Job summary An exciting opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated, calm and methodical team player to become a medical secretary and provide essential administration within the Department of Ophthalmology which is part of the Surgical Directorate. We are currently recruiting for a full-time Medical Secretary for which the nominal base will be at Darlington Memorial Hospital and working days can be determined at interview; offering both agile and flexible working following a period of training. Working in a friendly team, our Medical secretaries are an excellent resource, ensuring Consultants have all the administrative support they require. The Department of Ophthalmology is a friendly, supportive, busy but a welcoming directorate. Main duties of the job Full Range of secretarial duties to the Ophthalmology Team Audio Typing First point of contact to the patients Track & trace investigations in order to meet 18 week pathway requirement About us If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes. We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented From April 1 2024 we are unable to offer sponsorship for healthcare roles that do not meet the minimum salary, If you are in the UK on a VISA please ensure you have no restrictions that would prevent you from taking this post. Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents Date posted 28 October 2024 Pay scheme Agenda for change Band Band 3 Salary £24,071 to £25,674 a year Contract Permanent Working pattern Full-time Reference number C9439-24-1097 Job locations Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust Hollyhurst Road Darlington County Durham DL3 6HX Job description Job responsibilities ADDITIONAL TO BAND 2 SECRETARIAL SUPPORT OFFICER To provide a full range of confidential secretarial/administrative support to supporting clinical staff, working with minimal supervision To undertake typing and distribution of clinical and other patient-related and general correspondence, dictated by Consultants and supporting clinical staff, to achieve Trust standards of accuracy and timeliness To be the point of contact for staff, patients and others within and outside the organisation, responding to external and internal telephone enquiries, taking appropriate and timely action required, including making appointments, giving non-clinical advice, onward referral to relevant department etc To receive and respond to internal and external correspondence, taking appropriate and timely action as required, in accordance with Trust and/or departmental standards and processes To book investigations and any necessary follow-up appointments, as directed by clinical staff, ensuring test results are presented to medical staff on receipt, where these are not available electronically To maintain accurate patient and GP details on the Trusts central and local Patient Administration and Clinical Systems, as required To ensure patient information is bar-coded correctly for scanning into the electronic clinical document management system (ECDMS) To manage electronic diaries, as required To support arrangement of on call rotas, as required To organise meetings, including arranging venues, preparing agendas, collating and issuing papers and attending for taking and production of minutes, as required To operate efficient and up-to-date administrative systems and processes for all office tasks To maintain accurate and timely data entry to databases to meet service requirements To prioritise own workload to meet the needs of the patients and Consultants and ensure all deadlines are met To support new and/or less experienced staff, as directed by line manager/head of service To provide cover as required during absence of colleagues Job description Job responsibilities ADDITIONAL TO BAND 2 SECRETARIAL SUPPORT OFFICER To provide a full range of confidential secretarial/administrative support to supporting clinical staff, working with minimal supervision To undertake typing and distribution of clinical and other patient-related and general correspondence, dictated by Consultants and supporting clinical staff, to achieve Trust standards of accuracy and timeliness To be the point of contact for staff, patients and others within and outside the organisation, responding to external and internal telephone enquiries, taking appropriate and timely action required, including making appointments, giving non-clinical advice, onward referral to relevant department etc To receive and respond to internal and external correspondence, taking appropriate and timely action as required, in accordance with Trust and/or departmental standards and processes To book investigations and any necessary follow-up appointments, as directed by clinical staff, ensuring test results are presented to medical staff on receipt, where these are not available electronically To maintain accurate patient and GP details on the Trusts central and local Patient Administration and Clinical Systems, as required To ensure patient information is bar-coded correctly for scanning into the electronic clinical document management system (ECDMS) To manage electronic diaries, as required To support arrangement of on call rotas, as required To organise meetings, including arranging venues, preparing agendas, collating and issuing papers and attending for taking and production of minutes, as required To operate efficient and up-to-date administrative systems and processes for all office tasks To maintain accurate and timely data entry to databases to meet service requirements To prioritise own workload to meet the needs of the patients and Consultants and ensure all deadlines are met To support new and/or less experienced staff, as directed by line manager/head of service To provide cover as required during absence of colleagues Person Specification Special Skills and Knowledge Essential Good standard of general education Keyboarding/typing qualification equivalent to RSA 3/OCR Advanced text/word processing or equivalent proven typing skills to a high standard (or working towards) Educated to at least NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration (or working towards) Understanding of medical terminology Experience of Bespoke/Therapeutic clinic management Advanced knowledge of Microsoft excel spreadsheets Ability to use own initiative and work with minimal supervision Good interpersonal skills Experience Essential Good standard of general education Keyboarding/typing qualification equivalent to RSA 3/OCR Advanced text/word processing or equivalent proven typing skills to a high standard (or working towards) Educated to at least NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration (or working towards) Understanding of medical terminology Experience of Bespoke/Therapeutic clinic management Advanced knowledge of Microsoft excel spreadsheets Qualifications Essential Good standard of general education Keyboarding/typing qualification equivalent to RSA 3/OCR Advanced text/word processing or equivalent proven typing skills to a high standard (or working towards) Educated to at least NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration (or working towards) Understanding of medical terminology Experience of Bespoke/Therapeutic clinic management Advanced knowledge of Microsoft excel spreadsheets Special Requirements Essential Ability to travel independently across the County to fulfil the requirements of the post. Person Specification Special Skills and Knowledge Essential Good standard of general education Keyboarding/typing qualification equivalent to RSA 3/OCR Advanced text/word processing or equivalent proven typing skills to a high standard (or working towards) Educated to at least NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration (or working towards) Understanding of medical terminology Experience of Bespoke/Therapeutic clinic management Advanced knowledge of Microsoft excel spreadsheets Ability to use own initiative and work with minimal supervision Good interpersonal skills Experience Essential Good standard of general education Keyboarding/typing qualification equivalent to RSA 3/OCR Advanced text/word processing or equivalent proven typing skills to a high standard (or working towards) Educated to at least NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration (or working towards) Understanding of medical terminology Experience of Bespoke/Therapeutic clinic management Advanced knowledge of Microsoft excel spreadsheets Qualifications Essential Good standard of general education Keyboarding/typing qualification equivalent to RSA 3/OCR Advanced text/word processing or equivalent proven typing skills to a high standard (or working towards) Educated to at least NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration (or working towards) Understanding of medical terminology Experience of Bespoke/Therapeutic clinic management Advanced knowledge of Microsoft excel spreadsheets Special Requirements Essential Ability to travel independently across the County to fulfil the requirements of the post. 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). Additional information 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). Employer details Employer name County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust Address Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust Hollyhurst Road Darlington County Durham DL3 6HX Employer's website https://www.cddft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)