Assistant Service Manager - Royal Brompton Hospital

• Support the Service Manager in managing various sections of service, e.g., out-patients or bookings. This will require working autonomously to understand and drive operating targets, budget controls, and relevant HR management.
• Ensure effective processes and procedures are in place to monitor and track performance against agreed targets within the service that may be performance related.
• Problem-solve all day-to-day management issues organising and reallocating work where situations change due to variations to the work load and staffing availability.
• Exercise delegated authority on behalf of clinicians to resolve day-to-day management issues within the service.
• Manage the analysis of data so consultants and registrars have access to timely and accurate information on all key performance indicators.
• Plan and organise the medical secretary service within the department, setting the goals of the secretarial service in order to fit in with the demands of the consultants’ timetables.

Policy Development and System Management

• Develop and write policies and procedures within own work area.
• Manage the implementation and overall management of office systems, control processes and risk management arrangements to ensure effective delivery of service.
• Responsible for the design and implementation of audits in collaboration with Heads of Service.
• To investigate complaints, as delegated by the Service Delivery Manager, in line with Trust Policy. This may involve handling sensitive interpersonal situation.
• To contribute to the modernisation of patient services delivered by the medical secretaries service
• Sit on departmental working groups to contribute to future strategies and development

Financial Management

• Authorised signatory.
• Manage and monitor performance of the administrative support to ensure that the service meets its financial and operating targets.
• Manage a delegated no-pay budget within the service ensuring that expenditure is within agreed limits and that the relevant clinicians remain informed of related issues. This would include signatory responsibility for requisition and authorising signature for ordering, up to the amount of £500.

Staff Management

• Day-to-day managerial responsibility for all administration and secretarial staff within the medical secretarial service or others as agreed.
• Set objectives and review performance of service staff, identifying individual training and development needs and promote continued personal and professional development.
• Manage annual leave, sickness, disciplinary and performance issues in line with Trust policies and the effective delivery of service.
• Ensure all staff comply with relevant Trust policies and standing financial instructions.
• Recruit and induct A&C staff in line with Trust policies and procedures.
• Anticipate staff shortages and problem areas and take action to minimise the impact of these on service delivery.
• Support conflict resolution from patients, staff, suppliers, other internal and external service providers and partner organisations in the service.
• Ensure that all staff adhere to the appropriate legislation when dealing with patient material and that suitable filing and booking systems are effectively managed.
• Support the monitoring of compliance with internal and external governance and best practice requirements with the medical secretarial services.

PA/ Secretarial Responsibilities

• Monitor clinical secretarial correspondence to set and maintain appropriate quality standards.
• Arrange, plan and take comprehensive and accurate minutes at meetings.
• Support consultants by preparing PowerPoint presentations and preparation of research articles.
• Produce high quality medical secretary support of clinicians and clinical teams when required.
• When appropriate, type clinical letters which may include those of a distressing or emotional nature as well or other relevant correspondence and documents required.

Communication

• Effectively communicate with a multi-disciplinary group of people, demonstrating interpersonal skills when dealing with all levels of staff across the Trust, using persuasion, tact and reassurance where necessary.
• Liaise with other departments and members of the Trust to ensure the smooth running of the office and to assisting the functioning of the team.
• Influence, motivate and involve individuals and teams within the service to achieve necessary performance targets.
• Deal with telephone calls related to the service, ensuring that customers are communicated with in a sensitive and effective manner and problems are dealt with promptly and efficiently.
• Handle confidential patient information and material in a sensitive and discrete fashion, in compliance with Trust policy and procedure.

The post holder is required to follow Trust policies and procedures which are regularly updated including:

Confidentiality / Data Protection / Freedom of Information

Post holders must maintain the confidentiality of information about patients, staff and other health service business in accordance with the Data Protection Act of 1998. Post holders must not, without prior permission, disclose any information regarding patients or staff. If any member of staff has communicated any such information to an unauthorised person those staff will be liable to dismissal. Moreover, the Data Protection Act 1998 also renders an individual liable for prosecution in the event of unauthorised disclosure of information.

Following the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) 2005, post holders must apply the Trust’s FOI procedure if they receive a written request for information.

Information Governance

All staff must comply with information governance requirements. These includes statutory responsibilities (such as compliance with the Data Protection Act), following national guidance (such as the NHS Confidentiality Code of Practice) and compliance with local policies and procedures (such as the Trust's Confidentiality policy). Staff are responsible for any personal information (belonging to staff or patients) that they access and must ensure it is stored, processed and forwarded in a secure and appropriate manner.

Equal Opportunities

Post holders must at all times fulfil their responsibilities with regard to the Trust’s Equal Opportunities Policy and equality laws.

Health and Safety

All post holders have a responsibility, under the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) and subsequently published regulations, to ensure that the Trust’s health and safety policies and procedures are complied with to maintain a safe working environment for patients, visitors and employees.

Infection Control

All post holders have a personal obligation to act to reduce healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs). They must attend mandatory training in Infection Control and be compliant with all measures required by the Trust to reduce HCAIs.  All post holders must comply with Trust infection screening and immunisation policies as well as be familiar with the Trust’s Infection Control Policies, including those that apply to their duties, such as Hand Decontamination Policy, Personal Protective Equipment Policy, safe procedures for using aseptic techniques and safe disposal of sharps.

Risk Management

All post holders have a responsibility to report risks such as clinical and non-clinical accidents or incidents promptly. They are expected to be familiar with the Trust’s use of risk assessments to predict and control risk, as well as the incident reporting system for learning from mistakes and near misses in order to improve services. Post holders must also attend training identified by their manager, or stated by the Trust to be mandatory.

Flexible Working

As an organisation we are committed to developing our services in ways that best suit the needs of our patients. This means that some staff groups will increasingly be asked to work a more flexible shift pattern so that we can offer services in the evenings or at weekends.

Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults

Post holders have a general responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults in the course of their daily duties and for ensuring that they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.

Sustainability

It is the responsibility of all staff to minimise the Trust’s environmental impact by recycling wherever possible, switching off lights, computers monitors and equipment when not in use, minimising water usage and reporting faults promptly.

Smoking Policy

The Trust is committed to providing a healthy and safe environment for staff, patients and visitors. Staff are therefore not permitted to smoke on Trust property or in Trust vehicles

Review of this Job Description

This job description is intended as an outline of the general areas of activity and will be amended in the light of the changing needs of the organisation. To be reviewed in conjunction with the post holder.