Ward Clerk

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

This job is now closed

Job summary

The position of Ward Clerk is for a contract of 37.5 hours a week, which will enatail working three 12 hour shifts. The unit is open 7 days a week, including weekends and all bank holidays. The successful candidate will work within the Surgical Clinical Decisions Unit, which is part of Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC), which is a busy, fast paced unit. The unit assesses emergency General Surgical patients referred in from various sources and is an area where patients will be given treatment, but not always require hospital admission. The Ward Clerk will be the face of the unit and will be the first point of contact for our patients and anyone else visiting the department.

The Clinical Decisions Unit is a small team of approximately 14 staff members and we all have a very good sense of teamwork and togetherness. The staff all have a variety of experience and will always be willing to offer help and assistance where needed

Main duties of the job

The Ward Clerk's role will be to carry out all administration related tasks that the unit will require. They will need to assist with answering a large amount of telephone calls/enquiries, as well as telephoning other departments to arrange/confirm scan times and other related enquiries. The role is largely computer based and the candidate will need to be confident using a PC/software and be computer literate, use of our computer systems is not essential as full training will be given. The unit does get very busy and the Ward Clerk will need to be able to prioritise their workload and answer patient quieries, if able to, or pass the information on to a relevent team member to deal with.

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 £23,200, to apply you must have Right to Work in the United Kingdom. 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

08 May 2024

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 2

Salary

£22,383 a year per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

C9439-24-0486

Job locations

Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust

Hollyhurst Road

Darlington

County Durham

DL3 6HX

Job description

Job responsibilities

The ward clerk job entails working within a small team effectively, having good communication skills and a willingness to learn new tasks and be able to keep updated with any new systems, procedures and processes needed for the role.

The candidate will need to liase with various mambers of the multidisciplinary team, which include Nurses, Healthcare Assistants, Doctors/Consultants, not just in this department, but our neighbouring departments, including Accident and Emergency.

A lot of communication will be via the telephone and the Ward Clerk may have to deal with upset patients or relatives, so calm, clear and effective telephone communication skills will be needed.

The candidate will also need to be able to be able to communicate effectively via email, which can involve emailing other hospitals and GP surgeries, so a good knowledge of information governance is needed, along with patient confidentiality.

Job description

Job responsibilities

A lot of communication will be via the telephone and the Ward Clerk may have to deal with upset patients or relatives, so calm, clear and effective telephone communication skills will be needed.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

Working within an administrative or clerical role, with customer service experience.

Desirable

NHS experience of an administrative role, providing general provision of administrative duties in a challenging and constantly changing environment. Experience of working within an NHS environment. Experience in using EPR systems.

Qualifications

Essential

Applicants will need a good standard of general education, a minimum of 3 GCSE's or equivalent at grade C or above, including English. Also educated to at least NVQ level 2 in Business Administration or equivalent knowledge/experience.

Desirable

An understanding of medical terminology.

Special Skills & Knowledge

Essential

To be comitted to quality customer care/delivering excellent customer service. To be able to communicate accurately, verbally and in writing, with a wide range of people. Needs to have effective interpersonal skills. To be able to use their own initiative to resolve routine quieries, in line with departmental procedures. To be able to work with minimal supervision following set procedures. To be able to priorities their workload and work to deadlines. To have a flexible approach to work and are adaptable to change and work as a member of the team. Needs IT skills and knowledge of computer packages, such as Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint. Needs knowledge of Data Protection and Caldicott principles and understanding of the requirement to maintain confidentiality, as well as being able to use discretion as needed.

Desirable

To have knowledge of NHS practices/Procedures/Clinical service.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

Working within an administrative or clerical role, with customer service experience.

Desirable

NHS experience of an administrative role, providing general provision of administrative duties in a challenging and constantly changing environment. Experience of working within an NHS environment. Experience in using EPR systems.

Qualifications

Essential

Applicants will need a good standard of general education, a minimum of 3 GCSE's or equivalent at grade C or above, including English. Also educated to at least NVQ level 2 in Business Administration or equivalent knowledge/experience.

Desirable

An understanding of medical terminology.

Special Skills & Knowledge

Essential

To be comitted to quality customer care/delivering excellent customer service. To be able to communicate accurately, verbally and in writing, with a wide range of people. Needs to have effective interpersonal skills. To be able to use their own initiative to resolve routine quieries, in line with departmental procedures. To be able to work with minimal supervision following set procedures. To be able to priorities their workload and work to deadlines. To have a flexible approach to work and are adaptable to change and work as a member of the team. Needs IT skills and knowledge of computer packages, such as Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint. Needs knowledge of Data Protection and Caldicott principles and understanding of the requirement to maintain confidentiality, as well as being able to use discretion as needed.

Desirable

To have knowledge of NHS practices/Procedures/Clinical service.

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.