Medical Secretary

Job responsibilities

Your role will be to provide a comprehensive, effective, and timely secretarial support to the ED Clinic and the MDT. There may be occasions where you will be required to cover other services remotely, from your office base or in person.

You will actively organise own workload in an efficient and productive manner. You will liaise with all colleagues within the multidisciplinary team, and with internal departments and external agencies to ensure the continuity of patient treatment.

Your role is to support the doctors work in the team and a flexible approach is required. Duties will include audio typing, copy typing letters, updating SystmOne, managing the annual leave for the doctors, recording absences, managing diaries, booking appointments, answering telephones, liaising and coordinating meetings, minute taking and supporting audit work within the team.

You will need excellent organisational skills, good communication skills, a flexible approach, good time management and the ability to prioritise work and manage stress well.

You will need to work dynamically and be able to problem solve when necessary to ensure excellent patient care.

The job description and person specification are an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. The job holder will need to be flexible to carry out any other duties as may be reasonably required by their line manager.

5. MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

5.1 Responsibility for People Management

The post holder will participate in interview panels for specified jobs.

Assist in the training of newly appointed secretarial/administrative staff and supporting them during their assimilation, this might include for other services.

5.2 Responsibility for financial and/or physical resources

Assist in maintenance of stock control and security of stock

Observe a personal duty of care when using equipment and resources

Maintaining a safe environment in accordance with health and safety policies

5.3 Responsibility for administration

The post holder will have the ability to plan and prioritise their own workload on a day-to-day basis.

To maintain the electronic diaries for doctors, organise appointments and the allocation of their time to reflect priorities and demands of their workloads.

To organise meetings including case conferences, risk management meetings, care planning meetings and provide all administrative duties associated with these meetings, including sending invitations, distribution of agenda, associated paperwork, take and transcribe minutes and follow up action points.

To organise appointments as appropriate, liaising with patients, patient family members and other services.

Liaise with MDT to arrange assessments etc as directed by the Consultant. Provide administration support including recording details on SystmOne, invoicing and monitoring payments received.

Administrative support for doctors appraisal including MAG.

Arrange medical student placements and feedback sessions as appropriate.

Arrange teaching sessions etc for doctor as appropriate.

The post holder will have knowledge of medical terminology.

The post holder will have the knowledge and experience to deal with difficult enquiries and situations.

Collate data for out of area patients and produce statistical reports to provide data for locality manager.

The post holder will maintain accurate, timely electronic records and ensure that they are kept safely in accordance with Livewell Southwest polices, including the Data Protection Act (1998) and the Livewell Southwest Confidentiality Policy.

To work collaboratively with other secretaries/administration staff across the mental health and wider pathway, including taking telephone calls, supporting colleagues during periods of high demand ensuring the team runs smoothly.

To receive incoming mail, telephone calls and initiate action as required

Assist with medical staff regarding annual leave etc liaising with Medical staffing team.

Liaise with senior medics regarding on-call swaps and leave cover

Accurate audio transcription of various documents including patient letters, assessments, discharge summaries and psychiatric reports in preparation for Tribunal Hearings, ensuring deadlines are met.

Minute weekly ward round MDT with the multi-disciplinary team, taking notes and following up action plans as appropriate.

To maintain sensitive and confidential information and filing systems.

To maintain, at all times, the highest level of confidentiality in respect of information concerning the Livewell Southwest or any of its staff or patients.

The post holder will be able to provide non-clinical advice and information with regards to appointments and visitors to the unit.

The post holder will undertake surveys/audits as required including staff surveys.

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5.4 Responsibility for people who use our services

The post holder will liaise with patients, other professionals and agencies to organise various meetings including Care Planning, Aftercare, Risk Management and Discharge Planning. Due to the urgency of some of these meetings are arranged at short-notice, requiring re-organisation of diaries to ensure service user needs are met.

