Medical Secretary, Band 3- Renal

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Overview

The post-holder will provide an efficient, confidential and professional secretarial service to the medical staff and their supporting team. This will include administration and secretarial support to enable provision of patient care and speciality services. Good communication with patients, relatives, general practitioners and other hospital staff is essential to ensure a proficient, high-quality service for patients and clinicians. The post-holder will be expected to work as part of the insert as appropriate team but also support the secretarial team as needed. 

Job purpose

The medical secretary is responsible for:

Providing a comprehensive secretarial and administrative service to the medical staff and their supporting team.

Providing cover for colleagues in their absence to maintain service levels

Ensuring excellent communication is provided to patients, relatives, general practitioners and other hospital staff to ensure a proficient, high-quality service for patients and clinicians. 

Ensuring all clinics are used to their full capacity and that any vacant slots are fully utilised and acted upon, including informing the Booking Office, to maximise capacity

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

Managing the pathway for patients referred in under the two-week wait ensuring they are monitored to minimise/avoid breach

Carrying out regular review and administrative validation of the clinician’s return outpatient wait list 

Supporting the achievement of Trust performance by ensuring administrative standards are met e.g. typing times, test results passed to clinician and any potential 52 week breaches are escalated to the clinician, secretarial supervisor or AGM/DGM to avoid breach.

Ensuring all clinic cancellations/alterations are dealt with efficiently and in line with the Trust’s 8 week annual/study leave policy. 

Duties

Whilst the organisation and structure within specialities/divisions may vary the specific remit of this role will include:

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, GP’s, 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 clinician’s 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 Trust’s 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.

Communication and Working Relationships 

- Medical staff both junior and senior including Consultants

- Nursing Staff

- Patients, carers and relatives

- Other Medical Secretaries/Ward Clerks

- Outpatient Staff

- Health Records

- Pathology

- Radiology

- GP’s and GP practices

- Management, including Secretary Supervisor and General Management team

- Other NHS organisations

- External bodies, such as solicitor practices, DVLA, Social Services, Police etc

General 

Ensure a smart, professional image that enhances the public perception of the Trust and the professionalism of its staff is portrayed. 

Fully participate in the Trust’s appraisal system review and personal development planning process on an annual basis – (for an apprentice this may be more often)

Undertake training as necessary in line with the development of the post and as agreed with line manager as part of the personal development planning process

Achieve and demonstrate agreed standards of personal and professional development within agreed timescales

Contribute positively to the effectiveness and efficiency of the teams in which he/she works

Contribute to a healthy and safe working environment by adhering to health and safety regulations and Trust policies

Physical, Mental and Emotional Skills/Effort Required 

The ability to concentrate for long periods of time, often with frequent interruptions, is essential.  Priorities can change during the day. 

The post holder can often be sitting in set positions for long periods of time using a keyboard. 

Movement of medical notes on a daily basis (Manual Handling Training Provided). This can range from one set of notes to bags of notes

Exposure to occasional unpleasant working conditions due to extremes of office temperatures and ward odours.

The post holder has to meet deadlines and respond to urgent requests on a regular basis. 

There is verbal contact with patients and carers which can be emotional or distressing

Undertake all mandatory training