Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join Team MWL as a Trainee (Apprentice) Personal Assistant in our Finance, Procurement & Information Teams based at Knowsley Community College.
This is a 22 months fixed term apprenticeship post of 37.5 per week, Band 3 (under Apprenticeship guidelines, age appropriate, UK National Living Wage applies throughout the apprenticeship), leading to a Business Administration Level 3 Qualification.
As an apprenticeship this role is supported by an accompanying assessment and skills development programme, during which the post holder will gain the skills and knowledge relevant for this role. Learning will be a mix of in the workplace, formal on and off the job training, and the opportunity to practise new skills in a real work environment. On successful completion of their Apprenticeship, they will have the right knowledge, skills, and behaviours they need for their chosen role.
This opportunity includes:
- Paid employment with holiday leave
- Hands-on-experience working in a leading NHS organisation
- 6 hours per week time, pro rota off-the-job learning
- Support to gain a nationally recognised qualification
The post holder will be supported to work towards successful completion of:
- Level 3 Business Administration Level 3
Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity to gain significant new knowledge and skills and boost your career within Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
Main duties of the job
As a member of the Finance, Procurement & Information Administrative Support Team, you will work with all colleagues and the Senior Leadership Team within the Finance, Procurement & Information Department. The Apprentice Personal Assistant will provide secretarial support to all three teams within the department.
- To organise and manage diaries for the Senior Leadership Team, providing a first class secretarial service and ensuring their daily workload and priorities are met.
- To maintain appointments and diary management, implementing bring forward systems, arranging venues, speakers, travel and accommodation, ensuring timely and efficient communication.
- Plan, organise meetings and training events, this includes booking venues and hospitality. Design Flyers and send information out in advance to attendees and keep a record of attendance.
- Take notes or minutes and actions at meetings, type and distribute electronic or hard copies within a given time frame, ensuring the dissemination of information requested at meetings. Ensuring that agendas are prepared and circulated prior to meetings.
About us
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.
We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.
Our services:
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.
Achievements:
- Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
- Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
- National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
Job description
Job responsibilities
KEY DUTIES
- To organise and manage diaries for the Senior Leadership Team, providing a first-class secretarial service and ensuring their daily workload and priorities are met.
- To maintain appointments and diary management, implementing bring forward systems, arranging venues, speakers, travel and accommodation, ensuring timely and efficient communication.
- Plan, organise meetings and training events, this includes booking venues and hospitality. Design Flyers and send information out in advance to attendees and keep a record of attendance.
- Take notes or minutes and actions at meetings, type and distribute electronic or hard copies within a given time frame, ensuring the dissemination of information requested at meetings. Ensuring that agendas are prepared and circulated prior to meetings.
- To act as a point of contact within the Finance Department, Trust and to external users ensuring that communication links are always maintained. Ensuring that all communication functions are in place across the team.
- Plan and create departmental newsletters, e-forms and questionnaires.
- Co-ordinate and monitor compliance with mandatory training and appraisal activity for the team and reporting compliance.
- Co-ordinate and monitor compliance with internal processes within the department, ensuring that First Aider, Fire Warden and other health and safety positions have assigned staff members, and are up to date with training where needed.
- To co-operate with the introduction of new technologies and new IT systems and support the team with implementation.
- Search the intranet and internet for particular policies and guidelines as requested by the Team.
- Working as a team to ensure that adequate stationary and relevant stocks within the department are kept to an acceptable level.
- Send e-mails and produce letters, Powerpoints and reports using detailed knowledge of Microsoft Office.
- Co-ordinate FOI requests and responses, ensuring deadlines and appropriate governance is met throughout the process.
- Prepare Human Resources administration as necessary, including staff change of details forms, variation forms and leavers form appropriately
- To undertake tasks delegated by the team to assist in meeting activity targets and delivering Key Performance Indicators, ensuring deadlines are met.
- Provide administrative and secretarial support to other Managers within the Department.
- Work collaboratively with other members of the administrative and clerical team to ensure that the department always runs effectively
- Maintain accurate and efficient records, manage filing and brought forward systems. Suggest and implement new and improved systems and ways of working where this will improve efficiency and effectiveness.
