Medical Secretary

Please review Job Description for overview:

T o provide a full secretarial support service to consultants and members of their teams in respect to their general medical duties, diary management, specialist work.

To act independently ensuring that daily tasks and ongoing workloads are prioritised and completed in agreed timeframes. The post holder will be based at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich.

To act as first point of contact on behalf of the consultant and the Trust and deal effectively and courteously with all enquiries from GPs, parents/carers, other departments within the Trust and external bodies. To produce correspondence and reports by the use of audio transcription technology. To type urgent clinical letters, including those of a sometimes distressing or emotional nature from audiotape or direct dictation as agreed. To organise and support meetings on behalf of the Consultant and the Consultant's team, taking and distributing minutes as required.

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development

Widening access (anchor institution) and employability

Improving the experience of staff with disability

Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development

Making equalities mainstream

To act as first point of contact on behalf of the consultant and the Trust and deal effectively and courteously with all enquiries from GPs, parents/carers, other departments within the Trust and external bodies.

To produce correspondence and reports by the use of audio transcription technology.

To type urgent clinical letters, including those of a sometimes distressing or emotional nature from audiotape or direct dictation as agreed.

To organise and support meetings on behalf of the Consultant and the Consultant's team, taking and distributing minutes as required.

To deal with all telephone calls relating to the service, ensuring patient focus is maintained and enquiries are handled in a courteous, tactful and prompt manner and respecting patient confidentiality at all times.

To prioritise and process incoming correspondence and ensure that it is dealt with promptly by the appropriate member of staff.

To ensure that external investigation reports are brought to the attention of the appropriate medical team and signed off by the appropriate member of staff. Arrange for the request and/or safe onward transmissions of patient investigation reports and film to other sites where necessary.

To maintain filing systems that facilitates the effective running of the department.

To open, date stamp and distribute post according to local standing operating procedure.

Maintain up to date filing of external reports and correspondence in patient medical records.

To use the appropriate IT system for checking patient information and appointments.

To manage patient records appropriately, ensuring an up-to-date record is maintained of all case notes returned from the wards and clinics, that patient medical records are available for clinic and appointments are dispatched to other departments as necessary.

To maintain and update the diaries of the members of the clinical team as required, and to co-ordinate meetings, teaching sessions/venues as required.

To cover for medical secretary colleagues during periods of absence and annual leave.

To ensure the department has adequate stocks of stationery and order supplies as and when necessary.

To co-ordinate and process work of a medico-legal nature and other medical reports as required.

To draft responses to routine enquiries as appropriate.

To take an active role in initiatives to improve the administrative service provided to managers and clinicians, and the service received by patients and relatives.

To send any referrals received to the central booking office for registration and booking and to action tertiary referrals as necessary. Complete Minimum data set (MDS) template when making onward referrals.

To organise own work schedule, adapt the schedule as required to meet commitments to others within the agreed timescales and, where this is not achievable, give notification promptly with reasons to line manager.

To ensure any changes/cancelation to clinics are carried out using Book Wise and all relevant parties are advised of any changes.

To advise parents of special instructions regarding medical tests, as directed by the medical team.

To liaise with the central booking office as required if an appointment requires rescheduled.

Completion of forms and documentation as requested such as adoption, child protection, police statements, disability and doctor references as requested to do so by the consultant.

Managing the generic email account.

To have an awareness of the referral to treatment (RTT) patient pathway journey in order to be able to respond to parents/carers calls and enquires as appropriate.

To have awareness of the outreach clinics and wait lists to be able to respond to parents/carers calls and enquires as appropriate.

Undertaking non clinical typing as requested by the consultant or their teams as necessary such as complaint letters.

Working as part of a team; assisting with the training of new and temporary staff providing support and advice as appropriate.

To locate, retrieve and book patients' case notes in and out of department as required.

Meet quality standards in the Unit for the work turnaround and accuracy directed by the Service and Line managers.