Medical PA in GI & Lymphoma

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is the largest comprehensive cancer centre in Europe and a leader in the field of cancer care with a successful record of innovation in nursing care, pioneering new treatments and the development of anti-cancer drugs. We are seeking to recruit a full-time PA post in the GI and Lymphoma Department at the hospital’s Chelsea site.

We are seeking enthusiastic and experienced individuals who enjoy patient contact and working in a friendly, multi-disciplinary environment. Post holders will be expected to deliver a high-quality service within a performance managed environment. You will work collaboratively to provide a full administrative service at a leading Cancer Centre which prides itself on clinical excellence.

Main duties of the job

The role of the Medical P.A. is key to the efficient management of the consultant firm. Patient access to healthcare professionals and subsequent treatment planning in the specialist hospital setting relies upon well-co-ordinated organisational and administrative support. The role of the Medical P.A. has been introduced at the Trust to strengthen the secretarial service, and this job description outlines the responsibilities that the post is likely to encompass. However, a number of the posts differ in their emphasis depending upon the size of the consultant’s clinical practice and administrative team, and whether you also have an Administrative P.A. and/or a Medical Secretary(s).

Working for our organisation

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a world-leading cancer centre. Our role is to offer our patients the best cancer care available anywhere in the world, and to continue to make a global contribution to finding better ways of diagnosing and treating cancer. We employ over 4,500 staff in a diverse range of careers including nursing, medical, science, radiography, pharmacy, occupational therapy, finance and administrative services. We have two hospitals – one in Chelsea, London, and one in Sutton, Surrey – as well as a Medical Daycare Unit in Kingston Hospital.

At The Royal Marsden, we deal with cancer every day, so we understand how valuable life is. When people entrust their lives to us, they have the right to demand the very best. That's why the pursuit of excellence lies at the heart of everything we do.

At the heart of the hospital is our dedicated team. We offer a stimulating and dynamic working environment, a wide range of staff benefits, learning and development opportunities and clear career pathways. There are opportunities to work flexibly across a range of areas and specialities and we welcome flexible working requests from point of hire to support employees work life balance. We are looking for employees who aspire to excellence, share our values and can play a crucial role in our ongoing achievements.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The difference between the role of a Medical P.A. and that of a Medical Secretary is the level of responsibility. To undertake a Medical P.A. position, the post holder will need to either:

• Be the only secretarial member of staff working for the consultant and hence will be required to cover a wide range of duties incorporating diary management and the co-ordination of all clinical/administrative/academic work.
• Take the lead role in the organisation of a consultant’s clinical practice (including the line management of other secretarial staff) where the size of the consultant’s practice justifies more than one member of staff to support it.

The post holder will be responsible for the provision of a comprehensive Medical P.A. service. You will liaise with all colleagues within the multidisciplinary team, and with internal departments and external agencies to ensure the continuity of patient treatment.

Person specification

Education/Qualifications

• Good general education, educated to GCSE level or equivalent
• Competent at Microsoft Excel, Word and Outlook
• Association of Medical Secretaries, Practice Managers and Receptionists (AMSPAR) qualified or equivalent.
• European Computer Driving License (ECDL) or Equivalent.

Experience

• Substantial previous medical secretarial experience
• Experience of diary management.
• Previous experience of training other secretarial staff
• Previous experience of managing/supervising staff

Skills Abilities/knowledge

• Understanding of medical terminology (especially oncology)
• The ability to communicate effectively in both written and spoken English to a wide range of people
• Willingness and demonstrable ability to work as part of a team.
• Evidence of ability and initiative to prioritise a busy workload
• Evidence of ability to work without close supervision
• Evidence of ability to handle sensitive information without compromising confidentiality
• Evidence of commitment to delivering high quality customer service
• Demonstrable awareness of the needs of the multidisciplinary team.

The Royal Marsden values diversity and is committed to the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority groups. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates with disabilities.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are working to create a workplace that enables all staff to reach their full potential. We are committed to this because we know that greater diversity and inclusion will lead to an even greater positive impact for the people we serve.

Due to the high volumes of applications we receive, we reserve the right to close any adverts before the published closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications. We advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment. Please ensure your information is accurate to avoid errors with processing your application.

All applicants will be contacted by email to the address supplied on your application. Applicants are advised to check their email accounts regularly and to ensure that email filters are set to allow our emails.

Flu Vaccination – What We Expect of our Staff

At The Royal Marsden we have an immune compromised patient population who we must protect as much as we can against the flu virus. Each year, seasonal flu affects thousands of people in the UK. Occurring mainly in winter, it is an infectious respiratory disease capable of producing symptoms ranging from those similar to a common cold, through to very severe or even fatal disease.

The wellbeing of our staff and patients is of the utmost importance to us, and it is the expectation of The Royal Marsden that all patient-facing staff have an annual flu vaccination, provided free of charge by the Trust.