Dermatology and Healthcare Assistant

Job Summary:

The Dermatology and Healthcare Assistant plays a key role in ensuring that “trusted experience is delivered with outstanding service” at The London Skin and Hair Clinic, Medical Dermatology clinic.

As a DHCA in our clinically-led service, you’ll be providing high quality, patient focused pathological care. Your role will include assisting Dermatologists with outpatient surgical procedures, dressing changes and suture-removal, blood-taking, PDT, phototherapy, patch-testing, samples management, post-procedure patient follow-up and patient support, as well as note taking and other supportive documentary evidence taking, like photos, to record the patients progress through the treatment period. This role does not provide aesthetic or cosmetic services and is medical based dermatology. Those looking for a career in aesthetics would not suit this role.

We are looking for a candidate with strong phlebotomy skills and a high level of experience assisting with outpatient procedures. This will help support the current DHCA, as the candidate can come on board and pick up blood taking and assisting procedures, giving the current DHCA the best level of support possible and the freedom to assist with training the new team member at the same time.

Duties and Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities to be undertaken may include any or all of the items in the following list. Duties may be varied from time to time under the direction of the Practice Manager, dependent on current and evolving clinic workload and priorities:

• To demonstrate good clinical practice at all times and to be accountable for own actions.
• Assist in the organisation of clinics to ensure smooth and efficient operations.
• Ensure equipment is in good working order and maintain accurate records of patient care.
• Organise diagnostic tests and appointments both within and outside the clinic.
• Set up theatre for dermatology procedures (including biopsies, excisions, cautery, cryotherapy, photodynamic therapy injections), ensuring a sterile field is maintained for patient safety.
• Follow infection control and waste management procedures – keep theatre clean and tidy at all times and manage deep-clean and MRSA protocols.
• Support Dermatologists during procedures following sterile / non-sterile area protocol.
• Assist Dermatologists as a Chaperone in line with the clinic Chaperone policy.
• Manage patients post procedure, including advice for wound management and scar minimisation.
• Manage specimens and samples, ensuring all paperwork is filled out correctly.
• Process pathology results (blood tests, swabs, urine, biopsies, IMF) including tracking results and providing to Dermatologists for communicating results.
• Manage the theatre log.
• Ensure theatre and trolleys stocked and work with Practice Manager to re-order supplies.
• Remove sutures and perform wound checks and dressing changes.
• Provide patient support post procedure including calling all patients day after procedure.
• Prepare intralesional triamcinolone for injecting under the guidelines set by the Clinical lead.
• Prepare botulinum toxin for injecting for medical treatment including hyperhidrosis under the guidelines set by the Clinical lead. [This role is not involved in the delivery of aesthetic treatments or services]
• Administer intralesional triamcinalone injections to patients of the clinic for the treatment of alopecia areata and acne cysts. Patients to have been seen by a clinic Dermatologist, diagnosed and approved for treatment prior to having these injections.
• Undertake patch-testing of patients using the True-test patch system including applying patches, removing patches and taking and documenting readings.
• Undertake photodynamic therapy (PDT) treatment of patients for superficial BCCs and actinic keratosis (field treatment). Patients to have been seen by a clinic Dermatologist, diagnosed and approved for treatment prior to treatment.
• Administer injections of vaccines for patients who have had a consultation by one of the clinic Dermatologist who have approved the patient for injections.
• Take and record weight, height, blood pressure measurements, pregnancy tests and dipstick assessment (urine) of patients as directed by the clinic Dermatologists.
• Take blood (phlebotomy) for patients needing blood-tests in accordance with the tests requested by the clinic Dermatologists.
• Provide admin support as directed by Practice Manager.

Personal qualities, Skills and Experience

• Previous experience in dermatology useful but not essential.
• Phlebotomy training, certification and at least one years practical experience required
• Experience working within an outpatients department and assisting in theatre is essential
• Phototherapy experience preferred but not essential
• Basic I.T. skills (understanding of Microsoft Office particularly Word and Excel.
• Excellent verbal and written English communication skills.
• As this post involves working with children and vulnerable adults in the course of daily duties 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.

Confidentiality:

• In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately
• In the performance of the duties outlined in this Job Description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, clinic staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the clinic as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential
• Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the clinic may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the clinic policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data

Health & Safety:

The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others’ health, safety and security as defined in the clinic Health & Safety Policy, to include:

• Using personal security systems within the workplace according to clinic guidelines
• Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks
• Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills
• Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards
• Reporting potential risks identified

Equality and Diversity:

The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:

• Acting in a way that recognizes the importance of people’s rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with clinic procedures and policies, and current legislation
• Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues
• Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

Personal/Professional Development:

The post-holder will participate in any training program implemented by the Clinic as part of this employment, such training to include:

• Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development
• Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work

Quality:

The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the Clinic, and will:

• Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk
• Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision
• Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the team’s performance
• Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs
• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources

Communication:

The post-holder should recognize the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

• Communicate effectively with other team members
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers
• Recognize people’s needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly

Contribution to the Implementation of Services:

The post-holder will:

• Apply Clinic policies, standards and guidance
• Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work
• Constructively raise conflicts or issues with policies and standards and guidelines, help identify solutions, and contribute to continuous improvement
• Participate in audit where appropriate

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: £26,000.00-£30,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Additional leave
• Company pension
• Employee discount

Application question(s):

• Have you had Theatre Scrub experience in a hospital and or medical setting and, if so, how many years experience do you have?

Licence/Certification:

• phlebotomy certification? (required)

Work Location: In person