Job summary The post holder will work as a member of University Hospitals Bristol & Weston and be responsible for providing an efficient and effective secretarial service for clinical teams within Gastroenterology and Hepatology, based at the Bristol Royal Infirmary. You will act as a point of contact to help and support colleagues and the team. The Senior Medical Secretary is, therefore, responsible for setting high standards of patient care by enacting the Trust's values at all times. The role of Senior Medical Secretary involves the pro-active achievement of all key performance indicators relating to NHS clinical correspondence targets, workload distribution and daily performance monitoring across the specialty. The role holder will also lead on specific projects and tasks for the relevant clinical or management team as required. Main duties of the job Communication: To act as a point of contact for queries from clinical and non-clinical staff Liaise via telephone and email with other clinical/clerical teams to action urgent appointments or procedures where necessary and ensure that all relevant departments are notified accordingly Act as a point of contact for patients, relatives and carers. The post holder should be polite and empathetic to the patient's needs at all times and be able to communicate effectively when dealing with difficult situations/conversation Patient Care: Show a caring and professional approach towards patients, relatives and carers. This may require acting with resilience to deal with sometimes distressed patients and relatives in a professional and empathetic manne Organising and Planning: Checking and sorting investigation reports and passing information on to clinical team as required To carry out associated clerical duties, for example maintaining accurate filing systems, receiving post, diary management and scanning patient notes if required Attend appropriate meetings, training and briefing sessions and take notes as required for feedback to colleagues or formal minutes To gain a working understanding of other specialties in order to provide cover for other secretaries in times of sickness or annual leave and undertake any duties deemed reasonable by your line manager About us University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) is one of the largest acute Trusts in the country, bringing together a combined workforce of over 13,000 staff and over 100 different clinical services across 10 different sites, serving a core population of more than 500,000 people across South West England. UHBW has been rated by the CQC as 'Good' overall and our staff are proud to deliver excellent care to the people of Bristol, Weston and beyond. As a forward-thinking multi-award winning Trust and a digital exemplar committed to improving patient care, our world-leading research and innovations are having a positive local and global impact. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone's throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer. UHBW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we're meeting our pledge. Date posted 25 October 2024 Pay scheme Agenda for change Band Band 4 Salary £26,530 to £29,114 a year pa pro rata Contract Fixed term Duration 10 months Working pattern Full-time, Home or remote working Reference number 387-M-3085-IB Job locations Bristol Royal Infirmary Upper Maudlin St. Bristol BS2 8HW Job description Job responsibilities For a more detailed job description, main responsibilities, and person specification, please refer to the job description document attached to this vacancy. Job description Job responsibilities For a more detailed job description, main responsibilities, and person specification, please refer to the job description document attached to this vacancy. Person Specification Qualifications and Training Essential Educated to GCSE, grade C or above (or equivalent) in English Language and Maths Qualified in word processing or audio typing (or equivalent) Business and Administration Level 3 NVQ or equivalent experience Knowledge and Experience Essential Clerical/administrative experience/Secretarial Understanding of specialist medical terminology Experience of dealing with the public, both on the telephone and in person Knowledge of NHS policies and/or procedures Desirable Previous NHS experience Skills and Abilities Essential Effective and polite manner when dealing with people, both face to face and on the phone Able to work under pressure and meet deadlines whilst maintaining a high standard of Accuracy Ability to work effectively in a busy team, adjust to change and motivate others Ability to work independently, managing own workload, whilst providing supervision and support to others Confidence to handle difficult conversations with patients, relatives and carers Ability to adapt to use new computer packages and programmes Effective organisational skills Good IT skills including Microsoft packages Attention to detail Ability to deal with non-routine issues on own initiative Person Specification Qualifications and Training Essential Educated to GCSE, grade C or above (or equivalent) in English Language and Maths Qualified in word processing or audio typing (or equivalent) Business and Administration Level 3 NVQ or equivalent experience Knowledge and Experience Essential Clerical/administrative experience/Secretarial Understanding of specialist medical terminology Experience of dealing with the public, both on the telephone and in person Knowledge of NHS policies and/or procedures Desirable Previous NHS experience Skills and Abilities Essential Effective and polite manner when dealing with people, both face to face and on the phone Able to work under pressure and meet deadlines whilst maintaining a high standard of Accuracy Ability to work effectively in a busy team, adjust to change and motivate others Ability to work independently, managing own workload, whilst providing supervision and support to others Confidence to handle difficult conversations with patients, relatives and carers Ability to adapt to use new computer packages and programmes Effective organisational skills Good IT skills including Microsoft packages Attention to detail Ability to deal with non-routine issues on own initiative 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. 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 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. 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 University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) Address Bristol Royal Infirmary Upper Maudlin St. Bristol BS2 8HW Employer's website https://www.uhbw.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)