The post holder must demonstrate a positive attitude to patients, treating patients and their families with dignity and respect.

The post holder will be required to have a a basic knowledge of risk factors and be able to make judgements about client and staff safety and raise concerns with senior staff

The post holder will ensure compliance with contractual and related quality standards, including acknowledgement of referrals and production of written correspondence with referrers.

5.5 Responsibility for implementation of policy and/or service developments

The post holder will comply with all appropriate National, Livewell Southwest and local polices and protocols. These include Health and Safety, Fire Procedures and Confidentiality.

To know how to report accidents and incidents and to do so promptly.

The post holder will behave in a manner that does not bring the Team or Livewell Southwest into disrepute.

The post holder will ensure that professional boundaries are always adhered to.

The post holder will actively participate in line management supervision with a senior member of the Team.

The post holder will actively participate in the Livewell Southwest appraisal system.

The post holder will participate in team meetings.

The post holder will carry out other duties commensurate with the position as required.

The post holder will be responsible for updating Knowledge and Skills, including Livewell Southwest mandatory training.

The post holder will identify new ways of working and make changes to own work, when agreed, to improve service.

6. COMMUNICATIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS

The post holder will liaise with GPs, Solicitors, Police, Social Workers, ward staff, other teams, multi-agency professionals, probation officers, patients and relatives, management, medical staff in other specialities and professional staff in other departments.

The post holder will provide and receive confidential, complex and sensitive information, orally, in writing or electronically, within the boundaries of confidentiality. At times the information can be distressing.

The post holder will be expected to answer calls from service users, gain information and re-direct the call to the required health professional.

To provide a communication link when the doctor is out of the office and pass all urgent and important issues on to the correct person.

7. PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THE JOB

Competent advanced keyboard skills including audio typing.

There is a frequent requirement for concentration required for dealing with various complicated medical documents and correspondence with frequent interruptions.

There is a frequent requirement for concentration required when typing reports, letters etc of complicated nature with frequent interruptions.

There is a frequent requirement for sitting in a restricted position, maintaining correct posture, when sitting at desks; for example when (audio) typing or taking detailed minutes of meetings.

The post holder will carry any deliveries in a safe manner, in accordance with the organisations manual handling policy.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of secretarial/Personal Assistant role (or willingness to gain this) including:
• Diary Management
• Handling various telephone enquiries
• Receiving visitors
• Experience of arranging meetings
• Experience of using and maintaining filing systems
• Experience of taking and transcribing formal minutes

Desirable

• Experience working in a secretarial capacity
• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team

Qualifications

Essential

• Educated to Vocational Level 3 (NVQ3) in a relevant subject or equivalent level of qualifications or equivalent previous knowledge & experience
• Maths & English GCSE Grades 4 and above or equivalent
• Relevant Audio typing/secretarial qualification or experience (or willingness and ability to learn this)
• Ability to use Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint
• Keyboard skills: minimum typing speed of 50 wpm
• Excellent spelling, grammar and layout.

Desirable

• Medical Secretary/PA Diploma
• AMSPAR Level 2 Medical Terminology
• Audio Typing
• Minute Taking

Skills

Essential

• Sensitivity to confidential information
• Ability to manage own time to ensure priorities are met and quality is not compromised
• Excellent organisation skills, with a demonstrable ability to manage and prioritise workload and work methodically, efficiently and accurately to meet tight deadlines

Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of secretarial and administrative procedures and systems.
• Excellent communication skills dealing with patients, visitors and staff in an efficient and courteous manner over the telephone and in person
• Excellent written and verbal skills
• Ability to work on own initiative and with minimal supervision
• Ability to develop good working relationships with colleagues at all levels

Desirable

• Knowledge of Mental Health Services and wider NHS
• Adult Safeguarding
• Child Protection
• Knowledge of SystmOne
• Knowledge of specialist medical terms
• Understanding/experience of supporting people with Mental Health issues

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).