NHS Scotland
Health Care Support Worker - Adult Perioperative Department
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NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC)
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) is one of the largest healthcare systems in the United Kingdom, employing approximately 40,000 staff across a wide range of clinical and non-clinical professions and roles. We deliver acute hospital, primary, community and mental health services to a population of over 1.15 million people, and to a wider population of 2.2 million when regional and national services are included.
The Role
The role of the post holder is to assist the registered practitioner and the multi-disciplinary team in the delivery of care to patients within the Perioperative department. The Main Theatre department operates on a 7 day a week basis, 24 hours a day including public holidays in order to provide care for those patients requiring surgery for specialties such as urology, gynaecology, dentistry, cardiology and general surgery, colorectal, ENT and also robotics. The theatre department also benefits from a perioperative education SCN who works closely with staff in order to develop and support development throughout the department. Applicants should demonstrate a keen interest in working within the perioperative environment, although previous experience within a healthcare setting is advantageous this is not essential as full training will be provided.
Duration, Location, and Working Pattern
All Posts will be based within the Inpatient Theatre unit at Royal Alexandra Hospital in the Clyde Sector of NHSGGC. An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 3 Health Care Support Worker post, within the Main Theatre/Day Surgery unit. The shift pattern for this post is a series of early shifts, late shifts, and night shifts worked across Monday to Sunday.
Key Responsibilities
- Assists the registered practitioner and the multidisciplinary team with the care and positioning of patients in the pre-, intra-, and post-operative period; lifts and holds limbs to assist in their preparation for surgery during planned and emergency procedures and reports any change in condition to the senior registered practitioner
- Assists registered practitioner with the transfer of patients on patient trolley, from reception to theatre and back to recovery post operatively. May on occasion also assist with the transfer of patients to and from the ward
- May prepare equipment and connect/disconnect cabling. This may include the positioning, cleaning and wiping down of theatre equipment such as laparoscopic stacks, electrosurgical equipment, and harmonic scalpels
- When requested, contact reception recovery to initiate transfer of patient from surgical wards to theatre reception area. This involves phone calls to reception staff giving accurate details re patient identity and the theatre the request is being made from
- Using the surgeon’s preference card, identify and locate stock, non-stock and sundries items in preparation for the next day’s surgical list. Overall knowledge of stock and set up may extend beyond one theatre speciality
- As directed by a registered practitioner, communicate effectively with Theatre departments within and outside the organisation to borrow instruments or equipment if needed for a theatre list. Document in the appropriate diary for audit purposes
- Perform checks on patient trolleys daily before the commencement of theatre lists to ascertain they are clean and in working order and report any faults to the registered practitioner in charge
- Ensure that portable oxygen cylinders are available and functional by switching the valve and checking the level on the flow meter before commencement of theatre lists and report any problems to the registered practitioner in charge
- Open sterile packs and sundries in conjunction with the Registered Practitioner performing a swab, needle and instrument count. Should be able to recognise and identify instruments and medical devices in use in accordance with the Accountable Items SOP (standard operating procedure)
- May be required to update/contribute to the perioperative care plan as appropriate. May also be required to record blood loss by weighing swabs
- Following collection of the specimen by the surgeon, receives specimens safely from the scrub practitioner, places them in the appropriate container for the investigation required. The post holder will then accurately label the container with an addressograph label until Trakcare labels have been printed. Participate in the checking of specimens (correct patient ID, specimen type etc.) prior to sending to laboratory. This is a check requiring two people, one of whom will be a registered practitioner, as per Specimen SOP
- As part of the established cleaning protocols, participate in the cleaning and tidying of equipment rooms and storage cupboards (excluding those used for the storage of drugs) and reports any defects to a registered practitioner and assist with the cleaning of clinical areas
- Following established policies and procedures, participates in the removal of all clinical waste, sharps bins, laundry and contaminated instruments from the theatre area
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Knowledge, Training, Qualifications and/or Experience Required to Do the Job
- No formal qualification required for this post. Completion of in-house training programme
- Effective written and verbal communication, literacy, numeracy and IT skills are desirable
- A demonstration of caring and compassionate attributes
- Ability to work as part of the multidisciplinary team
- Understands and complies with HCSW mandatory induction standards and code of conduct
- The registered practitioner will determine the knowledge and skill level required by the HCSW to perform a delegated task
- The HCSW is responsible for accepting delegated tasks from the registered practitioner and is accountable for undertaking them
- Awareness and understanding of policies and practices e.g. Accountable items SOP, Prevention and control of infection, Health and Safety and BLS. This post holder is therefore able to work within the scope of their practice under direct and indirect supervision by the registered practitioners
- Develop knowledge and practice through a combination of instruction, on the job learning, attending teaching sessions and study days
- Develop a range of core transferrable skills to undertake routine activities within different theatre specialties
- Develop an enhanced skill level within own specialty
- Comply with and work within the Accountable Items SOP. Compliance will be assessed during eKSF/PDP on an annual basis
- Knowledge and recognition of routinely used surgical instruments utilising documentation to support registered practitioners’ checks
- Utilising base knowledge and documentation to assist the registered practitioner with less frequently used/loan sets
- Knowledge of locations of stock items. An awareness of and familiarity of a range of items commonly used is desirable. Enhanced knowledge of items within own specialty
- May prepare equipment and connect/disconnect cabling. This may include the positioning, cleaning and wiping down of theatre equipment such as laparoscopic stacks, diathermy machines, harmonic scalpels, Medical gas cylinders etc. This also includes highlighting issues to the registered practitioner
- The post holder is expected to achieve a range of core transferrable skills to undertake activities within different theatre specialities. This level of knowledge is expected to be achieved within a three-to-six-month period
- The post holder may be required to develop an enhanced skill level within a designated speciality. This is expected to be achieved within or up to a 12-month period. The post holder may be required to work in more than one speciality
- Completion and maintenance of mandatory learnpro modules
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What We Offer
We offer a wide range of supportive policies designed to enhance your employee journey, including a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme, Cycle to Work Scheme, bursary scheme and extensive learning and development opportunities.
As an NHS Scotland employee, you will be entitled to:
- A minimum of 27 days annual leave, increasing with length of service, plus public holidays
- Membership of the NHS Pension Scheme, including life insurance benefits
- Salary Sacrifice Car Benefit Scheme
- Development opportunities including study bursaries, e-learning and classroom-based courses
- Enhanced pay for working public holidays
- NHS discounts on a wide range of goods and services
- Confidential employee support and assistance, including counselling and psychological therapies
Interested?
If you would like to find out more, we would love to hear from you.
For An Informal Discussion, Please Contact
Senior Charge, Elizbeth Williamson, elizabeth.williamson@nhs.scot, 01413146854
Details on How to Contact the Recruitment Service and the Recruitment Process
This post may close early due to the volume of response. Please submit your application form as soon as possible. Due to the volume of applications that we receive, we will not be able to provide shortlisting feedback.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) recognises the importance of work-life balance and is committed to offering a range of flexible working options where service needs allow. For roles where less than full-time hours can be accommodated, and where the tenure is listed as “various”, we encourage applications from individuals seeking flexible working arrangements. Flexible working will be included as a topic for discussion during the recruitment process.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde encourages applications from all sections of the community. We are committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion and are proud of the diverse workforce we employ.
By signing the Armed Forces Covenant, NHSGGC has pledged its commitment to being a Forces Friendly Employer. We welcome applications from across the Armed Forces Community and recognise military skills, experience and qualifications throughout the recruitment and selection process.
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