Job responsibilities
To
provide a consistent and high-quality Personal Assistant (PA) service to a
group of Clinicians and their teams while supervising the provision of a
comprehensive medical secretarial service by a group of staff. The Senior
Medical Secretary will have oversight of the referral to treatment time
pathway for their consultants patients ensuring they are managed efficiently
and effectively through their agreed clinical pathways and where it is not
possible that the correct escalation procedures are followed.
[Generic
statement applicable to recruiting specialty in terms of describing the
service recruiting to and the postholders position in it].
3. ORGANISATIONAL CHART
Business
Manager
Patient
Services Coordinator
Senior
Secretary Assistant
PSC
Team
Medical Secretaries/Team Clerical Support
4. PRINCIPAL DUTIES & AREAS OF
RESPONSIBILITY
The
post-holder will:
Provide a wide-ranging PA service
to a group of clinicians (the number of which will be determined by
Departmental requirements and the job plan commitments of the clinical team
concerned).
For the group of consultants
responsible for, manage the flow of patients ensuring tests and/or
appointments are booked within the necessary timescales escalating potential
for delays to the PSC/Business Manager to ensure that prompt action is taken
at all times in order to support strategic capacity/demand planning for the
Organisation.
At the request of the PSC and where
relevant, undertake investigation for informal PALS complaints.
Co-ordinate and transcribe/process
responses to formal patient complaints together with the clinician ensuring
that investigation outcomes are generated within the timeframe agreed with
the patient.
Coordinate and supervise the
day-to-day activities and workload of a small team of medical secretaries
(and work closely with relevant PSC/Assistant PSCs as appropriate) and any
supporting clerical staff.
Support the Team Medical
Secretaries to ensure that service provision meets relevant quality
standards.
Be the departmental
super-user/system administrator for voice recognition and digital dictation
Take a lead in developing new
systems and processes to support on-going service delivery and the
maintenance of a high quality service for the patients of Leeds and beyond.
Senior
Medical Secretary role
In managing diaries for the
clinical team the post holder will be expected to co-ordinate the
cancellation or alternative provision of outpatient activity ensuring the
communication meets Trust targets where appropriate and escalating to the
PSC/Business Manager in cases where the cancellation of clinical activity may
prevent national targets from being met.
Supervise a small team of medical
secretaries, and related clerical support staff, including the allocation of
work and the organisation of daily departmental cover.
Managing and prioritising
departmental workload on a day-to-day basis.
On a regular basis to review
relevant waiting time reports (e.g.18-week reports) for the Consultants
responsible for ensuring in all cases that the next steps for the patient are
identified and booked. Where this is not possible to liaise with the Business
Manager/PSC for appropriate action to be undertaken.
To support the clinical teams in
the delivery of excellent patient care by actively working with colleagues
and other Departments to ensure that all patients registered within the
service are proactively supported through their patient journey (This would
include but is not limited to: liaising with the relevant MDT teams about
fast track patients and escalating clinically urgent patients to the relevant
staff groups for action where required).
Ensuring all phone calls are
answered within the department during core office hours
Opening and dealing with
departmental post and allocating resulting work to appropriate staff.
Monitoring turnaround times for
clinical correspondence and taking corrective action as required, in
conjunction with the assistant PSC/PSC, in order to meet 5-day turnaround
standard.
Participate in yearly appraisals
for the team medical secretaries together with the PSC/Business Manager to
support on-going staff development
Providing PSC/Business Manager and
Consultant staff with relevant information relating to administrative
service.
Take minutes at secretarial staff
meetings and attending other administrative meetings as required.
Undertake duties required as the
administrator and super user for the digital dictation/voice recognition
system including identifying new workflows, updating workflows as required,
and providing general advice on the system to team secretaries.
Responsible for ensuring office
equipment is in working order and office supplies are maintained and
replenished.
PA/Administrative
Support (non clinical) to Consultant/Clinical Team
Provide a comprehensive PA service
to the Clinical Director/Lead Clinician and other medical colleagues.
Provide administrative support to
Clinical Nurse Specialists where appropriate.
Support clinicians with their
teaching and research portfolios by organising regular meetings with
trainees, supporting in the writing of research materials and organising
meetings and conferences as and when required. This includes but isnt
limited to providing support to academic, educational, research and
supervisory roles.
Taking phone calls and covering
departmental phones when required.
Deal directly with patient
enquiries on behalf of consultant/clinical team.
Co-ordination of annual leave for
consultants, liaising with the Business Manager for approval and then
completing the necessary documentation to organise the cancellation of
outpatient activity as required.
Administration duties to support
departmental clinical audit and clinical governance where required, such as
the collation of information for reports.
Diary management for consultant
staff including organising meetings, preparing meeting paperwork and taking
minutes as required.
Organising travel arrangements for
consultant staff.
Other general administrative duties
that may be required to fulfil the role.
5.
THE LEEDS WAY VALUES
Our
values are part of what make us different from other trusts, so we see this
as a strength, as well as a responsibility. They have been developed by our
staff and set out what they see as important to how we work. Our five values are:
Patient-centred
Collaborative
Fair
Accountable
Empowered
All
our actions and endeavours will be guided and evaluated through these values
Additionally,
the following are core values which relate specifically to this post:
This
is a senior secretarial role and as such the individual will be expected to
work independently as well as part of a team.
The individual should be patient focused, professional and flexible in
their approach to work.
6. WEST YORKSHIRE ASSOCIATION OF ACUTE
TRUSTS (WYAAT)
Leeds
Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is part of the West Yorkshire Association of
Acute Trusts (WYAAT), a collaborative of the NHS hospital trusts from across
West Yorkshire and Harrogate working together to provide the best possible
care for our patients.
By
bringing together the wide range of skills and expertise across West
Yorkshire and Harrogate we are working differently, innovating and driving
forward change to deliver the highest quality care. By working for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS
Trust this is your opportunity to be a part of that change.
WYAAT
is the acute sector arm of the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care
Partnership, one of the largest integrated care systems in the country. The
Partnerships ambition is for everyone to have the best possible health and
wellbeing, and the work of WYAAT, and each individual trust, supports that
ambition.
7. INFECTION CONTROL
The
jobholder must comply at all times with the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS
Trust Infection Control policies, in particular by practising Universal
Infection Control Precautions. Hand hygiene must be performed before and
after contact with patients and their environment.
8. HEALTH AND SAFETY / RISK MANAGEMENT
All
staff are responsible for working with their colleagues to maintain and
improve the quality of services provided to our patients and other service
users. This includes complying at all
times with the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Policies, including Health
and Safety policies, in particular by following agreed security and safer
working procedures, and reporting incidents using the Trust Incident
Reporting system
9. EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY
The
jobholder must comply with all policies and procedures designed to ensure
equality of employment and that services are delivered in ways that meet the
individual needs of patients and their families. No person whether they are staff, patient
or visitor should receive less favourable treatment because of their gender,
ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion etc.
10. TRAINING AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The
jobholder must take responsibility in agreement with his/her line manager for
his/her own personal development by ensuring that Continuous Professional
Development remains a priority. The
jobholder will undertake all mandatory training required for the role.
