Job Title: Healthcare Assistant / Health MOT Practitioner

Location: Oxfordshire

Reports To: Health MOT Service Manager

Role Purpose

The Healthcare Assistant / Health MOT Practitioner will independently deliver person-centred Health MOTs to adults aged 18 years and over in workplace and community settings.

The role includes clinical measurements, health and wellbeing assessments, brief interventions, health promotion, signposting and assisted self-referral.

Practitioners will work within approved Standard Operating Procedures, referral pathways and escalation protocols. A medical doctor will be available remotely for exceptional clinical consultation; however, practitioners are expected to manage routine Health MOT activity independently once trained and signed off as competent.

The role does not include medical diagnosis, prescribing or treatment outside the approved service scope.

Key Responsibilities

The practitioner will:

·        Explain the Health MOT, privacy arrangements and obtain appropriate consent.

·        Undertake and accurately record blood pressure, height, weight, BMI, waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio assessments.

·        Administer, score and record approved health assessment tools and questionnaires, including:

o  AUDIT-C and full AUDIT where indicated;

o  smoking-status assessment;

o  the approved physical-activity questionnaire; and

o  the approved mental-wellbeing assessment.

·        Provide Smoking Very Brief Advice, Alcohol Identification and Brief Advice and Making Every Contact Count interventions.

·        Explain results clearly and provide appropriate lifestyle information.

·        Identify abnormal findings and follow approved pharmacy, GP, urgent-care or emergency escalation pathways.

·        Discuss additional health and wellbeing needs where appropriate, including drug use, sexual health, domestic abuse, housing and financial wellbeing.

·        Recognise and appropriately escalate safeguarding and mental-health concerns.

·        Provide signposting or assisted self-referral to appropriate Oxfordshire health and wellbeing services.

·        Provide participants with the required anonymised Health MOT feedback information.

·        Record service data accurately and contemporaneously using the approved data system.

·        Maintain confidentiality and comply with Data Protection, safeguarding, infection-control and Health & Safety requirements.

·        Use and maintain clinical equipment safely.

·        Report incidents, near misses and concerns in accordance with Healthium Clinics procedures.

·        Participate in supervision, audit, competency review and continuing professional development.

Clinical Escalation

Practitioners are expected to independently manage routine findings covered by the approved Health MOT protocols.

A medical doctor will be available remotely by telephone for exceptional clinical consultation and escalation.

Where an emergency pathway is clearly indicated, practitioners must initiate the appropriate emergency response without delaying action to seek telephone medical advice.

Person SpecificationEssential Qualifications

A relevant Level 3 healthcare qualification, such as:

·        Level 3 Diploma in Healthcare Support;

·        Level 3 Healthcare Support Worker qualification;

·        Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care; or

·        equivalent relevant healthcare qualification or demonstrable equivalent experience.

Essential Experience and Skills

·        Previous experience in healthcare, health promotion or a related field.

·        Experience working directly with patients, service users or members of the public.

·        Experience undertaking or supporting clinical observations or health assessments.

·        Ability to communicate sensitively about health and wellbeing.

·        Ability to work independently within defined protocols.

·        Good understanding of confidentiality, professional boundaries and safeguarding.

·        Accurate record keeping and confidence using digital systems.

Desirable

·        Previous Healthcare Assistant or Healthcare Support Worker experience.

·        Community, occupational or public-health experience.

·        Experience undertaking blood pressure, height, weight and BMI measurements.

·        Experience delivering health-promotion or behaviour-change interventions.

·        Knowledge of Oxfordshire health and wellbeing services.

Training and Competency

Full role-specific training will be provided before independent service delivery.

Practitioners will be required to complete the approved Health MOT training programme, including:

·        Council-commissioned Alcohol Identification and Brief Advice training;

·        Council-commissioned Smoking Very Brief Advice training;

·        Council-commissioned Making Every Contact Count training;

·        clinical measurement and escalation training;

·        approved Health MOT questionnaires and assessment tools;

·        safeguarding and domestic-abuse awareness;

·        Equality, Diversity and Inclusion;

·        Health & Safety and infection prevention;

·        information governance and confidentiality;

·        local referral and signposting pathways;

·        use of the Health MOT data system; and

·        emergency-response procedures.

Practitioners must demonstrate practical competence and receive formal sign-off before undertaking Health MOTs independently.

Professional Requirements

The practitioner must:

·        work within their assessed competence and approved scope of practice;

·        provide compassionate, inclusive and non-judgemental care;

·        maintain confidentiality and professional boundaries;

·        follow Healthium policies, SOPs and clinical-governance requirements;

·        recognise when escalation or additional clinical advice is required; and

·        maintain required training and competency throughout employment.

Working Arrangements

The role involves travel and service delivery across workplaces, community venues and mobile or temporary settings throughout Oxfordshire.

A full, valid UK driving license is required, and the postholder must be able to drive the Health MOT service van/mobile unit to workplace and community sites across Oxfordshire as part of their normal duties.

Flexibility may be required to accommodate workplace shifts and community service activity.

What We Offer

·        Salary: Competitive

·        The opportunity to make a positive contribution to the health and wellbeing of local communities across Oxfordshire.

·        A varied and rewarding role, meeting and supporting people from a wide range of backgrounds in a community setting.

·        Comprehensive role-specific training, with the opportunity to develop new clinical, health-promotion and behaviour-change skills.

·        The opportunity to build confidence and experience in delivering health assessments and brief interventions independently.