Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Urgent Care Assistant Salisbury

🎯 Role Definition

The Urgent Care Assistant (Salisbury) provides high-quality, patient-centered support in a fast-paced walk-in and urgent care environment. This role ensures safe, efficient patient flow by performing clinical support tasks such as triage support, taking observations, performing point-of-care testing, wound care and basic procedures under clinician direction, as well as essential administrative duties including record keeping, appointment coordination and stock management. The ideal candidate is clinically competent, calm under pressure, excellent at communication, and committed to infection control and patient confidentiality.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Healthcare Assistant / Nursing Assistant
Medical Receptionist or Patient Services Advisor
Clinical Support Worker or Community Care Assistant

Advancement To:

Senior Urgent Care Assistant / Lead Clinical Support Worker
Registered Nurse (with additional qualifications)
Urgent Care Practitioner / Advanced Clinical Practitioner
Site Lead / Clinic Coordinator

Lateral Moves:

Primary Care / GP Practice Nurse Assistant
Ambulance Care Assistant or Emergency Department Support
Clinical Data or EPR (Electronic Patient Record) Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Perform rapid, accurate patient triage support by taking presenting complaint histories, recording current medications and allergies, and escalating deteriorating patients to a clinician immediately.
Measure and document vital signs (temperature, pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation) promptly and accurately using calibrated equipment and enter results into the electronic patient record (EPR).
Assist clinicians with minor procedures including wound irrigation, dressing changes, wound suturing or stapling assistance, wound packing, removal of stitches and staple care, ensuring strict aseptic technique and documentation.
Carry out point-of-care testing such as glucose, urinalysis, pregnancy tests, and rapid antigen tests, ensuring quality control, correct interpretation and accurate recording of results.
Perform phlebotomy and specimen collection (bloods, swabs, urine) safely and to local policy, label and store specimens correctly and arrange timely dispatch to laboratories.
Undertake basic infection prevention and control tasks: decontaminate clinical areas and equipment, maintain clean trolley stock, and follow sharps management and waste disposal protocols.
Prepare and maintain examination rooms and clinical equipment (ECG machines, spirometers, dressing trays) ensuring devices are charged, calibrated and visibly safe for use.
Apply and interpret 12-lead and single-lead ECGs under supervision, produce high-quality tracings and escalate abnormal findings to clinicians.
Administer vaccinations and injections under patient group directives or clinician instruction where trained and authorised, maintain vaccination records and provide patient information.
Provide clear, compassionate patient education and discharge instructions, including wound care, medication guidance, red-flag symptoms and follow-up arrangements.
Maintain accurate, contemporaneous clinical records in the EPR, documenting observations, care provided, clinical correspondence and follow-up plans in line with confidentiality and clinical governance standards.
Manage patient flow in the urgent care setting: triage streaming, room allocation, liaison with clinicians and communicating realistic wait times to patients and families.
Support telephone triage and advice lines by taking messages, updating records, booking urgent appointments and following local escalation processes for deteriorating patients.
Assist with the administration and ordering of clinic supplies, PPE, dressing stocks and consumables; track inventory levels, process supply requests and escalate shortages to the manager.
Conduct routine audits and contribute to quality improvement projects (infection control audits, record-keeping checks, equipment maintenance logs), suggesting and implementing practical improvements.
Provide basic analgesia and topical treatment under clinician direction and local protocols, observing and documenting patient responses and any adverse reactions.
Participate in resuscitation and emergency response as a trained team member (immediate BLS/CPR response, airway support, preparation of emergency drugs and equipment) and complete incident documentation.
Support safeguarding and vulnerable adult/child protections by recognising concerns, following local reporting pathways and documenting actions taken.
Liaise with local diagnostic services (radiology, laboratories) to request investigations, track results and ensure prompt clinician follow-up on critical findings.
Support safe discharge and referral processes including preparing referral documentation, arranging follow-up appointments and communicating with primary care providers and community services.
Provide supervised supervision and on-the-job training to junior assistants, temporary staff and students, demonstrating clinical techniques and local protocols.
Ensure compliance with all local, regional and national policies including health & safety, infection control, confidentiality, GDPR and clinical governance frameworks.
Maintain professional development through mandatory training (BLS, safeguarding, infection control), role-specific competencies and participation in team meetings and clinical governance sessions.
Manage administrative tasks such as patient registration, coding, invoicing where applicable, and use appointment systems to support clinic efficiency and access targets.

