Job summary
An opportunity has arisen for a Medical PA to work within the Oncology Department. This post will be to support the Consultants and Nurses and to provide high quality, efficient, effective administration and secretarial service.
You will be responsible for ensuring work is completed within strict timescales, supporting clinical & non-clinical activities. You will need to exercise your judgement and initiative based on experience and knowledge of arising problems and take appropriate action to resolve situations, including follow up of investigation results, ensuring that all results are presented to medical staff and subsequently actioned in a timely manner. You will have the ability to remain calm when working under pressure, prioritise your workload and to deal with confidential and sensitive issues in a professional manner with tact and diplomacy. You will be able to communicate in a professional manner with patients, relatives, Trust staff and other departments and have a compassionate nature.
Please see job description and person specification for more information. If you have the necessary skills, experience and qualities to help us to put patients first and wish to discuss this position further, please contact Kate Norburn on 01284 712897
Main duties of the job
To provide a comprehensive personal assistant/secretarial service in support of the Consultant and associated medical team, ensuring the provision of an efficient and reliable service.
About us
#BeKnown at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. By us. By our patients. By our community
We are a busy, friendly, rural NHS Trust providing high-quality care and compassion to more than a quarter of a million people across west Suffolk. We care for, treat and support people in hospital, at home and in various community settings.
The West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds provides acute and secondary care services (emergency department, maternity and neonatal services, day surgery unit, eye treatment centre, Macmillan unit and children's ward). It has 500+ beds and is a partner teaching hospital of the University of Cambridge.
Adult and paediatric community services, provided in collaboration with West Suffolk Alliance partners, include a range of nursing, therapy, specialist, and ongoing temporary care and rehabilitation, some at our Newmarket Community Hospital.
We do our utmost to achieve outstanding clinical outcomes for patients and our values of fairness, inclusivity, respect, safety and team work guide how we work and behave as a team.
With nearly 5,000 staff, from all over the world, we strive to make our organisation a great place to work. Whatever your role or ambition, we want to help you be the best you can be.
We promote a diverse and inclusive community where everyones voice counts and you can #BeKnown for whoever you are.
Join us. What will you #BeKnown for?
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Provide a comprehensive secretarial service to Consultants and Team within the Oncology Department, including typing of clinical letters, maintaining personal diaries, dealing with enquiries and arranging appointments.
- Type and complete all correspondence (letters and reports) from M-Modal for the Oncology Consultants, Registrars, Junior Doctors and Oncology Nurses, ensuring all completed documentation is saved into E-Care. Ensure appropriate follow up actions are taken, appointments made, investigations requested, etc.
- Ensure outcome coding is correct on patient check out.
- Check PTL weekly for long waiters and action as necessary.
- Request Consultants annual leave and cancel/amend clinics as necessary. Notify all appropriate departments of cover arrangements for consultants and Oncology doctors. Ensure all enquiries and referrals are dealt with appropriately during leave.
- Co-ordinate and monitor Consultant and Registrar clinics, taking into account the Oncology timetable.
- Arrange extra clinics as authorised, liaising with appropriate managers to ensure that staff and equipment are in place and assist with prioritisation of patients for extra clinics. Liaise with appropriate departmental staff to support the delivery of the Referral to Treatment Targets.
- Receive post and deal with routine correspondence, undertaking follow-up action as directed, copying relevant correspondence to patients as directed.
- Retrieve urgent pending results from the information systems as instructed by medical staff and ensure appropriate follow-up action is taken. Obtain investigation results and patient information from other hospitals. Arrange transfer of patient documentation/imaging to other hospitals on the instruction of medical staff.
- Receive queries from other providers i.e. General Practitioners, Community Nurses, patients/carers and assess those that can be responded to directly in accordance with specialty protocol.
- Prioritise messages for Consultants, paging as necessary for urgent messages and arrange meetings for the Consultants and team, managing the Consultants diary and email system.
- To ensure that all referrals to Addenbrookes Hospital are received and dealt with immediately. To liaise with Addenbrookes regarding follow up appointments there.
- Deal sensitively with distressed patients, relatives and carers, identifying their concerns and attempting informal resolution where possible in line with the Trusts Complaints Policy
- Support the development and introduction of new technology, systems and protocols and undertake necessary training.
- Liaise with medical students, doctors in training and other junior medical staff and arrange review assessments, teaching sessions and update references as required.
- Essential teamwork within the Oncology Secretarial team, supporting other team members as and when necessary. Assist in the training of new members of staff as and when required.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Provide a comprehensive secretarial service to Consultants and Team within the Oncology Department, including typing of clinical letters, maintaining personal diaries, dealing with enquiries and arranging appointments.
- Type and complete all correspondence (letters and reports) from M-Modal for the Oncology Consultants, Registrars, Junior Doctors and Oncology Nurses, ensuring all completed documentation is saved into E-Care. Ensure appropriate follow up actions are taken, appointments made, investigations requested, etc.
- Ensure outcome coding is correct on patient check out.
- Check PTL weekly for long waiters and action as necessary.
- Request Consultants annual leave and cancel/amend clinics as necessary. Notify all appropriate departments of cover arrangements for consultants and Oncology doctors. Ensure all enquiries and referrals are dealt with appropriately during leave.
- Co-ordinate and monitor Consultant and Registrar clinics, taking into account the Oncology timetable.
- Arrange extra clinics as authorised, liaising with appropriate managers to ensure that staff and equipment are in place and assist with prioritisation of patients for extra clinics. Liaise with appropriate departmental staff to support the delivery of the Referral to Treatment Targets.
- Receive post and deal with routine correspondence, undertaking follow-up action as directed, copying relevant correspondence to patients as directed.
- Retrieve urgent pending results from the information systems as instructed by medical staff and ensure appropriate follow-up action is taken. Obtain investigation results and patient information from other hospitals. Arrange transfer of patient documentation/imaging to other hospitals on the instruction of medical staff.
- Receive queries from other providers i.e. General Practitioners, Community Nurses, patients/carers and assess those that can be responded to directly in accordance with specialty protocol.
- Prioritise messages for Consultants, paging as necessary for urgent messages and arrange meetings for the Consultants and team, managing the Consultants diary and email system.
- To ensure that all referrals to Addenbrookes Hospital are received and dealt with immediately. To liaise with Addenbrookes regarding follow up appointments there.
- Deal sensitively with distressed patients, relatives and carers, identifying their concerns and attempting informal resolution where possible in line with the Trusts Complaints Policy
- Support the development and introduction of new technology, systems and protocols and undertake necessary training.
- Liaise with medical students, doctors in training and other junior medical staff and arrange review assessments, teaching sessions and update references as required.
- Essential teamwork within the Oncology Secretarial team, supporting other team members as and when necessary. Assist in the training of new members of staff as and when required.
Person Specification
Education & Qualifications
Essential
- Proven computer literacy
- Good standard of general education (including Maths and English GCSE or equivalent)
Desirable
- RSA II or equivalent typing
- AMSPAR Certificate
Experience & Knowledge
Essential
- Previous customer care experience
Desirable
- Previous NHS or related environment
- Medical terminology
- Previous experience as PA or secretary/administration experience
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Touch typing
- Accurate keyboard skills
- Able to demonstrate skills that ensure tasks are completed accurately and within a given timeframe.
Desirable
- Audio typing
- Knowledge of the hospital administration system
- Understanding of databases
- Able to take minutes
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Clear and precise communication skills
- Good telephone manner
- Able to work in a pressured environment
- Able to meet deadlines
- Good interpersonal skills
- Good organisational skills
- Friendly and helpful manner
- Caring attitude
- Attention to detail
- Ability to work on own initiative or part of a team
- Flexible approach to working hours to meet the needs of the service
- Able to demonstrate an understanding of issues relating to confidentiality
- Proven record of good timekeeping and attendance
- Must be a team player
Person Specification
Education & Qualifications
Essential
- Proven computer literacy
- Good standard of general education (including Maths and English GCSE or equivalent)
Desirable
- RSA II or equivalent typing
- AMSPAR Certificate
Experience & Knowledge
Essential
- Previous customer care experience
Desirable
- Previous NHS or related environment
- Medical terminology
- Previous experience as PA or secretary/administration experience
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Touch typing
- Accurate keyboard skills
- Able to demonstrate skills that ensure tasks are completed accurately and within a given timeframe.
Desirable
- Audio typing
- Knowledge of the hospital administration system
- Understanding of databases
- Able to take minutes
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Clear and precise communication skills
- Good telephone manner
- Able to work in a pressured environment
- Able to meet deadlines
- Good interpersonal skills
- Good organisational skills
- Friendly and helpful manner
- Caring attitude
- Attention to detail
- Ability to work on own initiative or part of a team
- Flexible approach to working hours to meet the needs of the service
- Able to demonstrate an understanding of issues relating to confidentiality
- Proven record of good timekeeping and attendance
- Must be a team player
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
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
Address
West Suffolk Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Hardwick Lane
Bury St Edmunds
IP33 2QZ
Employer's website
https://www.wsh.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)
