County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Medical Secretary

The closing date is 26 March 2026

Job summary

Provide secretarial support and clinic management to Consultant Gynaecologists/Specialist Nurses in Gynaecology/Colposcopy.

Assist in the organisation of the Consultant team workload.

Communicate appointment information to patients/carers.

Proof Reading and distribution of clinical and other patient-related and general correspondence, dictated by Consultants and supporting clinical staff, to achieve Trust standards of accuracy and timeliness

Ensure the management of out-patient clinics, booking new and follow up patient appointments, providing a ring and remind service for patients.

Deal with telephone enquiries, taking and conveying messages appropriately.

Receive, date stamp and sort incoming mail and prepare outgoing mail for posting

Receive electronic mail, photocopy and scan documents and circulate information within Trust or departmental timescales

Main duties of the job

Point of contact for staff, patients and others within and outside the organisation, responding to external and internal telephone enquiries, taking appropriate and timely action required, including making appointments, giving non-clinical advice, onward referral to relevant department etc.

Receive and respond to internal and external correspondence, taking appropriate and timely action as required, in accordance with Trust and/or departmental standards and processes

Book investigations and any necessary follow-up appointments, as directed by clinical staff, ensuring test results are presented to medical staff on receipt, where these are not available electronically.

Maintain accurate patient and GP details on the Trusts central and local Patient Administration and Clinical Systems, as required

Ensure patient information is bar-coded correctly for scanning into the electronic clinical document management system (ECDMS)

Manage electronic diaries, as required

Support arrangement of on call rotas, as required

To organise meetings, including arranging venues, preparing agendas, collating and issuing papers and attending for taking and production of minutes, as required

Maintain accurate and timely data entry to databases to meet service requirements

Prioritise own workload to meet the needs of the patients and Consultants and ensure all deadlines are met

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 Band 3 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).

Date posted

12 March 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,937 to £26,598 a year pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time, Flexible working, Home or remote working

Reference number

C9439-2526-207

Job locations

Bishop Auckland General Hospital

Cockton Hill Road

Bishop Auckland

County Durham

DL14 6AD

Job description

Job responsibilities

To provide a full range of confidential secretarial/administrative support to Consultants and supporting clinical staff, working with minimal supervision.

To operate efficient and up-to-date administrative systems and processes for all office tasks

Job description

Job responsibilities

To provide a full range of confidential secretarial/administrative support to Consultants and supporting clinical staff, working with minimal supervision.

To operate efficient and up-to-date administrative systems and processes for all office tasks

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

Previous experience as a medical secretary is essential for this role providing medical secretarial/administrative duties in a challenging and constantly changing environment
Demonstrate Experience of using Microsoft Word
Experience in setting up and maintaining office filing systems
Experience in planning and organising meetings and taking notes
Experience of providing secretarial/administrative support to a team

Desirable

Experience of working within an NHS Environment in a medical secretary role

Special Skills & Knowledge

Essential

Proof Reading/Fluency
Ability to analyse and present data using Excel and Access packages
Ability to use email and maintain and update paper and electronic diaries
Knowledge of Data Protection and Caldicott Principles and understanding of the need to maintain strict confidentiality
Ability to use discretion and maintain confidentiality
Good interpersonal skills
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to deal with and prepare routine verbal and written correspondence and the ability to obtain information and pass on comprehensive and confidential messages.
Ability to communicate accurately, verbally, courteously and effectively with a wide range of staff, professionals and members of the public
Able to use own initiative to resolve routine queries, in line with departmental procedures.
Able to work with minimal supervision following set procedures.
Ability to organise and prioritise workload in order to meet deadlines
Ability to work as a member of a team
Committed to quality customer care/delivering excellent customer service.
Flexible approach to work and adaptable to change.
Understanding of medical terminology

Qualifications

Essential

Good Standard of Education - Minimum of 5 GCSEs (or equivalent) at C Grade or above including English Language
NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration or equivalent knowledge/experience (or working towards)
Keyboarding/typing qualification equivalent to RSA 3/OCR Advanced text/word processing or equivalent proven typing skills to a high standard (or working towards)

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

Previous experience as a medical secretary is essential for this role providing medical secretarial/administrative duties in a challenging and constantly changing environment
Demonstrate Experience of using Microsoft Word
Experience in setting up and maintaining office filing systems
Experience in planning and organising meetings and taking notes
Experience of providing secretarial/administrative support to a team

Desirable

Experience of working within an NHS Environment in a medical secretary role

Special Skills & Knowledge

Essential

Proof Reading/Fluency
Ability to analyse and present data using Excel and Access packages
Ability to use email and maintain and update paper and electronic diaries
Knowledge of Data Protection and Caldicott Principles and understanding of the need to maintain strict confidentiality
Ability to use discretion and maintain confidentiality
Good interpersonal skills
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to deal with and prepare routine verbal and written correspondence and the ability to obtain information and pass on comprehensive and confidential messages.
Ability to communicate accurately, verbally, courteously and effectively with a wide range of staff, professionals and members of the public
Able to use own initiative to resolve routine queries, in line with departmental procedures.
Able to work with minimal supervision following set procedures.
Ability to organise and prioritise workload in order to meet deadlines
Ability to work as a member of a team
Committed to quality customer care/delivering excellent customer service.
Flexible approach to work and adaptable to change.
Understanding of medical terminology

Qualifications

Essential

Good Standard of Education - Minimum of 5 GCSEs (or equivalent) at C Grade or above including English Language
NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration or equivalent knowledge/experience (or working towards)
Keyboarding/typing qualification equivalent to RSA 3/OCR Advanced text/word processing or equivalent proven typing skills to a high standard (or working towards)

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.