Job summary An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Secretary/Theatre Scheduler role in the department of Congenital Cardiac Surgery, operating within a highly complex, busy environment, working both independently and as part of a team which prides itself on good team working. The individual should be patient- focused, professional and flexible in their approach to work and have excellent communication skills. On behalf of the consultants to whom you are responsible, you will manage the flow of patients referred into the department, ensuring procedures and/or appointments are booked in a timely manner. The job involves a lot of patient contact, mainly on the phone, where, in conjunction with other team members, you look after patients on the surgical waiting list, monitoring their progress and helping to ensure as smooth and pleasant a surgical pathway as possible. This is an interesting and varied job with a predominant surgical scheduler component and a secretarial one. The congenital cardiac surgical services at Leeds Teaching Hospitals is a supra regional specialist service, covering a 5.5 million population in Yorkshire, Humberside and northern Trent. The surgical service works very closely together, and is co-located with, the paediatric and adult congenitalcardiac department. Expected Shortlisting Date: 18/11/2024 Planned Interview Date: 26/11/2024 Main duties of the job The main duties of this role are to support the surgical scheduling and waiting list management of all our congenital cardiac patients. This includes neonates, paediatric and adult patients. The job entails, scheduling, booking operations and liaising with patients from Leeds and beyond, and includes managing waiting lists to ensure patients are scheduled according to clinical priority and chronology, meeting trust targets where possible and escalating any issues or concerns to clinicians and management. This post necessitates speaking to patients over the phone and sometimes relaying difficult information, such as cancellation of a procedure, where patience, empathy and resilience is necessary .A physical presence in the office is extremely important in order to respond quickly and effectively to changes in the operating schedule. About us Leeds Childrens Hospital covers 27 medical and surgical specialties and is one of the largest specialist children's hospitals in the country. We have over 20 inpatient wards, employ over 800 nurses and last year held over 170,000 outpatient appointments and treated over 25,000 surgical patients both electively/non-electively. Leeds Teaching Hospitals is currently embarking on one of the largest and most high-profile investment, transformation and regeneration programmes in the city and the wider region. Its Building the Leeds Way Programme aims to transform healthcare for patients in Leeds and the wider region. The investment Programme include the construction of two new hospitals at the Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) site one for adults and the other a brand state of the art Childrens Hospital for Leeds and the surrounding region. Leeds Teaching Hospitals is committed to our process of redeploying 'at risk' members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all our job adverts are subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or remove adverts while this process is completed. If you do experience a delay in the shortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle, please bear with us while this process is completed, and contact the named contact if you have any questions. Date posted 22 October 2024 Pay scheme Agenda for change Band Band 4 Salary £26,530 to £29,114 a year Contract Permanent Working pattern Full-time, Flexible working Reference number C9298-CHI-0307 Job locations Leeds General Infirmary Great George Street Leeds LS1 3EX Job description Job responsibilities Senior Medical Secretary role In managing diaries for the clinical team the post holder will be expected to co-ordinate the cancellation or alternative provision of outpatient and inpatient activity ensuring the communication meets Trust targets where appropriate and escalating to the PSC/Business Manager in cases where the cancellation of clinical activity may prevent national targets from being met. Managing and prioritising departmental workload on a day-to-day basis. Ensuring all phone calls are answered within the department during core office hours Opening and dealing with departmental post Monitoring turnaround times for clinical correspondence and taking corrective action as required, in conjunction with the assistant PSC/PSC, in order to meet 5-day turnaround standard. Providing PSC/Business Manager and Consultant staff with relevant information relating to administrative service. Take minutes at secretarial staff meetings and attending other administrative meetings as required. Responsible for ensuring office equipment is in working order and escalating to the PSC where appropriate. Taking phone calls and covering departmental phones when required. Co-ordination of annual leave for consultants, liaising with the Business Manager for approval and then completing the necessary documentation to organise the cancellation of outpatient activity as required. Diary management for consultant staff including organising meetings, preparing meeting paperwork and taking minutes as required. Organising travel arrangements for consultant staff if required Administration duties to support departmental clinical audit and clinical governance where required, such as the collation of information for reports. Other general administrative duties that may be required to fulfil the role. Scan documents when required and add onto PPM Type from general departmental pool. Type up monthly consultant rota and send out as appropriate. Surgical scheduling role On a regular basis to review relevant waiting time reports (e.g.18-week