Job vacancy: Personal Medical Secretary, Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Prescot

Job summary

Main area: Administration
Grade: NHS AfC: Band 4
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref: 409-TH6095554-B

Employer: Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: Whiston Hospital
Town: Prescot
Salary: £26,530 - £29,114 Per Annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 01/12/2024 23:59
Interview date: 11/12/2024

Personal Medical Secretary

NHS AfC: Band 4

After applying via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into our preferred Third-party recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs. You will not be able to track the progress of your application or receive messages through the NHS Jobs website, and furthermore, as an employer, we will not be able to respond to any e-mails sent to us via the NHS Jobs website. By applying for this post you are agreeing to "name of trust" transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are appointed to a post information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

KEY DUTIES

To provide a comprehensive service to the Consultant and Speciality Team including nurse clinicians.
Keep diary up to date, arrange appointments, and arrange travel and accommodation.
Operate an effective bring forward system and filing system.
Type dictation from audio transcription of clinical correspondence and documentation, ensuring all letter and workflow processes are adhered to and Standard Operating Procedures are followed.
Type discharge summaries as appropriate.
Check against clinical letters to ensure appropriate follow up arrangements/investigations are in place. Rectify if not.
To manage and maintain 18-week pathways including Tertiary Referrals to external Trusts and ensure these are completed on the PAS system. Keep track of referrals to ensure patient is reviewed promptly. Check that follows up appointments are arranged in conjunction with Referral To Treat (RTT) patient pathway.
Support Consultant in non-clinical activities/Clinical Director role by preparing presentation documents using relevant packages and arranging meetings, circulate agenda/supporting papers as appropriate, and taking minutes at meetings.
Ensure appropriate personnel are informed of consultant annual/study leave. Amend clinic/theatre lists/forms appropriately. Keep Consultants informed of junior doctor leave could have an effect on the service.
Manage on-call rotas in absence of Rota Co-ordinator when requested, ensuring that annual/study leave and sickness do not compromise the smooth running and the department. Liaise with Medical Staffing to arrange locum cover. If emergency need is requested by members of clinical team ensure this is covered accordingly liaising closely with Clinical Director.
Preparation of departmental induction and teaching programme for junior doctors/students taking an active part in departmental induction.
Arrange planned patient admission to Hospital liaising with the appropriate ward and admissions department.
Ensure Consultants are up to date with mandatory training/appraisals and ensure information is updated on the system.
Ensure sickness/absence and annual leave of clinical staff is reported on the system.
Assist with the investigation and compilation of responses to complaints, helping to ensure this is done within the optimum deadlines set by the Trust.
Work from initiative using own judgment, acquired knowledge and tact to deal with queries and resolve situations or referring to appropriate person.
Deal with enquiries either on the telephone or face to face from patients, consultants, junior doctors and colleagues in an appropriate manner.
Ensure all correspondence relating to patient care is acted upon in a timely manner and that investigations are signed by Consultants or team and are dealt with in accordance with Trust policy.
Cross reference invoices against investigations completed at external sites. Prepare any claims for reimbursement for consultant activities.
Accurate check of demographics using the Patient Administration System (PAS), including registration screen to check patient details are correct.
Maintain effective track on inpatient referrals to ensue patient is reviewed promptly.
Receive new referral letters and ensure they are dated and triaged in a timely manner. Liaise with appointments and patients to book appointments accordingly. Check monthly breach lists.
Receive cash/cheque donations to Trust; provide receipt/letter of confirmation.
Assist with audit/research data collection as required.
Obtain information requested by Administration Services Manager as and when required.
Be able to work as part of a team, promote effective flows in the department to cover leave to ensure office runs smoothly.
Train new and junior members of the team within own work area as required by Administration Services Co-ordinator.
General office duties including dealing with incoming and outgoing mail, e-mail, fax, photocopying. Participate in housekeeping of the office environment.
Attend appropriate training and education sessions at the request of manager.
Work with co-ordinators to review working practices, ways of working and find solutions to problems.
Implement policies and procedures for own areas.
Order stationery for own areas when required.
To work in a flexible manner in accordance with the Trust Policy.
Any other duties required by Line Manager

