Job vacancy: Administrative Assistant, 279 University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, Brighton

Job summary

Main area: Administration
Grade: Band 3
Contract: 1 year (Fixed Term/Secondment)
Hours: Full time - 37 hours per week
Job ref: 279-7072241-APR25

Employer: 279 University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: Sussex House
Town: Brighton
Salary: £24,625 - £25,674 per anum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 06/05/2025 23:59

Administrative Assistant

Band 3

About our Trust

At UHSussex we’re proud to be at the heart of the NHS. As one of the UK’s largest acute Trusts, we’re a leading example of the excellence, the ambition and the values that have embodied the NHS for over 70 years.

Our hard-working, talented and dedicated people work together towards a common goal – to always put our Patient First . In fact our mission is summed up by our ‘where better never stops’ motto and you will play a part in driving us forwards and in improving the lives of patients across Sussex.

At UHSussex, diversity is our strength, and we want you to feel included to help us always put the Patient First. Your uniqueness and experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of Staff Networks to help break down barriers, and can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) and a Veteran Aware Trust.

We treat our patients and staff with the same compassion and empathy we expect for ourselves. We’re here for them when they need us, and we go above and beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in our Wellbeing Programme for staff which is extensive and designed to support you when you need it, including where possible, flexible working to support work life balance - because we know that to look after others we must first look after ourselves.

As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research, we value learning, teaching and training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us and throughout your career we will help you to grow and develop. We hope that in choosing UHSussex you are choosing a long and happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make and feel valued for all that you do.

We look forward to receiving your application and the start of your journey with UHSussex.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical

Receives reports from ophthalmologists and assesses these to ensure appropriate action is taken within appropriate timescales.

Management

Adheres to unit protocols and policies.

Leadership

Act as role model and advisor to less experienced staff.
Advises retinal screener/graders when they are undertaking office duties.

Communication

Deals with telephone enquiries from patients and GP surgeries and makes assessment of action required.
Offers advice to patients as to whether or not they should be attending screening clinics, working within National Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (NDESP) guidance.
Imparts complex information to patients and employs influencing skills to help persuade reticent patients to attend clinics.
Writes specific letters to patients and their GP’s addressing their individual needs as necessary.
Liaises with GP surgeries and deals with enquiries about appointments, referrals and results.
Works closely with other administrators to ensure efficient delivery of the service.
Liaises with retinal screeners on a daily basis.
Liaises with administrative staff at the Sussex Eye Hospital and 3 other referral centres with regard to treatment and follow up of screening patients.
Attends unit meetings to ensure effective communication of unit/Trust issues.

Administrative

Performs general administrative duties for Retinopathy Screening as determined by the Office Manager and Admin Failsafe Team Leader.
Implements policies on day-to-day basis and suggests changes to these to reflect the needs of the service and patients as required.
Deals appropriately with patients who DNA, ensuring follow up.
Ensures appointment letters and results letters are sent in accordance with times and dates agreed on the telephone and within timelines set out by the NDESP.
Enters data from GP referrals and validates that patient is new to the system. Checks for ophthalmic treatment history.
Ensures patients are invited for screening within the time guidelines of the NDESP.
Runs data enquiries in computer software and moves results into spreadsheet to extract appropriate information.
Identifies those patients on central register who require annual re-call.
Checks and validates patient contact details and status within screening programme using NHS Spine and Hospital patient admin system as necessary before annual recall.

Training and Education

Participate in the local induction programme for new staff.
Undertakes training to meet requirements of national service specification.
Attend local, regional and national meetings as required.

Audit and Research

Assists Office Manager and Admin/Failsafe Team Leader with audits as required.

Personal and Professional Development

Be active in enhancing own personal knowledge and self-development.
Attend mandatory and statutory training as required.
Attend relevant education, training and study days as required.

Other Role-Specific Duties

Carry out any other reasonable duties commensurate with the role and delegated or requested by the manager or supervisor, as the needs of the service require.
The job description and person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the ward or department and the Trust.

Person specification

shortlisting

Essential criteria

5GSCE

Desirable criteria

Understanding of the English National Diabetic Eye Screening Programme

Experience

Essential criteria

5 GSCE

Desirable criteria

Experience in a healthcare setting – Previous administrative experience within the NHS or a similar healthcare environment.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

Essential criteria

Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (
Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues

Important information for applicants:

Please note, the use of AI generated applications will be closely monitored. It is at the managers discretion to reject your application if they feel the majority has been created through the use of AI tools.

Closing Adverts Early: In the event of exceptional interest, we may close adverts earlier than specified.

Some of our adverts are capped for a limited number of applications; therefore, the advert will close once the cap has been reached. We therefore encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible if you are interested in the position to prevent you from missing out on applying for the opportunity.

Flexible Working: If you would like to explore potential options regarding flexible working please speak with the appropriate recruiting/line manager.

DBS Checks: As part of our commitment to a safe working environment, we undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check on all new employees where the role is eligible for a criminal record check . We make offers in line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1975.

Skilled Worker Visa: Applications for Skilled Worker sponsorship are welcome for the roles that meet the Visa and Immigrations eligibility criteria. For further information please visit the gov.uk website searching for Skilled Worker. It is your responsibility as the applicant to ensure that you meet this criteria.

UHSussex reserves the right to close the role early if we receive a high volume of applications

Further Information

For help with the application process for Nursing vacancies, please email [email protected].

For help with the application process for Non-Nursing vacancies, please email [email protected].