reports) for the Consultants responsible for ensuring in all cases that the next steps for the patient are identified and booked. Where this is not possible to liaise with the Business Manager/PSC for appropriate action to be undertaken. To liaise with the MDT co-ordinator regarding patients allocated for surgery. To support the clinical teams in the delivery of excellent patient care by actively working with colleagues and other Departments to ensure that all patients registered within the service are proactively supported through their patient journey (This would include but is not limited to: liaising with the relevant MDT teams about fast track patients and escalating clinically urgent patients to the relevant staff groups for action where required). Deal directly with patient enquiries on behalf of consultant/clinical team. Liaise with specialist nurses/pre-assessment team to arrange pre-assessments for surgical patients and to escalate any issues whilst on the surgical waiting list. Arrange surgical outpatient appointments for patients who are selected to proceed with surgery and ensure they are correctly booked and coded within PAS. Regularly monitor and validate all acute patients waiting for surgery and escalate to clinicians/PSC/Business manager if necessary. Regularly monitor active surgical waiting list and active monitoring lists on PAS ensuring that patients are on the correct lists and that information is regularly updated. Book surgical patients onto the Theatre Management system in the appropriate theatres under the correct surgeon and amend when necessary. Type Surgical Operation notes and Surgical outpatient clinic letter on Epro following trust targets of a 5-day turnaround. Contact patients regarding any cancellations or amendments to surgery dates, using compassion when relaying upsetting information and maintaining regular contact to arrange new dates, ensuring continued monitoring of dental work needed, forthcoming exams, holidays and unexpected illnesses etc. Prepare and attend a weekly scheduling meeting with a view to scheduling patients from the waiting list, rebooking cancelled patients, raise any queries/concerns that have arisen from other colleagues or patients throughout the week. Populate a forthcoming surgical planning diary and ensure it is kept accurate at all times, updating where necessary. Inform wards and any other department necessary of pending surgery date and patient details. Ensure all cancellations are recorded accurately on PAS, new dates are given within trust guidelines and all relevant staff are informed of cancellation reasons. Job description Job responsibilities Senior Medical Secretary role In managing diaries for the clinical team the post holder will be expected to co-ordinate the cancellation or alternative provision of outpatient and inpatient activity ensuring the communication meets Trust targets where appropriate and escalating to the PSC/Business Manager in cases where the cancellation of clinical activity may prevent national targets from being met. Managing and prioritising departmental workload on a day-to-day basis. Ensuring all phone calls are answered within the department during core office hours Opening and dealing with departmental post Monitoring turnaround times for clinical correspondence and taking corrective action as required, in conjunction with the assistant PSC/PSC, in order to meet 5-day turnaround standard. Providing PSC/Business Manager and Consultant staff with relevant information relating to administrative service. Take minutes at secretarial staff meetings and attending other administrative meetings as required. Responsible for ensuring office equipment is in working order and escalating to the PSC where appropriate. Taking phone calls and covering departmental phones when required. Co-ordination of annual leave for consultants, liaising with the Business Manager for approval and then completing the necessary documentation to organise the cancellation of outpatient activity as required. Diary management for consultant staff including organising meetings, preparing meeting paperwork and taking minutes as required. Organising travel arrangements for consultant staff if required Administration duties to support departmental clinical audit and clinical governance where required, such as the collation of information for reports. Other general administrative duties that may be required to fulfil the role. Scan documents when required and add onto PPM Type from general departmental pool. Type up monthly consultant rota and send out as appropriate. Surgical scheduling role On a regular basis to review relevant waiting time reports (e.g.18-week reports) for the Consultants responsible for ensuring in all cases that the next steps for the patient are identified and booked. Where this is not possible to liaise with the Business Manager/PSC for appropriate action to be undertaken. To liaise with the MDT co-ordinator regarding patients allocated for surgery. To support the clinical teams in the delivery of excellent patient care by actively working with colleagues and other Departments to ensure that all patients registered within the service are proactively supported through their patient journey (This would include but is not limited to: liaising with the relevant MDT teams about fast track patients and escalating clinically urgent patients to the relevant staff groups for action where required). Deal directly with patient enquiries on behalf of consultant/clinical team. Liaise with specialist nurses/pre-assessment team to arrange pre-assessments for surgical patients and to escalate any issues whilst on the surgical waiting list. Arrange surgical outpatient appointments for patients who are selected to proceed with surgery and ensure they are correctly booked and coded within PAS. Regularly monitor and validate all acute patients waiting for surgery and escalate to