Job summary
The administration assistant will provide an essential clerical support service to the Endocrine and Diabetes Team contributing to the overall efficient and effective running of the department. The post holder will be required to communicate effectively with all levels of staff and deal sensitively with queries from patients. The post holder will be required to support all administrative aspects of the patient pathway from referral to clinic attendance. The department is a busy expanding unit and therefore flexibility and the ability to work well under pressure is essential
Main duties of the job
Please refer to the Job Description for detailed information.
Act as the first point of contact for patients and healthcare professionals, providing a friendly and professional service both in person and over the phone.
Handle telephone and email enquiries sensitively and efficiently, escalating as appropriate.
Provide comprehensive administrative support across the department, including covering key duties during staff absence.
Maintain accurate patient records using hospital IT systems and ensure timely data entry for audits and reports.
Liaise with GPs, referrers, and internal departments to coordinate patient appointments, admissions, and procedures.
Support clinicians by arranging tests, procedures, and meetings, and by preparing relevant documentation.
Manage clinic schedules, including setting up, amending, or cancelling clinics in line with service needs.
Ensure timely distribution and scanning of clinical correspondence and documentation.
Monitor and maintain stock levels of departmental supplies and patient information materials.
Participate in departmental meetings, training, and service improvement initiatives.
About us
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology.
Our Values
We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.
Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Provide a friendly, welcoming and professional first point of contact on the telephone and in person to patients and a range of health care professionals. Telephone calls should be dealt with in a sensitive and tactful manner especially when liaising with distressed, angry or confused patients and/or relatives.
Deal with telephone calls and emails, responding in a timely manner and taking appropriate action as required. Provide non-clinical information to patients as appropriate recognising when to redirect calls to senior staff.
Provide administrative support for all aspects of the department.
Provide essential elements of the Pathway Co-ordinator role when he/she is on leave.
Liaise with GPs and other referrers when necessary to obtain further information for the clinicians prior to the patients appointment.
Record and update patient information on hospital IT systems accurately.
Use information systems effectively ensuring a high standard of information recording is maintained.
Ensure in-patient Consultant referrals are printed, triaged and completed in a timely manner. Logging the triaged referral on the EPR system and create waiting list entries.
Support other administrative staff with the organisation of clinics and appointments and provide other administrative duties appropriate to role.
Organise the admission of patients for procedures/treatments, liaising with the relevant department and contacting the patient to inform them of the admission arrangements. This include liaising with relevant departments (this include Ophthalmology and DTU, etc.) where appropriate to arrange appointments for patients.
Providing assistant to clinicians by requesting tests using trust systems as instructed by clinicians. At the request of clinicians arrange any procedures as required.
Print and distribute clinical correspondence accurately within Trust timescales, ensuring that all instructions and enclosures are actioned prior to distribution.
Ensure all documents that require scanning onto the electronic patient record are uploaded accurately and appropriately in a timely manner so that patient information is available to clinical staff.
Input accurate information as requested for audit purposes and produce standardised computer reports.
Perform basic data entry for departmental database.
Provide administrative support to the clinical staff with setting up meetings and educational sessions to include preparing relevant documentation/packs for the attendees.
Act independently to sort, prioritise and distribute incoming mail to the appropriate members of staff. Using judgement and experience to prioritise and pass to clinicians or pass directly to other areas for action and information, using own initiatives,
Maintain stock of stationery equipment and patient information material in the department and clinical rooms.
Provide cover for and undertake duties of absent colleagues appropriate to experience and competence.
Take an active role within the department attending staff meetings and participate in discussions to improve and evaluate the service
Undertake relevant training identified in conjunction with line manager.
Have an overview of timescales for best practice tariffs to ensure that all patients receive timely appointments.
Manage own workload, follow through queries and chase progress, in order to free up clinical time for clinicians, improving information and access for patients.
Manage and communicate clinic changes including setting up additional clinics, changing, moving or cancelling clinics depending on clinician availability and or service need.
Conduct monthly forward look review with clinicians to ensure that all availability is accurate and any changes are acted upon in a timely manner.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Provide a friendly, welcoming and professional first point of contact on the telephone and in person to patients and a range of health care professionals. Telephone calls should be dealt with in a sensitive and tactful manner especially when liaising with distressed, angry or confused patients and/or relatives.
