Job summary Our Medical Secretary will provide comprehensive and high quality secretarial, administrative and clerical support to the Rheumatology department ensuring an effective and efficient service is delivered.They will support the Admin Team Leader to undertake change management andensure that patients are treated with courtesy, dignity and respect. They will work with very little supervision, prioritising and managing their own workload on a day to day basis. Main duties of the job o Ensure all results of tests and investigations are tracked effectively, shown to the relevant consultant promptly and to undertake appropriate action as instructedo Independently deal with patient/carer telephone calls and enquiries in an efficient, sensitive and confidential manner, exercising judgement to analyseand resolve any problems and referring on to the clinician as appropriateo All clinic outcomes must be recorded accurately and complete or amend any that have not been doneo Clinical diaries (both paper and electronic) are to be maintained and checked against the published timetables. Discretion and initiative used when arranging meetings and appointments for patients, relatives and otherso Ensure that arrangements regarding medical staff leave and coverarrangements are circulated appropriately and that clinical activities areamended accordinglyo Taking and transcribing formal minutes if requiredo Open and act on correspondence received and bring to the attention of the clinician along with the medical noteso Undertake a variety of office duties such as filing, opening and distributing post, photocopying, moving and lifting of patient notes to ensure the efficient and effective support to the departmento Plan and organise own workload efficiently and to highlight any concerns to the Admin Team Leadero Produce and update Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for all aspects of the Medical Secretary role About us The Rheumatology Department is based at Kitson Hall, Torbay Hospital. We work as a close multi-disciplinary team which consists of six Consultants, nursing staff, administrative team, and Specialist Registrars. Date posted 22 January 2025 Pay scheme Agenda for change Band Band 3 Salary £24,071 to £25,674 a year pa pro rata Contract Fixed term Duration 12 months Working pattern Part-time Reference number 388-6585495-A&C Job locations Kitson Hall, Torbay Hospital Lawes Bridge Torquay TQ2 7AA Job description Job responsibilities To work closely with all grades of clinical and administrative staff, along with other employees within the Trust. To liaise with patients, GPs and other external agencies This position requires empathy and tact when dealing with patients that may be angry or upset regarding any aspect of their care To review discharge summaries and ensure investigations/appointments are booked appropriately To train and support new/less experienced staff within the team To ensure that private, overseas and Scottish/Welsh and Northern Irish patients for out/in-patients are identified and documented appropriately To support any Secretarial Assistants within the department in their role and ensure compliance with Standard Operating Procedures To communicate effectively in writing and verbally on a daily basis To ensure that all clinical and non-clinical correspondence is typed within local targets, using the Infoflex system. (Audio and copy typing) Ensure appropriate follow up is actioned i.e. outpatient appointments, investigations, patients added to waiting lists, referrals to other departments etc. To ensure that all results/reports/correspondence are filed in the hospital case notes in accordance with Health Records standards To provide cover for other members of the whole rheumatology team as required to ensure optimum efficiency of the department To identify areas for service improvement and support implementation To comply with the Trusts Patient Access Policy and Standard Operating Procedures Any other appropriate duties/tasks as requested by management To enter, monitor and update all aspects of the Referral to Treatment (RTT) pathway events accurately and ensure Inter Provider Transfers (IPT) are completed and updated. Review statuses are to be updated at every patient interaction To manage the e-referral worklists on a daily basis To use the relevant IT systems to register patients, respond to enquiries, make appointments, transfer medical records, input clinical letters and care planning summaries, as required Minute taking in admin team meetings where deemed appropriate Compilation of staff meeting agendas Diary Management of specified clinical staff Action clinic changes making sure that all clinic forms have been actioned appropriately Job description Job responsibilities To work closely with all grades of clinical and administrative staff, along with other employees within the Trust. To liaise with patients, GPs and other external agencies This position requires empathy and tact when dealing with patients that may be angry or upset regarding any aspect of their care To review discharge summaries and ensure investigations/appointments are booked appropriately To train and support new/less experienced staff within the team To ensure that private, overseas and Scottish/Welsh and Northern Irish patients for out/in-patients are identified and documented appropriately To support any Secretarial Assistants within the department in their role and ensure compliance with Standard Operating Procedures To communicate effectively in writing and verbally on a daily basis To ensure that all clinical and non-clinical correspondence is typed within local targets, using the Infoflex system. (Audio and copy typing) Ensure appropriate follow up is actioned i.e. outpatient appointments, investigations, patients added to waiting lists, referrals to other departments etc. To ensure that all results/reports/correspondence are filed in the hospital case notes in accordance with Health Records standards To provide cover for other members of the whole rheumatology team as required to ensure optimum efficiency of the department To identify areas for service improvement and support implementation To comply with the Trusts Patient Access Policy and Standard Operating Procedures Any other appropriate duties/tasks as requested by management To enter, monitor and update all aspects of the Referral to Treatment (RTT) pathway events accurately and ensure Inter Provider Transfers (IPT) are completed and updated. Review statuses are to be updated at every patient interaction To manage the e-referral worklists on a daily basis To use the relevant IT systems to register patients, respond to enquiries, make appointments, transfer medical records, input clinical letters and care planning summaries, as required Minute taking in admin team meetings where deemed appropriate Compilation of staff meeting agendas Diary Management of specified clinical staff Action clinic changes making sure that all clinic forms have been actioned appropriately Person Specification Essential Essential Good standard of education (to include GCSE in Maths and English or equivalent) Typing at a level of speed & accuracy equivalent to 40 WPM Proven secretarial and administrative experience Good communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively with patients, all grades of staff and external contacts, both verbally and in writing Ability to effectively use the Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) Desirable Medical Secretary/NHS experience Understanding of Referral to Treatment Pathways Knowledge and experience of the Trust patient administrative and information systems Understanding of hospital policies and procedures including the Trust Access Policy To be proficient in the use of Internet/Intranet and email Person Specification Essential Essential Good standard of education (to include GCSE in Maths and English or equivalent) Typing at a level of speed & accuracy equivalent to 40 WPM Proven secretarial and administrative experience Good communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively with patients, all grades of staff and external contacts, both verbally and in writing Ability to effectively use the Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) Desirable Medical Secretary/NHS experience Understanding of Referral to Treatment Pathways Knowledge and experience of the Trust patient administrative and information systems Understanding of hospital policies and procedures including the Trust Access Policy To be proficient in the use of Internet/Intranet and email 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 Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust Address Kitson Hall, Torbay Hospital Lawes Bridge Torquay TQ2 7AA Employer's website https://www.torbayandsouthdevon.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)