clinicians/PSC/Business manager if necessary. Regularly monitor active surgical waiting list and active monitoring lists on PAS ensuring that patients are on the correct lists and that information is regularly updated. Book surgical patients onto the Theatre Management system in the appropriate theatres under the correct surgeon and amend when necessary. Type Surgical Operation notes and Surgical outpatient clinic letter on Epro following trust targets of a 5-day turnaround. Contact patients regarding any cancellations or amendments to surgery dates, using compassion when relaying upsetting information and maintaining regular contact to arrange new dates, ensuring continued monitoring of dental work needed, forthcoming exams, holidays and unexpected illnesses etc. Prepare and attend a weekly scheduling meeting with a view to scheduling patients from the waiting list, rebooking cancelled patients, raise any queries/concerns that have arisen from other colleagues or patients throughout the week. Populate a forthcoming surgical planning diary and ensure it is kept accurate at all times, updating where necessary. Inform wards and any other department necessary of pending surgery date and patient details. Ensure all cancellations are recorded accurately on PAS, new dates are given within trust guidelines and all relevant staff are informed of cancellation reasons. Person Specification Experience Essential Experience in a healthcare environment in a medical secretary or scheduler role Coordinating and managing a busy workload A good understanding of the principles of data quality Using a variety of Microsoft office packages including word, excel, powerpoint and email Using Trust based information systems such as PAS/PPM/Epro/TMS Experience understanding trust reports (18 weeks or other time tracking PTL reports) Direct contact with patients either face to face or by telephone Experience using EproScrik Using PAS for a variety of actions such as organising outpatient appointments or adding to inpatient waiting lists Desirable Using Microsoft Access Organising pre-assessment appointments Organising travel Diary management Qualifications Essential GCSE Grade C or above (or equivalent e.g. AMSPAR Level 2 qualification) English and Maths Audio typing/word processing skills (RSA III) or equivalent experience Skills & behaviours Essential Interpersonal and communication skills Organisational and time management skills Understanding of patient/customer focus A detailed understanding of relevant Trust policies and procedures in particular the Complaints/PALS procedures Team working Customer care skills - verbal and oral to support dealing with patient queries Tact and diplomacy in handling sensitive and confidential information Knowledge and application of the Data Protection Act in relation to patient confidentiality and the appropriate care of patient information Understanding of relevant Trust standards and National Waiting Time Standards e.g. 5 day turnaround of clinical correspondence, 18 week wait for patients Using different IT systems to make an assessment of where a patient is in their pathway and the resulting steps required to progress that patient through their journey Able to work flexibly and amend surgical procedures at short notice whilst always maintaining a professional and empathetic attitude towards patients Desirable An understanding of medical careers and junior doctor rotation An understanding of the cardiac anatomy and the types of surgery required Person Specification Experience Essential Experience in a healthcare environment in a medical secretary or scheduler role Coordinating and managing a busy workload A good understanding of the principles of data quality Using a variety of Microsoft office packages including word, excel, powerpoint and email Using Trust based information systems such as PAS/PPM/Epro/TMS Experience understanding trust reports (18 weeks or other time tracking PTL reports) Direct contact with patients either face to face or by telephone Experience using EproScrik Using PAS for a variety of actions such as organising outpatient appointments or adding to inpatient waiting lists Desirable Using Microsoft Access Organising pre-assessment appointments Organising travel Diary management Qualifications Essential GCSE Grade C or above (or equivalent e.g. AMSPAR Level 2 qualification) English and Maths Audio typing/word processing skills (RSA III) or equivalent experience Skills & behaviours Essential Interpersonal and communication skills Organisational and time management skills Understanding of patient/customer focus A detailed understanding of relevant Trust policies and procedures in particular the Complaints/PALS procedures Team working Customer care skills - verbal and oral to support dealing with patient queries Tact and diplomacy in handling sensitive and confidential information Knowledge and application of the Data Protection Act in relation to patient confidentiality and the appropriate care of patient information Understanding of relevant Trust standards and National Waiting Time Standards e.g. 5 day turnaround of clinical correspondence, 18 week wait for patients Using different IT systems to make an assessment of where a patient is in their pathway and the resulting steps required to progress that patient through their journey Able to work flexibly and amend surgical procedures at short notice whilst always maintaining a professional and empathetic attitude towards patients Desirable An understanding of medical careers and junior doctor rotation An understanding of the cardiac anatomy and the types of surgery required Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such 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. Employer details Employer name Leeds Teaching Hospitals Address Leeds General Infirmary Great George Street Leeds LS1 3EX Employer's website https://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)