcare assistants will need to possess the following skills:

• A caring, approachable & tactful nature
• An open mind
• The desire to work with people of all ages and from all backgrounds
• Sensitivity
• Good communication and listening skills
• To ensure confidential & sensitive information is shared on a need to know basis
• A respectful approach to patients and colleagues
• The ability and desire to take own initiative whilst recognizing their limitations
• Flexibility
• The ability to work as part of a team
• The ability to remain patient and calm in tough situations
• A good sense of humor
• Reliability
• Good organizational skills

Driving skills and access to own vehicle are highly preferred, but not necessary.

NVQ level 2 or 3 are preferable but not necessary as full training will be provided.