Medical Secretary in Plymouth

Are you an enthusiastic and motivated person who enjoys working as part of a team? Are you friendly, helpful, and approachable? If so, the Glenbourne Unit within Livewell Southwest would love to hear from you. We are looking to recruit a full time Medical Secretary to join our established team within the Inpatient Mental Health Acute Services. The successful candidate will work collaboratively with both teams from the inpatient and community settings to meet the needs of our patients, following policies and procedures.

This position will provide Medical Secretary support to the 19 bedded female acute ward; cross-cover to the male ward will be required during periods of annual leave. This is a dynamic, organised role for someone with excellent communication and IT skills who is passionate about supporting clinical teams and contributing to patient journeys through mental health services.

Please note that this role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route. Refer to the Direct Gov website for information on eligibility. Please note Livewell may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline if a high number of applications are submitted. We recommend you submit your application at the earliest opportunity. All Livewell staff are expected to be able and willing to work across a 7 day service.

• To have overall responsibility for all of the Consultant's work and their Senior Registrar and SHO as appropriate.
• To prioritise own workload, with support from the Manager.
• To be Personal Secretary to the Consultant and provide an efficient, high-quality secretarial service, liaising with patients and their relatives, internal and external colleagues, other departments and directorates within Livewell Southwest, and any external agencies involved in the Consultant's clinical area, including Clinical Governance issues.
• To provide cover for members of the secretarial team during sickness and annual leave.
• To maintain adequate supplies of office stationery in conjunction with the clerk responsible.
• To manage inbound/outbound mail and maintain a pending system.
• To handle the Consultant's incoming mail and emails, exercising discretion to filter items as appropriate.
• To provide an efficient secretarial service to the Consultant and maintain the Consultant's diary, updating and confirming appointments daily and communicating changes as necessary.
• To record and monitor the Consultant's attendance/absence, arrange leave approvals, obtain Consultant cover, and notify relevant parties of duty rota changes.
• To provide secretarial support for Junior Doctors working with the Consultants following outpatients clinics.
• To liaise with the Team/Secretaries and other medical secretaries to cross-cover for annual leave and other leave as required, in line with secretarial standards.
• To liaise with GPs, patients, carers and other professionals on a daily basis.
• Book patients in for clinical appointments, answer telephone calls with tact and diplomacy, take messages, and respond appropriately.
• Maintain Outpatients appointments and implement changes to ensure lists run effectively; produce and submit monthly statistical returns.
• Take minutes at team meetings when appropriate, transcribe notes and distribute.
• Record and input information relating to staff contact with patients into the Livewell Southwest database (SystmOne) on a daily basis; generate reports as required.
• Maintain confidentiality regarding information gained during the course of work.
• Ensure the work area is kept secure and in line with Livewell Southwest policies and protocols.
• Ensure that the Consultant's caseload details are up-to-date in line with the Care Approach programme.
• Deal with patients and service users of all ages via all forms of communication.
• Work with other administrators within the wider teams and with Service Managers and other department managers to address patient queries.

• Qualifications: 5 GCSEs (grades A-C) or equivalent NVQ level III in Business Administration, or demonstrate equivalent skills and knowledge; RSA II in Typewriting or equivalent.
• Knowledge: Knowledge of a range of secretarial procedures. Proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Knowledge of medical terminology. Understanding of Out-Patient, admission and waiting list procedures; general IT understanding.
• Specific skills: Excellent communication skills (written and verbal). Ability to work under supervision and independently when required. Flexibility to meet the needs of the Consultant Psychiatrist, Associated Doctors & CMHT staff. Ability to prioritise workload and handle multiple requests from different consultants. Ability to communicate with people in crisis by telephone. Strong organisation and time-management skills; ability to work under pressure. Highly organised and efficient.
• Experience: Experience of working to deadlines and maintaining confidentiality. Previous medical secretarial experience. Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and requires a submission for Disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.