Ambulance Care Assistant (ACA) - Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Main Responsibilities

Ambulance Care Assistant (ACA)

Queen Elizabeth Hospital - Woolwich

£9.24 per hour

Full Time - 45 hours per week

Various Shifts 

G4S Healthcare Services have exciting opportunities for Ambulance Care Assistants to join our dedicated and friendly expanding Healthcare team at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

We are one of the UK's largest private providers of non-emergency patient transport - every day we undertake thousands of journeys, transporting patients to and from hospital or clinic appointments.

Our expertise in managing people, logistics and fleet and our proven knowledge of vehicle design enables us to provide safe, comfortable and punctual round the clock transport services for patients of all mobility levels. Our primary objectives are to deliver a highly satisfactory patient experience focused on customer care and to provide a professional patient transport service that exceeds expectations.
We use specialist IT software to book and plan the journeys. Our aim is to optimise convenience for patients, minimise environmental impact and meet contractual performance indicators. Our helpdesk and management information systems enable us to monitor as well as report upon our service quality and create continuously improving performance. We provide detailed statistics and management information which we share with our customers.

G4S invests heavily in appropriate training, equipment and new air-conditioned ambulances for each contract to enable our vetted staff to provide excellent service in a friendly environment.

We work in partnership with NHS Trusts for the benefit of patients and to provide a high quality service. Our staff are highly trained and our vehicles are clean and well equipped to maintain or improve quality of life whilst patients are in our care.

Job Outline:

The Ambulance Person will provide patient transport services, convey non-emergency patients to and from hospital and clinic appointments ensuring the patient’s welfare in transit and ensuring that safety and best practice are adhered to at all times

Responsibilities: 

• To understand patients special needs and mobility to ensure their safe transport ensuring the patients dignity and respect is maintained
• Drive an ambulance or ambulance car.
• Operate interchangeably as either driver or attendant in a single person or 2- person ambulance crew and act and promote teamwork to ensure high standards of service delivery.
• Assist, move and handle patients, who may be ambulatory or wheelchair bound, using appropriate equipment where necessary e.g. carrying patients up the stairs using carry chair, moving immobile patients in and out of bed, and manoeuvring patients in wheelchairs into and out of the vehicle and on stretchers as necessary.  Ensure patients are safely seated whilst in transit.
• Minimise and deal with aggressive and abusive behaviour to reduce risks to safety and ensure patient welfare
• Ensure the use of appropriate equipment and approved manual handling techniques
• Maintain the cleanliness and ensure the routine daily checks of designated vehicles are carried out prior to deployment
• Assist patients when entering and leaving their homes and take all reasonable actions to ensure the safety and security of their property.
• Liaise and report to Control as directed within operational procedures in updating location 
• Upon arrival at the place of treatment, convey patients to the appropriate location within the building as directed by Control.
• Provide support as directed to other agencies in the event of serious injury or emergency
• To be flexible on a daily basis in relation to shift finishing times
• Maintain records as appropriate. Comply with all G4S instructions, procedures, guidelines, protocols, policies and relevant systems and adhere to all statutory legislation.
• Carry out any other duties relevant to the role as directed by Control and/or the Service Delivery Manager.

The Ideal Candidate

Essential Skills:

• Full driving license required (including categories C1 & D1)
• Experience of similar related role
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Application of common sense approach
• Physically fit able to lift patients.
• A caring attitude towards patients and an outgoing, friendly manner, able to show empathy
• The post holder must be willing to undergo suitable training including Manual Handling, Risk Assessment, Customer Services, client induction, advanced driving and first aid.
• Demonstrate high level of commitment to the provision of an efficient and effective service
• Ability to work to deadlines, at times under considerable pressure, without compromising standards of performance, calm under pressure
• Completed, clear CRB check

Desirable Skills: 

• The job also requires that crew members are flexible to fit in with fluctuation in service demand or operational need on the contract, i.e. a flexible working pattern
• Basic literacy and numeracy are required. Formal qualifications (apart from a full, current UK driving license) are less important than the appropriate manner and attitude to patients, clients and colleagues.
• Geographical knowledge of the local area to be worked within
• Knowledge of Patient Transport Services