Personal Assistant

Job responsibilities

Job Summary

This is an administrative and secretarial post reporting directly to the Senior Executive Assistant. The post holder will provide a comprehensive personal assistant service to the Director of Care and Service Transformation and Medical Director; managing their diary and appointments and supporting them in their day to day roles as well as providing administrative support for an array of governance meetings. The role will include supporting other clinical leads (predominantly Lead Consultant, Matron for In-Patient Service and Head of Community Services) as and when required. The position requires the person to be able to act on their own initiative and with a high level of discretion. Excellent communication skills internally and externally are required for this post. In the absence of the Senior Executive Assistant, the postholder will also be responsible for providing administrative and secretarial support to the Chief Executive and other members of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT).

Key working relationships

Internal:

Director of Care Service and Service Transformation, Medical Director, Lead Consultant, Senior Executive Assistant, Chief Executive, Senior Leadership Team, Hospice Leadership Team, Clinical Leads.

External:

CEOs, Directors and staff of other health and social care providers; other external agencies and voluntary organisations across the wider health community; funders and supporters; the general public and service users.

Personal Assistant Services

Provide high quality, comprehensive and efficient Personal Assistant support to the Director of Care Service and Service Transformation and Lead Consultant and other Clinical Leads, including ad hoc assistance to the Senior Executive Assistant. To include:

Being responsible for the management of the DoCSTs and Medical Directors diary to ensure effective use of time, ensuring that all the required documents and information are available when required.

Coordination of DoCST and Medical Directors communications, including taking calls, responding to emails and interfacing with partners and the public.

Scheduling of meetings and appointments and management of travel arrangements, prioritising appointments for the DoCST and Medical Directors and ensure that all participants have the relevant information, including ensuring 1:1 meetings and appraisals are set up with direct reports on a regular and timely basis.

Identifying and booking appropriate venues for events, organising the room layout and equipment requirements and refreshments where appropriate.

The safe and secure ordering and keeping an accurate log of all prescription pad (FP10) ordering, issuing and audits.

Working using ones own initiative, including prioritising on behalf of the DoCST and Medical Director where appropriate and working collaboratively with the Senior Executive Assistant.

Maintaining an organised filing system of paper and electronic records, ensuring information is securely stored and meets good records management standards, in line with the Data Protection Act and General Data Protection Regulations.

Hospice wide activities

Assist the Senior Executive Assistant in management of incoming post, passing on to relevant departments/ staff for action as appropriate and of stationery and other supplies; ensuring goods ordered are within budgetary constraints and reflect value for money and the most cost effective arrangements taking account of the circumstances in each case.

To work with the departmental leads to review the Hospice Policies and Procedures ensuring they are in date and compliant with local and national initiatives and legislation.

Assist the Senior Executive Assistant in purchases on behalf of all Hospice departments using the Hospice credit card.

Provide support to Clinical Leads prior and during the on-boarding of new starters within their teams, in particular the induction process, this includes owning the induction for GP trainees on rotation at the Hospice

Be main contact person for student placements, organising their on-boarding and timetables

Co-ordinate Clinical Shadowing for externals visitors, working closely with Senior Executive Assistant

Maintain the complaints tracker ensuring any complaint is answered within the timeframe, also, provide admin support for the creation of letters and setting up of meetings.

Co-ordinating and managing external room bookings

Meeting support

Give meeting support for various committees/groups and meetings by;

Providing a high level of secretarial support.

Preparing draft agendas for circulation to Chief Executive/Senior Leaders/ Trustees for approval.

Ensuring all reports are produced in the Hospices corporate house style and in time to meet the deadline required for papers to be circulated.

Preparing, collate and despatch meeting reports within agreed timescales.

Attending and recording the minutes of the meetings required.

Other

Provide cover for Senior Executive Assistant and secretarial support to other departments as and when necessary.

Provide administrative support to the estates team on managing the servicing log and schedule for medical equipment.

Qualifications

Desirable

• ECDL
• PRINCE 2 Project Management

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working across organisational boundaries
• Experience of providing personal assistant support to someone at executive level
• Experience and high level skill in the use of Information Technology, including word processing, spreadsheet, power point and database software

Desirable

• Ability to either shorthand, audio type or speed write.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Excellent communication, interpersonal and persuasive skills, and the ability to communicate complex matters clearly and precisely influence at all levels
• Knowledge of the aims of the Hospice
• Understanding of the health/and or social care sector
• Understanding of Confidentiality and Data protection issues
• Excellent motivational skills
• Demonstrate success in working effectively with a wide range of people from different backgrounds and viewpoints to build support for the organisation and promote its work

Aptitude/Personal Characteristics

Essential

• Ability to manage complex, emotional, sensitive and contentious internal and external communications
• Organisational and time management skills
• Ability to identify new areas of work and forthcoming events that have potential impact on service
• Ability to type 60 words per minute accurately
• Ability to assess and maintain strict confidentiality
• Able to work under pressure and to tight deadlines
• Ability to use own initiative and work autonomously
• Ability to handle an unpredictable work pattern
• Attention to detail and high level of accuracy
• Decision making skills
• Ability to handle difficult situations in a calm and firm manner to diffuse the situation where necessary
• Ability to prioritise work to meet conflicting deadlines
• Be flexible and be able to adapt to a changing environment
• Commitment to attend staff training and participate in own development through supervision and performance management

Desirable

• Recent voluntary/charitable sector experience