Medical Secretary

Job description

Job responsibilities

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE: MEDICAL SECRETARY

REPORTS TO: PRACTICE MANAGER

HOURS: 37 hours per week

Job summary:

To provide general secretarial support to the practice manager, doctors and health professionals, involving word processing and audio typing skills with general clerical work over two sites.

Job responsibilities:

• To provide an efficient audio, copy typing and word processing service for GPs and health professionals as required. This includes the typing of letters, reports, patient referrals, minutes, memorandums, etc. in an accurate and quality manner.
• To assist the practice manager with all clerical and administrative duties.
• To make appointments, bookings and admissions as required.
• To liaise and arrange meetings (to include the booking of rooms) as required and to attend meetings and take minutes.
• To establish and maintain filing and administrative systems so that written or computer information is easily accessible and secure.
• To retrieve medical records and assist the completion of medical/insurance records.
• File patient records and correspondence in patient medical records.
• To receive incoming and initiate outgoing telephone calls in order to facilitate timely and appropriate communications with others, taking messages and dealing with appropriate queries.
• To maintain the computer clinic system in an accurate and secure manner.
• To assist with the gathering of statistics and information when required.
• To provide cover for members of the secretarial team during periods of sickness and annual leave.
• In liaison with the clerk responsible, maintain adequate supplies of office stationery in order to perform secretarial duties.
• To receive and dispatch mail and maintain a pending system.

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, practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the practice 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 practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practice 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 practice Health & Safety policy, the practice Health & Safety manual, and the practice Infection Control policy and published procedures. This will include:

• Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice 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
• Actively reporting of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised
• Keeping own work areas and general / patient areas generally clean, assisting in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness consistent with the scope of the job holders role
• Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum annually)
• Reporting potential risks identified
• Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

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 peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation
• Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues
• Behaving in a manner that 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 programme implemented by the practice 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 practice, 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 teams 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 peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly

Contribution to the implementation of services:

The post-holder will:

• Apply practice policies, standards and guidance
• Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work
• Participate in audit where appropriate

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• NVQ level 2-3
• GCSE English
• GCSE Maths

Desirable

• Typing qualification
• Computer knowledge
• Formal Customer Service

Experience

Essential

• Previous experience of being a medical secretary or PA

Desirable

• Experience of SystmOne
• Experience of working in NHS general practice/NHS
• Experience of telephone switchboard operation
• Experience of Microsoft Office software
• Experience of dealing with the public/patients
• Knowledge of medical terminology
• Experience of having working relationships with clinicians, GPs, managers, consultants and other clinical staff.

Skills / Training

Essential

• IT literate
• Communication skills
• Microsoft Office
• Excellent oral and written communication skills

Desirable

• Crescendo Digi Dictate
• SystmOne
• Professional Telephone Etiquette
• Audio Typing
• Ability to input and retrieve data accurately on a computerised system

Personal Qualities

Essential

• An understanding, acceptance and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality
• Ability to use own judgement, resourcefulness and common sense
• Ability to work without direct supervision and determine own workload priorities
• Ability to work as part of an integrated multi-skilled team
• Pleasant and articulate
• Able to work under pressure
• Ability to prioritise work to meet tight deadlines

Desirable

• Ability to manage difficult situations
• Ability to work unsupervised and use own initiative Values and behaviours

Other

Essential

• Appreciation of equal opportunities issues i.e. minority groups

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such 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.

Employer details

Employer name

The Surgery @ Wheatbridge

Address

30 Wheatbridge Road

Chesterfield

Derbyshire

S40 2AB

Employer's website

https://www.wheatbridge.co.uk (Opens in a new tab)