Job summary
We are looking for a Medical Secretary and PA with strong organisational skills, a passion for systemising and establishing effective processes to ensure the timely and accurate completion of secretarial and PA duties. If you are a highly organised and responsive team player, who continually strives to provide high quality work and indentifying areas for improvement, we want to hear from you. You will be rewarded with a role that provides a large amount of autonomy, continual development and progression, and a sense of achievement.
Previous experience in a similar role would be advantageous, but comprehensive training will be provided to the successful candidate.
Main duties of the job
To lead the practice
secretarial work, to ensure the timely and high-quality completion of all
associated secretarial work. The Lead Secretary will supervise workload
allocation and liaise with the Operations Manager Patient Services Team, to
allocate team members onto the secretarial rota to ensure resources are
effectively used to achieve this goal.
Duties will include, but are not limited to, the processing of information (electronic and hard copy) in a timely manner, liaising with multidisciplinary team members and external agencies such as secondary care and community service providers in accordance with current policies, including the use of the electronic referral service (eRS).
The role holder will lead on the provision of private services administration, to ensure all work is correctly invoiced and paid for. Within the Personal Assistant function, the role holder will provide administrative support to the GP Partners and Practice Manager.
About us
About us
We are a friendly, forward thinking medical centre with 5 GP partners & 3 salaried GPs. Our multidisciplinary team include a wider range of experts including occupational therapists, clinical pharmacists, physiotherapists, nurse associates and GP Assistants, dieticians and social prescribing link workers. Our patient list size is 13,470 with good patient feedback and engagement, due to high patient experience, continuity and access.
With an appetite for innovation and creativity, underpinned by a strong belief in traditional primary care values, Hope Farm Medical Centre nurtures a culture which is modern, vibrant, forward-thinking and caring. Enabling people to access a medical practice that is at the heart of the community where each and every patient matters.
Values
- Build trust and respect through communication
- Strive for quality in everything we do
- We work hard as a team, but with a sense of humour
- Being patient centred is at the heart of our decisions
- Build empathy through our actions
- Be approachable and listen to colleagues and service users
- Build a positive team and family spirit
Job description
Job responsibilities
Primary secretarial and PA responsibilities
The
following are the core secretarial responsibilities of the Patient Services
Team Lead Medical Secretary & PA. There may be on occasion a requirement to
carry out other tasks; this will be dependent upon factors such as workload and
staffing levels:
Secretarial duties
- Type
referral letters, reports, submissions, etc. using audio typing and from tasks.
Complete and submit referral forms.
- Arrange
hospital referrals, appointments, and admissions. Deal with all patients
requiring referral, including helping patients at the desk or on the telephone
relating to referrals.
- Maintain
a standard operating procedure document of available referral pathways and
methods for submission.
- Monitor
stock of letterhead paper, compliment slips and secretarial stationery.
- Attend
to tasks in EMIS, Docman & eRS in a timely manner.
- Attend
and minute meetings as required, including the practice business meetings,
practice nurse meetings, staff meeting and PPG meetings as appropriate. Prepare
and circulate papers.
- Ensure
sufficient levels of training and understanding within the Patient Services
Team, in conjunction with the Operations Manager, to ensure sufficient
secretarial cover for absences and high workload.
- Where
appropriate utilise Lexacom Scribe to ensure service delivery turnaround
timescales are achieved
Staff supervision
-
Work
with the Operations Manager to create and manage the monthly secretarial rota,
ensuring sufficient cover planned for absences and periods of high workload.
Allocate specific work functions as required across the secretarial rota.
-
Ensure
the daily, weekly, and monthly tasks across the secretarial service are
completed in an efficient manner. This is to be achieved by maintaining
oversight of all workstreams, and delegating tasks effectively within the
secretarial rota.
-
To
be the first point of contact for any secretarial queries
- Lead by example, fostering a can-do spirit and
collaborative approach to teamwork. Maintaining a positive image for the team
and practice.
In addition to the primary secretarial responsibilities, the Patient Services Team Lead Medical Secretary will be expected to undertake the following PA responsibilities:
-
Ad hoc typing tasks as requested. This will include
letters, patient communications, staff communications, protocols, and
presentations.
-
Manage the main practice dairy, ensuring all meeting
and appointments are scheduled and set-up, including doctors leave.
-
Support the recruitment of new staff, for example by
inviting candidates for interview at given times/dates, ensuring DBS checks and
ID are processed.
-
Document scanning and printing as required.
-
Complete the paperwork for significant events and
complaints.
- Other duties as
requested by the Partner or Practice Manager.
Additional responsibilities
Information technology
-
Maintain
the digital dictation system through Lexacom with the Operations Manager IT
& Data Quality
-
Maintain
an up-to-date directory of referral pathways
Processes and Protocols
-
Using
TeamNet as a portal to maintain, update and distribute secretarial working
procedures and standard operating procedures.
-
Identify
new protocols where required and write drafts for comment and approval.
Staff Training
-
Input
to recruitment and induction of new team members and new colleagues from across
the practice.
-
Plan,
participate and oversee the training of new Patient Services Team members
allocated to the secretarial rota.
-
Identify
ongoing secretarial training needs within the Patient Services Team to keep current
members up to date with the skills required
Quality improvement
-
Contribute
to continuous improvement, by identifying new and more efficient ways of
working, whilst ensuring quality is maintained.
-
Keep
an open secretarial process to ensure knowledges and processes are widely
shared across the practice for business continuity.
-
Produce
data as required about team performance to identify training needs and quality
improvement projects,
-
Join
the monthly business meetings to discuss practice performance, to share ideas
and feedback.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Primary secretarial and PA responsibilities
The
following are the core secretarial responsibilities of the Patient Services
Team Lead Medical Secretary & PA. There may be on occasion a requirement to
carry out other tasks; this will be dependent upon factors such as workload and
staffing levels:
Secretarial duties
- Type
referral letters, reports, submissions, etc. using audio typing and from tasks.
