Medical Secretary in Gateshead

In the event of excessive applications being received this vacancy may close earlier than the stated closing date, you are encouraged to submit your application as soon as possible.

IMPORTANT NOTE ON COMPLETION OF REFERENCE SECTION OF APPLICATION FORM: All references from current and previous employers will be sought and MUST cover a minimum of 3 years employment. Therefore, when completing the reference section of your application form, please give the address, telephone number and work email address of each of your current/previous line managers that cover 3 years employment. Where possible this should be from two separate employers. Failure to complete this section may result in your application not being processed.

PLEASE NOTE it is a requirement of this Trust that all successful applicants pay for their DBS certificate if a check is required for the post. This will be done through deduction from your monthly pay over a maximum of three months. It is also a requirement that all successful applicants register or are registered with the DBS update service where a DBS is required. All new entrants to the NHS will be appointed on the minimum of the pay scale in line with Terms & Conditions.

Job overview: Applications are invited from hard working and organised individuals to provide a high quality secretarial and administrative service based within the Medicine Business Unit. You will be based at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Main duties of the job:

• You should have previous secretarial/administrative experience, preferably within an acute medical setting.
• Good written and verbal communication skills are essential together with good organisational and planning skills.
• You should possess RSA/OCR III in Text/Word Processing or have the equivalent level of experience or be working towards this.
• You should also have knowledge of a range of secretarial procedures and software programmes.
• A working knowledge of CareFlow (Patient Administration System) is also desirable.
• You should also have an understanding of medical terminology.
• NVQ Level III in Business Administration or equivalent experience is essential.
• An Audio typing certificate or relevant experience is desirable.

The post holder will be expected to prioritise their work on a daily basis using a significant amount of initiative and discretion in the discharge of all duties. Duties will include typing of clinical correspondence, co‑ordinating multi‑disciplinary team meetings, booking appointments, data collection and filing of orphan data. You will also be expected to retrieve case notes and record patient activity and outcomes on Careflow.

Working for our organisation: Based in the North East of England we provide a range of hospital and community health services from our leading facilities, including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Blaydon urgent care centre and Bensham Hospital, all within Gateshead. Established in 2005, we were one of the first foundation trusts in the country and since then have consistently achieved the highest levels of care for patients. We now employ around 4,800 staff and currently provide 444 hospital beds across the Gateshead region. Our values should be the ‘golden thread’ which runs through everything we do – they are the core of who we are. Our five values can easily be remembered by the simple acronym ICORE; Innovation, Care, Openness, Respect, Engagement. We have a number of staff networks including the BAME network, D-Ability network, LGBTQ+ Network and the Women’s Network, to challenge us and help us to constantly improve. Our armed forces network is one of our emerging networks. The health and wellbeing of our staff is one of our highest priorities, and we offer a range of support and initiatives as part of our ‘Balance’ programme to cater for our diverse workforce, so that your individual needs can be supported, allowing you a happy and healthy working experience with us.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities:

• Provide a high quality clinical typing service as delegated by the Senior Medical Secretary, including clinic instructions/outcomes, minutes from meetings, populate information into report templates, type ward rounds, update routine information in procedural documents etc.
• Action tasks arising from typing; including updating systems, outcome codes, recording OCPS, completing required documentation such as VBC PAT form, internal re‑referral, ITP & image transfer and escalating to the Senior Medical Secretary for resolution if required.
• Virtual Clinic or Multi‑Disciplinary Team Meeting support where required as delegated by the Senior Medical Secretary (e.g. populating pro forma, attending and following up actions from clinic, live typing).
• Provide information to assist performance reporting and resolution of queries or complaints (e.g. DATIX) as required.
• To contribute as delegated by the Senior Medical Secretary to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of the clinical administration function.

Person specification:

• Qualifications: NVQ 3 Certificate in Business Administration or equivalent experience, RSA 3 in Typing or Word Processing or equivalent experience.
• Experience: Experience of working in NHS or healthcare environment, Experience of working in secretarial or office environment, Experienced in using Microsoft Office packages.
• Skills: Effective written and oral communication skills, Ability to demonstrate good organisational planning skills, Willingness to update knowledge and skills as part of continuous personal development plan, Ability to work autonomously and also as part of a team, developing good working relationships with colleagues, Knowledge of Careflow system, Knowledge of medical terminology.

Applicants who have not been contacted within 4 weeks of the closing date are to assume that their application has been unsuccessful. Applications from job seekers who require Skilled Worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications where the post is eligible.