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

GCSE level C (level 4-9) or equivalent in English and Maths
RSA 3 – Typing / Word Processing
RSA 3 – Medical Audio Typing
Good English Language Skills
Medical Terminology

Desirable criteria

Shorthand / Speed Writing
Secretarial Diploma
ECDL
CLAIT Award

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria

Minute taking
Microsoft Office experience
Ability to work as part of a team
Previous Medical Secretary experience
Medical Audio Typing

Desirable criteria

Experience in a similar role or equivalent knowledge

Skills

Essential criteria

Excellent IT skills
Excellent organisational skills
Ability to communicate professionally at all levels
Excellent Word Processing and Keyboard skills
Ability to organise workload effectively and prioritise
Use of all Microsoft Office software, Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint
Ability to use initiative to solve problems
Highly developed interpersonal skills

Desirable criteria

Knowledge of Trust computer systems

Other

Essential criteria

Ability to use own initiative and work independently
Capability to adapt to most situations
Reliable and conscientious
Ability to maintain control of stressful situations

Desirable criteria

Comply with Trust policies and procedures at all times
Ability and willingness to undergo further training for the post

Thank you for considering an application to work for Mersey West Lancashire NHS Trust. You are part of an exciting and forward-thinking NHS Trust who are one of the best places to work for in England.

Given sometimes we receive a high volume of applications to work for us, please be aware, that we may close a vacancy earlier than stated should a sufficient number of applications be received from which a shortlist can be confirmed. Therefore, you are advised to apply at your earliest convenience.

The Trust may contact you during the recruitment process for your feedback on your experience. We always aim for continuous improvement in our practice.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

We actively cultivate a professional environment of fairness, equality, dignity, and respect for all individuals. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds and value the unique skills, perspective and experience you bring. We are grounded in the belief that diversity enhances our collective strength, fostering innovation and excellence within our workforce. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we commit to offering an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.

If you are having difficulty completing an online application, or require any disability reasonable adjustments, to the application process, please contact [email protected]

We also commit to offering an interview to all armed forces veterans who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.

The Trust operates anonymous shortlisting where no personal information about you, including your name or personal details are shared with the recruiting manager. No equality information is shared at any time during the recruitment process with the recruiting manager or other people involved in the decision-making process.

The equality monitoring information you provide is used in the following situations: to review our recruitment practices; where a job is limited to a specific person to verify their eligibility to apply; and to offer disability reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Following the recent update on UK immigration policy for those on a Health and Care Visa or Skilled Worker Visa, please click here to check your eligibility before applying for this post as we may be unable to provide sponsorship.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

If this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Please note if applicable, applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment.

If you have not already done so, you are therefore encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service to which a small annual fee of £13 per year applies.

Flexible Working

We actively support flexible working patterns throughout MWL. Changes made to the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook mean that:

· All employees have the right to request flexible working from day one of employment.

· There is no limit on the number of requests they can make.

· Employees have the right to make requests, have them considered, regardless of the reason.

At Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, we will consider requests for flexible working. We would also encourage you to also discuss flexible working options at interview stage.

Working for Team MWL

Staff recognition is especially important to us; as well as performance reviews and appraisals, we recognise staff through Employee of the month. Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.

The Trust is a non-smoking across all our sites. Failure to follow this rule could lead to disciplinary action. For more information, see the Smoke Free NHS website

You must ensure that your application, including personal statements and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

The Trust will not accept applications which are found to be AI generated.

Additional Information

Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trusts Values and Behaviours which are We are KIND, We are OPEN, We are INCLUSIVE, which can be found here.

An applicant guide to help and support you with your application and what to expect during your recruitment journey can be accessed in the supporting documents.

Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team MWL very soon.