Secretary/Administrator-Colorectal Nursing Team and STT Team

Job overview

We are recruiting for a Secretary/Administrator-Colorectal Nursing Team and STT Team who shares our vision to be trusted to provide consistently outstanding care and exemplary service to our patients.

To be responsible for the provision of an efficient, comprehensive personal assistant and administrative support service to the Consultant/s and any other members of their team/s.

The post holder will be required to work independently using their own initiative and must apply a high degree of confidentiality to all aspects of their work.

To undertake these duties without direct supervision, working within broad procedural guidelines.

Our Values are Include, Respect and Improve. It is important that you understand and refer to our values during your recruitment process and beyond

Main duties of the job

To provide the first point of reference for the Colorectal Specialist nurses and their team/s.

To support the straight to test team by booking colonoscopy and general admin

To deal efficiently with all patient enquiries by phone, letter or personal appearance, exercising initiative and tact with regard to action necessary. Ensure that all messages are relayed as quickly as possible to the consultant/s and their medical team/s. The Consultant/s or their medical team/s must make judgement regarding the critical nature of any case and results must not be given to patients or relatives without the Consultant’s/Nurses agreement. To deal with patients and relatives, exercising common sense and good judgement to analyse complex or antagonistic situations.

To maintain the Nurse’s diary, arranging domiciliary visits, booking appointments and organising meetings. If required, deal with medical representatives from drug companies, making appointments and ensuring the Consultant/s receives relevant information.

To receive blood test results, radiology and other investigative reports, presenting all results immediately to the medical team/s attention for their appraisal. Where requested by medical teams, regularly review office procedures to keep patients, relatives and GP’s informed of results and progress. Ensure results are filed correctly in patients’ notes following any action requested by medical team/s.

Working for our organisation

At East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, we are proud of the range of general & specialist services we provide & our 6,000 or so dedicated staff ensure our patients get the best care. Our ability to be flexible & innovative in the way in which we work and deliver our services to our catchment has never been more important than it is now.

We run the following hospitals:

• The Lister Hospital, Stevenage
• New Queen Elizabeth II (New QEII), Welwyn Garden City
• Hertford County, Hertford
• Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC), Northwood

We have ambitious plans to become an outstanding, patient-led Trust where dedicated staff provide high-quality, compassionate care to our patients. We continue to undergo significant transformation; our staff & patients are at the heart of delivering this ambitious agenda.

We understand that finding and starting a new job is an important life decision. If you need reasonable adjustments for a disability, or a life event, such as menopause - so that we can consider your application fairly & to get the best out of you during the selection process, please let us know.

We are committed to a positive work life balance for our employees. Employees are entitled to seek to work flexible working patterns & we are committed to listen and consider all requests. Such requests, of course, have to be made & considered formally, & will need to be balanced against service needs, but our starting point will always be to find ways to support making them happen.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification applicant pack for further detailed information regarding this role.

Person specificationQualifications / TrainingEssential criteria

• Educated to minimum GCSE level or equivalent
• RSA III Pitman or equivalent secretarial qualification
• In absence of AMSPAR, equivalent experience

Desirable criteria

• Evidence of continuing development AMSPAR Medical Secretary Diploma

Previous ExperienceEssential criteria

• Demonstrable secretarial and administrative experience
• Managing appointments and diaries
• Handling telephone enquiries

Desirable criteria

• NHS experience
• Patient administration experience
• Recent medical secretary

SkillsEssential criteria

• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Excellent verbal/written and interpersonal skills
• Excellent typing, keyboard and audiotyping skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Methodical and able to prioritise own workload
• Ability to adapt to change
• Ability to work well under pressure
• Confidentiality and sensitivity of approach
• Enthusiasm, Initiative and Flexibility
• Awareness of limitations of experience and role
• Well-presented application including relevant information for the job

Desirable criteria

• Comprehensive understanding of patient needs

KnowledgeEssential criteria

• Computer literacy including Word, Excel, Access & Email
• Internet literacy including research tools and outsourcing
• Medical terminology

Desirable criteria

• Organisational structures
• Lorenzo
• CIPTS or database knowledge

Other RequirementsEssential criteria

• Understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion
• Role model our Trust values every day

Our values

We want our staff to believe in, demonstrate and live our values in everything we do.

Include
We value the diversity and experience of our community colleagues and partners, creating relationships and climates that provide an opportunity to share, collaborate and grow together.

Respect
We create a safe environment where we are curious of the lived experience of others, seek out best practice and are open to listening and hearing new ideas.

Improve
We are committed to consistently delivering excellent services and continuously looking to improve through a creative workforce that feels empowered to act in service of our shared purpose.

Committed to our Community

East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion for all job applicants, staff, patients and the wider community. We want to create a workforce which represents the communities we serve. We are on a journey to become a more inclusive organisation and we welcome applications from everyone regardless of their background. In particular we encourage applications from candidates with disabilities, and candidates from Black, Asian and Minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds who are currently under-represented in various parts of our workforce .

We understand the importance of balancing work and home life. We are committed to support flexible working for our staff wherever possible and all our employees are given the opportunity to discuss potential for flexible working.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and achieved our status in 2019.

We will remove barriers that prospective candidates might face at any stage of our recruitment process. If you have a disability and would like the advert in an alternative format, or would like to talk about how we can adjust the interview process to best support you, please contact us by emailing resourcing.enh-tr@nhs.net

We are also proud to support our UK armed forces by supporting Reservists, Cadet Instructors, Veterans and military spouses/partners into employment and offering supportive policies that value their contribution to the community and to our Trust.

We are committed to being a carer-friendly environment, addressing the complex needs of families with caring responsibilities. In partnership with Carers in Hertfordshire, all our working carers have access to support from recruitment. We are also a member of Carers UK, providing resources to make balancing work and caring easier. Our approach is inclusive, recognizing diverse challenges and creating a supportive environment where carers feel valued.

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