- Deal effectively with mail, e-mails and telephone enquiries from within and outside of the Trust, communicating all relevant information to the team as appropriate.
- Coordinate the Trust weekly lottery by following the appropriate guidance and governance.
- Ensure that any correspondence and communication is recorded in real time on the InPhase system for all risks and incidents when required by the team.
- Ensure that matters of a confidential nature, including information relating to staff and patients, are not divulged to any unauthorised person.
CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- The Finance Personal Assistant Apprentice will always ensure that the finance and information function comply with all Trust policies and professional standards associated with the role.
ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
- Exercises proactivity and good judgement. Makes effective decisions based on sound reasoning and is able to deal with challenges in a mature way. Seeks advice of more experienced team members when appropriate.
- Builds and maintains positive relationships within the finance, procurement and information team and across the organisation. Demonstrates ability to influence and challenge appropriately. Becomes a role model to peers and team members, developing coaching skills as they gain area knowledge.
- Demonstrate good communication skills, whether face-to-face, on the telephone, in writing or on digital platforms. Uses the most appropriate channels to communicate effectively. Demonstrates agility and confidence in communications, carrying authority appropriately. Understand and apply social media solutions appropriately. Answers questions from inside and outside of the organisation, representing the organisation or department.
- Is able to accept and deal with changing priorities related to both their own work and to the organisation.
- Takes responsibility for your own work, accepts feedback in a positive way, uses initiative and shows resilience. Also takes responsibility for your own development, know when to ask questions to complete a task and informs their line manager when a task is complete.
TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSBILITIES
- The post holder will ensure that Finance, Procurement and Information teams are kept up to date with all mandatory training, continued professional development and any relevant legislative changes.
Job description
Job responsibilities
KEY DUTIES
- To organise and manage diaries for the Senior Leadership Team, providing a first-class secretarial service and ensuring their daily workload and priorities are met.
- To maintain appointments and diary management, implementing bring forward systems, arranging venues, speakers, travel and accommodation, ensuring timely and efficient communication.
- Plan, organise meetings and training events, this includes booking venues and hospitality. Design Flyers and send information out in advance to attendees and keep a record of attendance.
- Take notes or minutes and actions at meetings, type and distribute electronic or hard copies within a given time frame, ensuring the dissemination of information requested at meetings. Ensuring that agendas are prepared and circulated prior to meetings.
- To act as a point of contact within the Finance Department, Trust and to external users ensuring that communication links are always maintained. Ensuring that all communication functions are in place across the team.
- Plan and create departmental newsletters, e-forms and questionnaires.
- Co-ordinate and monitor compliance with mandatory training and appraisal activity for the team and reporting compliance.
- Co-ordinate and monitor compliance with internal processes within the department, ensuring that First Aider, Fire Warden and other health and safety positions have assigned staff members, and are up to date with training where needed.
- To co-operate with the introduction of new technologies and new IT systems and support the team with implementation.
- Search the intranet and internet for particular policies and guidelines as requested by the Team.
- Working as a team to ensure that adequate stationary and relevant stocks within the department are kept to an acceptable level.
- Send e-mails and produce letters, Powerpoints and reports using detailed knowledge of Microsoft Office.
- Co-ordinate FOI requests and responses, ensuring deadlines and appropriate governance is met throughout the process.
- Prepare Human Resources administration as necessary, including staff change of details forms, variation forms and leavers form appropriately
- To undertake tasks delegated by the team to assist in meeting activity targets and delivering Key Performance Indicators, ensuring deadlines are met.
- Provide administrative and secretarial support to other Managers within the Department.
- Work collaboratively with other members of the administrative and clerical team to ensure that the department always runs effectively
- Maintain accurate and efficient records, manage filing and brought forward systems. Suggest and implement new and improved systems and ways of working where this will improve efficiency and effectiveness.
- Deal effectively with mail, e-mails and telephone enquiries from within and outside of the Trust, communicating all relevant information to the team as appropriate.
- Coordinate the Trust weekly lottery by following the appropriate guidance and governance.
- Ensure that any correspondence and communication is recorded in real time on the InPhase system for all risks and incidents when required by the team.
- Ensure that matters of a confidential nature, including information relating to staff and patients, are not divulged to any unauthorised person.
CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- The Finance Personal Assistant Apprentice will always ensure that the finance and information function comply with all Trust policies and professional standards associated with the role.
ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
- Exercises proactivity and good judgement. Makes effective decisions based on sound reasoning and is able to deal with challenges in a mature way. Seeks advice of more experienced team members when appropriate.
- Builds and maintains positive relationships within the finance, procurement and information team and across the organisation. Demonstrates ability to influence and challenge appropriately. Becomes a role model to peers and team members, developing coaching skills as they gain area knowledge.
- Demonstrate good communication skills, whether face-to-face, on the telephone, in writing or on digital platforms. Uses the most appropriate channels to communicate effectively. Demonstrates agility and confidence in communications, carrying authority appropriately. Understand and apply social media solutions appropriately. Answers questions from inside and outside of the organisation, representing the organisation or department.
- Is able to accept and deal with changing priorities related to both their own work and to the organisation.
- Takes responsibility for your own work, accepts feedback in a positive way, uses initiative and shows resilience. Also takes responsibility for your own development, know when to ask questions to complete a task and informs their line manager when a task is complete.
TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSBILITIES
- The post holder will ensure that Finance, Procurement and Information teams are kept up to date with all mandatory training, continued professional development and any relevant legislative changes.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to GCSE Grade C/4 in English and Maths and/or equivalent qualification or experience. For those with an education, health and care plan or legacy statement, the Apprenticeship's English and maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3. A British Sign Language (BSL) qualification is equivalent to the English qualification for those whose primary language is BSL.
- Commitment to and completion of the Business Administration Level 3 qualification.
Desirable
- RSA II typewriting / word processing skills and/or equivalent qualification or equivalent experience.
- 3-5 further GCSEs at C/4 or above or equivalent qualification
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Ability to accurately maintain computerised and manual filing/documentation systems.
- IT skills with knowledge and experience of Microsoft Office package.
Desirable
- Previous experience within the NHS.
Skills
Essential
- Good telephone manner and customer services skills.
- Ability to use own initiative and show resilience.
- Ability to work in a team.
- Ability to communicate effectively at all levels.
- Build and maintain positive relationships within the team and across the organisation.
- Maintain confidentiality at all times.
- Keyboard skills with attention to detail and accuracy.
- Excellent time management and problem-solving skills.
- Makes effective decisions based on sound reasoning and is able to deal with challenges in a mature way.
- Completes tasks to a high standard and is confident in making suggestions for improvements.
Desirable
- Knowledge of NHS finance terminology.
Other
Essential
- Willing and able to learn new skills.
- The ability to receive and relay messages accurately and appropriately
- Understanding of the confidential nature of the role and aware of Data Protection Act.
- Comply with Trust policies and procedures at all times.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to GCSE Grade C/4 in English and Maths and/or equivalent qualification or experience. For those with an education, health and care plan or legacy statement, the Apprenticeship's English and maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3. A British Sign Language (BSL) qualification is equivalent to the English qualification for those whose primary language is BSL.
- Commitment to and completion of the Business Administration Level 3 qualification.
Desirable
- RSA II typewriting / word processing skills and/or equivalent qualification or equivalent experience.
- 3-5 further GCSEs at C/4 or above or equivalent qualification
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Ability to accurately maintain computerised and manual filing/documentation systems.
- IT skills with knowledge and experience of Microsoft Office package.
Desirable
- Previous experience within the NHS.
Skills
Essential
- Good telephone manner and customer services skills.
- Ability to use own initiative and show resilience.
- Ability to work in a team.
- Ability to communicate effectively at all levels.
- Build and maintain positive relationships within the team and across the organisation.
- Maintain confidentiality at all times.
- Keyboard skills with attention to detail and accuracy.
- Excellent time management and problem-solving skills.
- Makes effective decisions based on sound reasoning and is able to deal with challenges in a mature way.
- Completes tasks to a high standard and is confident in making suggestions for improvements.
Desirable
- Knowledge of NHS finance terminology.
Other
Essential
- Willing and able to learn new skills.
- The ability to receive and relay messages accurately and appropriately
- Understanding of the confidential nature of the role and aware of Data Protection Act.
- Comply with Trust policies and procedures 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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