Secondary Functions

Support clinic outreach and community health events (vaccination clinics, health screenings) representing the urgent care service and assisting with on-site logistics.
Contribute to staff rotas, cover coordination and short-notice staffing adjustments in high-demand periods in liaison with the service manager.
Assist with patient feedback collection, complaints handling triage and implementation of service improvement actions.
Maintain local equipment service logs and arrange routine maintenance and calibration with biomedical engineering or external suppliers.
Participate in multidisciplinary meetings, case reviews and clinical audit feedback sessions to help shape safer patient pathways.
Support training and onboarding materials development for new hires and temporary staff to maintain consistent standard of care.
Help develop and maintain clinic SOPs (standard operating procedures) and quick-reference guides for common presentations and administrative tasks.
Engage in public-facing communications such as educational leaflets, basic social media guidance for campaigns and signposting resources for patients.
Provide limited administrative support for clinical research or service evaluations hosted at the urgent care site (consent admin, record-keeping).
Undertake occasional non-clinical duties such as reception cover, appointment booking or data entry to ensure uninterrupted service delivery.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Competent clinical observations and monitoring: accurate measurement and interpretation of BP, HR, RR, SpO2 and temperature using digital equipment.
Venepuncture and specimen collection skills with correct labelling, handling and transport of samples according to local policies.
Basic wound care and dressing application including post-procedure wound assessment and documentation.
Proficiency in point-of-care testing (POCT) devices: glucose meters, rapid antigen tests, urinalysis strips and quality control procedures.
12-lead and single-lead ECG acquisition and initial interpretation awareness, producing diagnostic-quality tracings.
Trained in Basic Life Support (BLS) / CPR and immediate response to clinical deterioration, including use of AED and emergency equipment setup.
Experience with electronic patient record systems (EPR/EMR), appointment booking systems and secure data entry (e.g., SystemOne, EMIS, Cerner, Epic or local equivalents).
Knowledge of infection prevention and control standards, sharps handling, waste segregation and decontamination procedures.
Competency in administering vaccines/injections under PGDs or authorisation (where trained) and maintaining immunisation records.
Familiarity with local clinical governance, safeguarding protocols, and GDPR/confidentiality practices for clinical documentation.
Ability to operate clinical equipment (pulse oximeters, sphygmomanometers, glucometers, ECG machines, spirometers) and escalate faults promptly.
Basic pharmacy/medication handling knowledge for safe storage, stock rotation and recording of administered medications.

Soft Skills

Excellent verbal and written communication: clear, empathetic explanation of clinical information and safe handover to colleagues.
Strong organisational skills and the ability to prioritise in a fast-paced, unpredictable environment.
Calm under pressure with sound clinical judgment to recognise and escalate patient deterioration quickly.
High attention to detail for accurate documentation, specimen labelling and adherence to protocols.
Team player with collaborative approach to support clinicians, nurses and administrative colleagues.
Customer-service orientation and empathy for distressed patients and families with culturally sensitive care.
Time management and multitasking capability: balancing clinical tasks, administrative work and throughput demands.
Continuous improvement mindset: receptive to feedback, reflective practice and participation in audits.
Confidentiality and professional integrity in handling sensitive health information.
Adaptability to changing workflows, seasonal demand spikes and periodic service reconfiguration.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

GCSEs (or equivalent) in English and Maths or demonstrable literacy/numeracy competency
Level 2/3 qualification in Health & Social Care or Clinical Support (e.g., NVQ Level 2/3, BTEC, City & Guilds) OR equivalent on-the-job healthcare experience with validated competencies

Preferred Education:

Level 3 Healthcare Support Diploma or NVQ Level 3 in Clinical Healthcare
Formal Medical Assistant certification (where applicable) or completion of a recognised clinical support training programme
Up-to-date Basic Life Support (BLS) / First Aid and immunisation training certificates

Relevant Fields of Study:

Health & Social Care
Clinical Healthcare Support / Healthcare Assistance
Nursing or Allied Health pre-registration programmes
Medical Administration / Medical Reception with clinical modules

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1–4 years clinical support experience in urgent care, emergency department, GP practice, walk-in centre or community care.

Preferred:

At least 1–2 years’ experience working in urgent or emergency / minor injuries settings
Proven competency in venepuncture, POCT, wound care, ECGs and use of EPR systems
Experience working under pressure in high-volume settings with strong patient-flow focus
Evidence of completed mandatory clinical competencies, safeguarding training and BLS certification