Deal with telephone calls and emails, responding in a timely manner and taking appropriate action as required. Provide non-clinical information to patients as appropriate recognising when to redirect calls to senior staff.
Provide administrative support for all aspects of the department.
Provide essential elements of the Pathway Co-ordinator role when he/she is on leave.
Liaise with GPs and other referrers when necessary to obtain further information for the clinicians prior to the patients appointment.
Record and update patient information on hospital IT systems accurately.
Use information systems effectively ensuring a high standard of information recording is maintained.
Ensure in-patient Consultant referrals are printed, triaged and completed in a timely manner. Logging the triaged referral on the EPR system and create waiting list entries.
Support other administrative staff with the organisation of clinics and appointments and provide other administrative duties appropriate to role.
Organise the admission of patients for procedures/treatments, liaising with the relevant department and contacting the patient to inform them of the admission arrangements. This include liaising with relevant departments (this include Ophthalmology and DTU, etc.) where appropriate to arrange appointments for patients.
Providing assistant to clinicians by requesting tests using trust systems as instructed by clinicians. At the request of clinicians arrange any procedures as required.
Print and distribute clinical correspondence accurately within Trust timescales, ensuring that all instructions and enclosures are actioned prior to distribution.
Ensure all documents that require scanning onto the electronic patient record are uploaded accurately and appropriately in a timely manner so that patient information is available to clinical staff.
Input accurate information as requested for audit purposes and produce standardised computer reports.
Perform basic data entry for departmental database.
Provide administrative support to the clinical staff with setting up meetings and educational sessions to include preparing relevant documentation/packs for the attendees.
Act independently to sort, prioritise and distribute incoming mail to the appropriate members of staff. Using judgement and experience to prioritise and pass to clinicians or pass directly to other areas for action and information, using own initiatives,
Maintain stock of stationery equipment and patient information material in the department and clinical rooms.
Provide cover for and undertake duties of absent colleagues appropriate to experience and competence.
Take an active role within the department attending staff meetings and participate in discussions to improve and evaluate the service
Undertake relevant training identified in conjunction with line manager.
Have an overview of timescales for best practice tariffs to ensure that all patients receive timely appointments.
Manage own workload, follow through queries and chase progress, in order to free up clinical time for clinicians, improving information and access for patients.
Manage and communicate clinic changes including setting up additional clinics, changing, moving or cancelling clinics depending on clinician availability and or service need.
Conduct monthly forward look review with clinicians to ensure that all availability is accurate and any changes are acted upon in a timely manner.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to GCSE level or equivalent including English and Mathematics
Desirable
- Computer literate to ECDL standard or equivalent
Experience
Essential
- Office/administration experience
- Computer work
- Experience of working in a busy demanding environment
Desirable
- Experience of working with confidential information
- Use of databases
- Public contact
- Experience of working in a healthcare setting
- Prior experience in dealing with complaints
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of Microsoft office package
- Office practice
Desirable
- Knowledge of NHS IT systems - IPM, Evolve, Bighand
Communication Skills
Essential
- Good written and verbal communication skills
- Excellent telephone skills
Skills
Essential
- Able to use own initiative
- Able to plan prioritise and schedule work to ensure effective time management
- Ability to work to tight deadlines
- Able to cope with sensitive and emotional situations
- Good attention to detail
Desirable
Personal Characteristics
Essential
- Caring and understanding
- Ability to use own initiative
- Flexible and adaptive
- Good team Player
- Willingness to learn new skills
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to GCSE level or equivalent including English and Mathematics
Desirable
- Computer literate to ECDL standard or equivalent
Experience
Essential
- Office/administration experience
- Computer work
- Experience of working in a busy demanding environment
Desirable
- Experience of working with confidential information
- Use of databases
- Public contact
- Experience of working in a healthcare setting
- Prior experience in dealing with complaints
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of Microsoft office package
- Office practice
Desirable
- Knowledge of NHS IT systems - IPM, Evolve, Bighand
Communication Skills
Essential
- Good written and verbal communication skills
- Excellent telephone skills
Skills
Essential
- Able to use own initiative
- Able to plan prioritise and schedule work to ensure effective time management
- Ability to work to tight deadlines
- Able to cope with sensitive and emotional situations
- Good attention to detail
Desirable
Personal Characteristics
Essential
- Caring and understanding
- Ability to use own initiative
- Flexible and adaptive
- Good team Player
- Willingness to learn new skills
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.
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).
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.
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).
