Medical Secretary, Band 3

Job description

Job responsibilities

Typing correspondence to patients, GPs, medical staff and any other required addressee following clinical attendance or other patient contacts using digital dictation or via Dragon voice recognition.

Typing detailed medical reports when necessary.

Handling DVLA forms ensuring they are completed and sent as appropriate.

Highlighting to the clinical team members any results, correspondence or patient queries that need response and taking action e.g. booking investigations, transcription, etc.

Ensuring incoming post and results is sorted, any appropriate action taken and passed to the clinician on a daily basis.

If appropriate to the role, booking follow-up appointments as requested by the clinical team, including negotiation of dates with the patient and creating correspondence.

Ensuring that any vacant slots are fully utilised and acted upon, including informing the Booking Office, to maximise capacity.

Booking investigations as requested by the clinical team, including negotiation of dates with the patients and creating correspondence if appropriate.

Deal with enquiries by letter/e-mail/telephone from patients, GPs, other hospitals, police, solicitors (via legal department), other consultants and management.

Organisation of procedures in negotiation with the clinical staff and patients as requested by the secretary supervisor. This includes identifying potential dates with the clinical team, negotiation of dates with the patient and any additional co-ordination of staff, equipment, stock, facilities, external support (company representatives) and paperwork.

Monitoring the pathway for patients referred in under the two week wait to minimise/avoid breach.

Carrying out regular review and administrative validation of the clinicians return outpatient wait list.

Support the achievement of Trust performance by prospectively pulling patients through their RTT pathway to minimise delays and breach, escalating potential capacity/other issues and solutions to the clinician, secretarial supervisor or AGM/DGM.

Ensure all clinic cancellations/alterations are dealt with efficiently and in line with the Trusts 8 week annual/study leave policy.

Regularly informing the secretarial supervisor about progress and flagging up as a matter of urgency any issues, for example, capacity or delays due to internal or external factors, difficult queries from patients, etc.

Diary management, including making appointments, booking meeting dates and venues, organising and distributing paperwork as required by the clinical team/supervisor.

Supporting consultant staff by assisting with the production/transcription of medical staffing paperwork, such as references etc.

Supporting consultant staff with their additional responsibilities, such as clinical governance, Clinical Tutor role, etc. This may include setting up training days, teaching sessions, organising visitors, etc.

Liaising with external organisations for the benefit and progress of patient care, such as Social Services, other hospitals, etc.

Service Improvement

Using speciality databases for recording patient information/clinic activity for audit/survey purposes, as well as sending out any associated paperwork. Regular audit of data is undertaken and decisions can then be made by the department/team as to appropriate service improvements.

Support the development of improvements to working practices and processes and contribute to service reviews and the implementation of new arrangements.

As directed, support the resolution of complaints or concerns from patients/carers by helping to collate information and work with the supervisor to respond or escalate appropriately.

Team-working

To work as part of an Administrative Support Team working flexibly to ensure that administrative work is shared out equally and performed to excellent, efficient and safe standards.

To cover colleagues during absences/annual/sick leave as directed by the secretary supervisor. You may also be required to undertake job rotation for cross cover as well as for development and training purposes.

Undertaking routine office duties including electronic note tracking, photocopying, faxing, filing of correspondence and results and maintenance of records in the absence of the band 2 clerical assistant.

Assist in the training and induction for new and existing colleagues.

Take the initiative as and when required as well as working flexibly and adapting to the demands of the department/team as appropriate.

Liaise with relevant team members to ensure that any process changes run smoothly and efficiently.

Undertake any other appropriate duties commensurate with the role, as required at the request of your line manager.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Educated to GCSE grade C or above (or equivalent) in literacy and numeracy
• RSA Level three/Speed typing qualification or demonstrable experience (min 60 wpm)EA
• NVQ level three in administration or equivalent experience. Appropriate experience in a hospital or office environment

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working as a secretary
• Appropriate experience in a hospital administrative role or office environment

Desirable

• Understanding and previous experience in medical terminology

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

Essential

• Able to prioritise own workload and that of others as appropriate
• Good command and understanding of English, punctuation and grammar
• Able to effectively and appropriately escalate concerns to reduce risk and promote patient safety
• Proven organisational skills
• Ability to concentrate where work pattern is unpredictable and there are frequent interruptions

Desirable

• Knowledge and awareness of health and safety issues, risk management, and data protection act

Qualities

Essential

• Enthusiastic and self-aware
• Creative and Flexible
• Resilient under pressure
• Team focused
• Reliable, Adaptable and Dependable

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

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Cheltenham General Hospital

Sandford Road

Cheltenham

GL53 7AN

Employer's website

https://www.gloshospitals.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)