About this role
Job summary Emergency Department Assistant. Band 3 Contract : Permanent. Full-Time 37.5 hours per week.
The Whittington Emergency Department (ED) serves the diverse local community of North London in and around Archway and Highgate. We are a busy but very friendly central London ED, seeing more than 100,000 patients in the last year and our recent CQC inspection praised the training and development opportunities for staff. We provide high quality emergency care and maintain an above average performance for initial assessment, ambulance handovers and four-hour performance.
We have very strong nursing leadership and can offer support from our substantial senior team, which includes our ED Matrons who provide a clinical support rota as well as Emergency Nurse Practitioners (ENPs) and senior clinical nurse leaders who provide support on a shift-by-shift basis. We also have a dedicated and innovative practice development nurse, devoted purely to the development of the team of nurses and ED Assistants.
Main duties of the job
You will be given the opportunity to rotate through the department including developing your skills in minor injury in our Urgent Treatment Centre with support of the ENPs, Majors where we assess the majority of ambulance patients, the fast-paced assessment area and will also gain new skills and training in mental health.
We are looking for dedicated, compassionate and dynamic healthcare assistants with acute hospital experience to join our team of Emergency Department Assistants in this fast-paced acute environment. Emergency Department experience isn't essential, as we will provide you with a training plan to develop your skills in specialist techniques such as plastering, cannulation and wound care.
Post holders would be expected to rotate onto nights and weekends on a four-week rota basis.
About us
Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.
Job description Job responsibilities
The Emergency Department Assistant (EDA) will deliver high level quality care and evidence based intervention, demonstrating a commitment to safe practice and positive patient experience. The post holder will provide a wide range of practical clinical duties and be able to take appropriate action to achieve optimal safety and quality of care for patients within the department, without direct supervision. The post holder will be personally accountable for the standards of such delegated duties. The post holder will continue to develop and undertake a varied range of delegated tasks, will report to a registered professional, the role will continue to develop through gaining further skills, knowledge and competencies. As a member of the ED team, the post holder will be accountable to the Lead Nurse for ED.
The post holder will have demonstrable experience in the direct care of patients with mental health and/or physical complaints, observing any changes in their health/behaviour, participate in risk assessments and care planning and able to maintain accurate records of care provided.
The post holder works as part of the ED team under the supervision of registered nurses and supports them by participating in the delivery of patient care. The post holder will be expected to be self-motivated and use their initiative when necessary.
The post holder will undertake the hospitals in house training for EDAs/HCAs, and will maintain an agreed level of competence.
Treat all Patients with dignity, respect and discretion whilst maintaining their confidentiality.
Ensure that patients personal hygiene requirements are met. This will include assisting with washes, bed bathing, assisting patients to use the shower and bath, providing mouth care and cleaning dentures.
Be aware and adhere to the trust guidelines and policies and assist in keeping the clinical areas clean and clutter free.
Be competent in venepuncture and cannulation and able to do ECG on patients.
Good communication skills.
Please see the attached job description for full details of responsibilities.
Person Specification
Qualifications / Training Essential
Maths and English Level 1 Care Certificate with completed practical workbook
Experience Essential
Experience of working in team Demonstrable experience of working in a hospital setting
Desirable
Previous Emergency Department experience
Knowledge & Skills Essential
Communicate effectively in writing Able to record routine observations Demonstrates compassion for patients Able to alert trained staff of change in patients' condition Demonstrates understanding of importance of maintaining privacy and dignity Demonstrates attention to detail, in preparation to carry out tasks Ability to record ECG Able to support and reassure patients/carers in distress
Desirable
Intravenous Cannulation Phlebotomy Plastering skills
Other factors Essential
Ability to work well under pressure
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer details Employer name Whittington Hospital NHS Trust
Address Whittington Hospital
Magdala Avenue
London
N19 5NF
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.whittington.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)