Complete and submit referral forms.
- Arrange
hospital referrals, appointments, and admissions. Deal with all patients
requiring referral, including helping patients at the desk or on the telephone
relating to referrals.
- Maintain
a standard operating procedure document of available referral pathways and
methods for submission.
- Monitor
stock of letterhead paper, compliment slips and secretarial stationery.
- Attend
to tasks in EMIS, Docman & eRS in a timely manner.
- Attend
and minute meetings as required, including the practice business meetings,
practice nurse meetings, staff meeting and PPG meetings as appropriate. Prepare
and circulate papers.
- Ensure
sufficient levels of training and understanding within the Patient Services
Team, in conjunction with the Operations Manager, to ensure sufficient
secretarial cover for absences and high workload.
- Where
appropriate utilise Lexacom Scribe to ensure service delivery turnaround
timescales are achieved
Staff supervision
-
Work
with the Operations Manager to create and manage the monthly secretarial rota,
ensuring sufficient cover planned for absences and periods of high workload.
Allocate specific work functions as required across the secretarial rota.
-
Ensure
the daily, weekly, and monthly tasks across the secretarial service are
completed in an efficient manner. This is to be achieved by maintaining
oversight of all workstreams, and delegating tasks effectively within the
secretarial rota.
-
To
be the first point of contact for any secretarial queries
- Lead by example, fostering a can-do spirit and
collaborative approach to teamwork. Maintaining a positive image for the team
and practice.
In addition to the primary secretarial responsibilities, the Patient Services Team Lead Medical Secretary will be expected to undertake the following PA responsibilities:
-
Ad hoc typing tasks as requested. This will include
letters, patient communications, staff communications, protocols, and
presentations.
-
Manage the main practice dairy, ensuring all meeting
and appointments are scheduled and set-up, including doctors leave.
-
Support the recruitment of new staff, for example by
inviting candidates for interview at given times/dates, ensuring DBS checks and
ID are processed.
-
Document scanning and printing as required.
-
Complete the paperwork for significant events and
complaints.
- Other duties as
requested by the Partner or Practice Manager.
Additional responsibilities
Information technology
-
Maintain
the digital dictation system through Lexacom with the Operations Manager IT
& Data Quality
-
Maintain
an up-to-date directory of referral pathways
Processes and Protocols
-
Using
TeamNet as a portal to maintain, update and distribute secretarial working
procedures and standard operating procedures.
-
Identify
new protocols where required and write drafts for comment and approval.
Staff Training
-
Input
to recruitment and induction of new team members and new colleagues from across
the practice.
-
Plan,
participate and oversee the training of new Patient Services Team members
allocated to the secretarial rota.
-
Identify
ongoing secretarial training needs within the Patient Services Team to keep current
members up to date with the skills required
Quality improvement
-
Contribute
to continuous improvement, by identifying new and more efficient ways of
working, whilst ensuring quality is maintained.
-
Keep
an open secretarial process to ensure knowledges and processes are widely
shared across the practice for business continuity.
-
Produce
data as required about team performance to identify training needs and quality
improvement projects,
-
Join
the monthly business meetings to discuss practice performance, to share ideas
and feedback.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to GCSE level or equivalent good standard of education with excellent literacy and numeracy skills
Desirable
- GCSE Mathematics & English (C or above)
- AMSPAR (or equivalent) qualification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working within a secretarial setting
- Experience of producing agendas and minutes for meetings
- Experience of supervising colleagues and workload management
Desirable
- Experience of working as a medical secretary
- NHS/ Primary Care/ General Practice experience
- Experience as a personal assistant
Skills
Essential
- Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
- Strong IT skills, including audio typing
- Clear, polite telephone manner
- Competent in the use of Office including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
- Ability to prioritise, delegate and work to tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment
- Effective time management (planning & organising)
- Proven problem and analytical skills
- Ability to develop, implement and embed policy and procedure
- Ability to motivate and train staff
Desirable
- EMIS software user experience
Personal qualities
Essential
- Polite and confident
- Flexible and cooperative
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Motivated and proactive
- Ability to use initiative and judgement
- Forward thinker with a solutions focused approach
- High levels of integrity, loyalty, and discretion
- Ability to work under pressure
- Confident, assertive, and resilient
Other requirements
Essential
- Flexibility to work outside of core office hours
- Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check
- Maintain professional and patient confidentiality at all times
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to GCSE level or equivalent good standard of education with excellent literacy and numeracy skills
Desirable
- GCSE Mathematics & English (C or above)
- AMSPAR (or equivalent) qualification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working within a secretarial setting
- Experience of producing agendas and minutes for meetings
- Experience of supervising colleagues and workload management
Desirable
- Experience of working as a medical secretary
- NHS/ Primary Care/ General Practice experience
- Experience as a personal assistant
Skills
Essential
- Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
- Strong IT skills, including audio typing
- Clear, polite telephone manner
- Competent in the use of Office including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
- Ability to prioritise, delegate and work to tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment
- Effective time management (planning & organising)
- Proven problem and analytical skills
- Ability to develop, implement and embed policy and procedure
- Ability to motivate and train staff
Desirable
- EMIS software user experience
Personal qualities
Essential
- Polite and confident
- Flexible and cooperative
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Motivated and proactive
- Ability to use initiative and judgement
- Forward thinker with a solutions focused approach
- High levels of integrity, loyalty, and discretion
- Ability to work under pressure
- Confident, assertive, and resilient
Other requirements
Essential
- Flexibility to work outside of core office hours
- Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check
- Maintain professional and patient confidentiality at all times
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.
