Medical Secretary

PREVIOUS APPLICANTS NEED NOT APPLY

An opportunity has arisen in the Women's Health department for a full-time Medical Secretary.

We are looking for someone who is both a keen team player and able to work independently to ensure that Trust standards are adhered to. You will be required to have a good understanding of the 18-week patient pathway.

The post holder will be responsible for providing a comprehensive departmental secretarial service to the consultants, specialist nurses and other clinicians within the Obstetrics and Gynaecology team. The departmental secretary will be instrumental in the smooth running of the office and will need to work without supervision, using their initiative when dealing with enquiries that arise in the absence of the clinicians, to bring about a successful outcome. The post demands the ability to communicate at all levels with patients, relatives, medical colleagues and allied health professionals whilst maintaining a high standard of service to meet the needs of the patient.

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics.

You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career.

We have state-of-the art facilities placing us at the heart of cutting edge health care. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

Please review all documents attached to this advert to ensure you familiarise yourself with all requirements of the job.
1. Provide the focal point of communication for all medical, professional and allied healthcare staff, both within this Trust and with external organisations, using judgment to facilitate a successful outcome for all enquiries. Deal with concerned patients/relatives with tact, patience and discretion, especially when conveying sensitive information. Patient contact by telephone is an integral part of the departmental secretarial role, often to convey information, which could be difficult and distressing for patients to comprehend
3. Liaise with and support the departmental pathway coordinator with the partial booking process to ensure that appointments and clinics are managed efficiently to meet service demands. Be responsible for ensuring that patient pathways progress in a timely manner in order to meet required target dates in conjunction with the pathway co-ordinator Manage and communicate clinic changes including setting up additional clinics, changing, moving or cancelling clinics depending on clinician availability and/or service need. Have an overview of all absences to identify sufficient clinic cover and capacity utilisation. Conduct a monthly forward look review with clinicians to ensure that all availability is accurate and any changes are acted upon in a timely manner.
4. Support the 18/52 patient pathway by providing timely information to the medical 18-week team on a weekly basis on all tiers, 1, 2 and 3 as requested. This will involve the typing of outstanding letters on Big Hand, chasing approvals, chasing results/test/investigations and ensuring clinicians action to enable 18-week query to be reported on. Have an overview of timescales for best practice tariffs to ensure that all patients receive timely appointments
5. Maintain electronic diaries for the team, make appointments, plan and organise arrangements within the office. This will necessitate the post holder being able to prioritise
6. Ensure all correspondence for the clinicians including clinical letters*, medico-legal reports, results, meeting minutes, IPRs etc are typed and dispatched promptly. *The post-holder will be required to support the medical transcription team by typing clinic letters for an agreed number of hours each week. During periods of high demand, secretaries will type departmental letters highlighted by clinicians as urgent. Departmental secretaries will ensure that all actions are completed in a timely manner and typed letters are printed and dispatched promptly.
7. To print off all inpatient urgent referrals from ICE and ensure that clinicians are aware the day they are received and that they are actioned and reported on that day
8. At the request of clinicians arrange any procedures required
9. Scan documents to Evolve as necessary
10. Undertake audit work as required, e.g. collection, checking and interpretation of statistical data and departmental information where appropriate Maintain databases and provide reports from the databases as required
11. Order and maintain non stock equipmen