Health Visitor Assistant (HVA)

Health Visitor Assistant - Band 3 - 22.75 hours

The role involves providing comprehensive clerical support to the Start Well Health Visiting teams, including handling spreadsheets, word processing, emails, and retrieving information. It also includes organising caseloads, supporting team members with administrative tasks, scheduling appointments, filing correspondence, and ensuring effective communication within the team. Additionally, responsibilities extend to arranging group activities in community settings to facilitate the Healthy Child Programme, supporting the delivery of child health clinics and supporting service delivery across Stockport .

Please note this is a community post and the base may vary across Stockport.

Job description

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Provide a full range of clerical duties for the neighbourhood teams and as directed by the Start well Health visiting Team and the Information and Clinical Support Co-ordinator; this will include tasks such as spreadsheets, scanning, word processing, e-mails and retrieval of information using a variety of systems preparing and processing outputs from clinical sessions. Updating quality and information on team white boards.

Communicate with all members of each team in a timely manner regarding administrative duties, messages received, appointments, liaising within the team and between the service and other services. This will include answering the phone in the office to support team working.

Set up activities in clinics and where required meet and greet families.

Assist teams under the supervision of a Health visitor or Staff Nurse with clerical duties to support developmental assessments.

Assist with co-ordination of rotas/whereabouts for the team recording sickness absence and annual leave.

Contribute to an evidence-based service in all neighbourhoods by adhering to SOPs and pathways.

Adhere to infection control policy for clinical areas and clinical equipment ensuring they are all kept clean in line with guidance at all venues

Ensure that up to date community and service information is available for parents, children and young people, thereby improving access to services including digital health promotion resources.

Ensure that the welfare and safety of the child is always paramount by adhering to the Child Safeguarding policies and guidelines.

Advise the HV / team leader or Vulnerable Childrens Team of any child safeguarding concerns in line with the policy.

Advise the HV or team leader/family hub neighbourhood lead and follow the vulnerable adult policy where there are vulnerable adult concerns.

Carry out any other work deemed appropriate to the role in consultation with line manager and Start Well Team Leader.

Allocation of Incoming children & families into the service will be completed daily by the HVA

HVAs complete Child Health Clinics - this includes weighing and measuring off babies and children in adherence to WHO guidance and Standard Operating Procedures within the trust.

Communications

Communicate with all members of the team which you are supporting in a timely manner regarding administrative duties, messages received, appointments, liaising within the team and between the service and other services if required.

Provide clear and accurate communication between parents and clinical team to aid smooth running of service delivery, as safely and efficiently as possible.

Deal with all enquiries on behalf of the clinical team, record conversations on the patient record which will come from a variety of sources and use initiative to deal with these enquiries as appropriate.

To communicate effectively and maintain good relationships with professionals within the integrated childrens service.

To have the ability to engage effectively with parents, encourage attendance and uptake of services using a variety of non-verbal and verbal communication skills.

To maintain confidentiality in line with trust policy.

Responsibility for Patient Care

Organise and facilitate the appointed healthy child health clinics, completing appropriate documentation as directed following clinical guidelines. This includes weighing and measurement of babies and children and recording the results as directed by the team.

Respond to patient enquiries face to face when required.

Person specification

Education and qualifications

Essential

• oEducated to NVQ level 3 or equivalent experience in office/clinical administration environment

Desirable

• oRelevant further study or short course study appropriate to post. e.g. office management
• oPrevious experience of working within NHS services and understanding of the Healthy Child Programme

Knowledge

Essential

• Understanding of confidentiality
• Understanding of communication and organisation needs for good team working
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel

Experience

Essential

• Working with confidential information,

Desirable

• Setting up organisational systems

Skills & Abilities

Essential

• Excellent communication skills
• Excellent organisational skills
• Ability to work as a team member
• IT skills - proficient user of both Microsoft Word and Excel,
• Ability to work flexibly across different teams
• Ability to work without supervision

Desirable

• ECDL

Work Related Circumstances

Essential

• Access to transport to travel between clinics and other service delivery locations

About the employer

We hold a unique position in the Stockport community as the provider of healthcare and we are one of its largest employers.

We believe that the best organisations are those that reflect the communities they serve. We are therefore seeking to improve the diversity of our workforce to make it truly representative of our local population.

We actively encourage applications irrespective of race, age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage & civil partnership, or pregnancy or maternity. Recognising those communities that are underrepresented within our workforce, we would particularly welcome applications from you.

If you require support with your application please contact a member of the recruitment team, who can discuss alternative application methods.

We recognise that flexible working is important. We take requests for flexible working seriously, consider any request we receive and try to work with you, so we can explore if your request may fit with the needs of the service.

Benefits we offer to you: