County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Anaesthetic/Theatre Scheduler

The closing date is 19 February 2026

Job summary

A rare opportunity has arisen to join the small, but critical, Theatre Scheduling Team as a Theatre Scheduler. This team sits within the Theatres, Anaesthetics and Critical Care Directorate of the Surgery Care Group and presents itself as an excellent opportunity for those looking to be at the heart of Surgical Activity Planning. The post holder will be working in a dynamic administrative environment to ensure Theatre Rotas are updated in real time to contain crucial details for the delivery of surgical services within theoperating department.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be organising their day to day workload with minimal supervision, executing tasks in order of urgency and operating in an environment where demands could change instantaneously. Thus the ability to carry out rapid and effective reprioritisation of workload would be critical to the successful fulfilment of this role. The Theatre Rota System is a complex system that a wide variety of stakeholders rely on for service planning and therefore a keen eye for detail is essential to carrying out tasks relating to the updating and communication of said rotas. As an expert user of the system, the post holder would be expected to support clinical and non-clinical staff members in the use of the system and sharing the resultant data extracted from it. When required, the post holder will be deputising for their manager in supporting the Senior Management Team in Service Delivery Planning.

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.

Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.

Over reliance on AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances of success.

For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.

From April 9th 2025 - Healthcare assistants - You must have been employed for a minimum of two years of as a HCA within the NHS for the Trust to consider sponsorship (we will only consider sponsorship if you meet this criteria and have a current visa expiring within 3 months).

Details

Date posted

05 February 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,937 to £26,598 a year

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

C9439-2526-1249

Job locations

Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust

Hollyhurst Road

Darlington

County Durham

DL3 6HX


Job description

Job responsibilities

Work with other Directorate office staff to work as a team to provide an efficient administrative and secretarial service to the Anaesthetic Department.

Key duties of the postholder will include:

Execute the day to day administration and management of the theatre sessions on the Theatre IT system in accordance with the theatre rotas.

Assist with the day to day upkeep of the Theatre Scheduling mail box, action all email enquiries and proformas for leave and to provide daily upkeep of the theatre schedules across the trust.

Maintain and update theatre scheduling records.

To undertake admin & office day-to-day associated duties

Adhere to current working processes ensuring compliance with the Trust Theatre Scheduling Policy both within the Theatre Scheduling Team and the Wider Care Group

Assist in preparation of theatre schedules on the Trust intranet. Provide statistical information to Senior Managers as required.

Organise own day to day work tasks and activities. Plan and organise own workload to meet deadlines.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Work with other Directorate office staff to work as a team to provide an efficient administrative and secretarial service to the Anaesthetic Department.

Key duties of the postholder will include:

Execute the day to day administration and management of the theatre sessions on the Theatre IT system in accordance with the theatre rotas.

Assist with the day to day upkeep of the Theatre Scheduling mail box, action all email enquiries and proformas for leave and to provide daily upkeep of the theatre schedules across the trust.

Maintain and update theatre scheduling records.

To undertake admin & office day-to-day associated duties

Adhere to current working processes ensuring compliance with the Trust Theatre Scheduling Policy both within the Theatre Scheduling Team and the Wider Care Group

Assist in preparation of theatre schedules on the Trust intranet. Provide statistical information to Senior Managers as required.

Organise own day to day work tasks and activities. Plan and organise own workload to meet deadlines.

Person Specification

Special Skills & Knowledge

Essential

  • Excellent verbal and written communica-tion skills with the ability to converse ac-curatly, courteously and effectivlty with a wide range of internal and external cus-tomers.
  • Ability to organise and prioritise workload to meet deadlines.
  • Committed to providing excellent cus-tomer care.
  • Able to use own initiative to resolve que-ries and work as an effective team mem-ber.

Desirable

  • Previous experience of using EPR and CLW computer systems.
  • Knowledge and understanding of medical terminology
  • Experience of working in a healthcare environment
  • Knowledge of Data Protection and Caldicott Principles and understand-ing of the need to maintain strict confidentiality

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of using Microsoft Office eg Word, Excel, Outlook and Powerpoint.
  • Experience of prepping and managing multiple rotas as a significant part of a previous role
  • Experience of providing an administrative support service to a large team

Desirable

  • Experience of minute taking & transcribing

Qualifications

Essential

  • Good standard of Education Minimum of 3 GCSE's (or equivalent) at C Grade or above including English & Maths or equivalent knowledge.
  • NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration or equivalent knowledge/experience (or working towards).

Desirable

  • Qualification in secretarial and/ or computer skills

Statutory Registration

Essential

  • Be able to travel independently across Trust sites to meet the requirements of the post - when required.
  • Flexible approach to work and adaptable to change
Person Specification

Special Skills & Knowledge

Essential

  • Excellent verbal and written communica-tion skills with the ability to converse ac-curatly, courteously and effectivlty with a wide range of internal and external cus-tomers.
  • Ability to organise and prioritise workload to meet deadlines.
  • Committed to providing excellent cus-tomer care.
  • Able to use own initiative to resolve que-ries and work as an effective team mem-ber.

Desirable

  • Previous experience of using EPR and CLW computer systems.
  • Knowledge and understanding of medical terminology
  • Experience of working in a healthcare environment
  • Knowledge of Data Protection and Caldicott Principles and understand-ing of the need to maintain strict confidentiality

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of using Microsoft Office eg Word, Excel, Outlook and Powerpoint.
  • Experience of prepping and managing multiple rotas as a significant part of a previous role
  • Experience of providing an administrative support service to a large team

Desirable

  • Experience of minute taking & transcribing

Qualifications

Essential

  • Good standard of Education Minimum of 3 GCSE's (or equivalent) at C Grade or above including English & Maths or equivalent knowledge.
  • NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration or equivalent knowledge/experience (or working towards).

Desirable

  • Qualification in secretarial and/ or computer skills

Statutory Registration

Essential

  • Be able to travel independently across Trust sites to meet the requirements of the post - when required.
  • Flexible approach to work and adaptable to change

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

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust

Hollyhurst Road

Darlington

County Durham

DL3 6HX


Employer's website

https://www.cddft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust

Hollyhurst Road

Darlington

County Durham

DL3 6HX


Employer's website

https://www.cddft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Michelle Todd

michelle.todd@nhs.net

07557137948

Details

Date posted

05 February 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,937 to £26,598 a year

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

C9439-2526-1249

Job locations

Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust

Hollyhurst Road

Darlington

County Durham

DL3 6HX


Supporting documents

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