Medical Secretary

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

•       To provide a full secretarial service to the Clinician/s including audio typing/transcription or processing of clinical letters (some of a distressing nature), reports and inpatient summaries using the Epic system, ensuring that quality standards are met.  

•       To ensure all patient demographic details (address, postcode, GP & Ethnic Group) are checked and any amendments/corrections are carried out in an accurate and timely fashion.  

•       To support the Department and Admissions in ensuring the National 18 week RTT Programme and the Elective Access policy aims to ensure that all patients referred for care at King’s are treated efficiently, effectively, and in a timely manner appropriate to their clinical condition and RTT management is in line with national guidance, access targets, and the best standards of patient care.   

•       To prepare acknowledgment letters and draft responses as required and prioritise incoming correspondence ensuring that it is promptly dealt with by the appropriate member of staff.   

•       To act as the first point of contact for users of the Trust, dealing with telephone calls and enquiries promptly and efficiently, providing immediate response and referring as necessary.  These will include personal enquiries from patients and their relatives, as well as calls from GP’s, clinicians, students, nursing and administrative staff, at all times understanding the sensitive nature of calls.   

•       To process all patient referrals within nationally agreed time frames, i.e. ensuring 2week wait cancer policy.   

•       To ensure that results of tests, investigations and any correspondence received are scanned to Epic

•       To arrange, plan, take and transcribe and distribute accurate minute taking notes for meetings and conferences as required.   

•       To be part of the daily office routines, such as opening and sorting post, preparing replies to routine correspondence, requesting stationery, equipment and photocopying for the team as necessary using Trust systems.   

•       To prepare and edit presentations, articles and other material as required by the Clinical Teams  

•       To act independently ensuring that daily tasks and ongoing workloads are prioritised and completed within agreed timeframes  

•       To manage and answer all telephone calls related to the service in a courteous and tactful manner to ensure that patients and visitors are communicated with effectively and patient focus is maintained and ensuring problems are dealt with promptly and efficiently.   

•       To deal with stressful situations that may arise when dealing with patients who are anxious or distressed using tact and diplomacy at all times.   

•       To provide information and advice to patients and relatives where appropriate relating to admissions and appointments and/or redirect to appropriate member of staff.   

•       To manage confidential patient material in a sensitive and discrete fashion in compliance with Trust policy and procedure   

•       To communicate with other secretaries and administrative staff within the Trust regarding patients’ medical notes, clinic letters and outcomes  

•       To receive and collate reports of investigations such as blood tests, and x-rays and further medical opinions and ensure that all necessary reports are assembled before the next clinical appointment of patient.   

•       To offer non-clinical advice and guidance to clinicians, staff and patients  

•       To be able to provide reciprocal cover in the absence of other secretaries and colleagues as reasonably requested by the management   

•       To partake in training and personal development as recognised within the appraisal process.  

•       To attend secretarial meetings and raise concerns when appropriate and bring those to the attention of the management team.  

•       To carry out duties as an employee and service-provider with due regard to the Trust’s Equal Opportunities Policy.   

•       To participate in team meetings as required by your team leader.   

•       Under the Health & Safety at Work Act, the post holder has a general duty of care for the health, safety and wellbeing of oneself, work colleagues, visitors and patients within the hospital in addition to any specific risk management or clinical governance accountabilities associated with this post.   

•       To be responsible, with management support, for their own personal development and to actively contribute to the development of colleagues.  

•       To undertake any other duties appropriate to the grade which may be required from time-to-time.  

•       All employees must hold an ‘nhs.net’ email account which will be the Trust’s formal route for email communication. You are therefore required to check this regularly and to deal with such communication promptly.