About this role
Job summary
Join Our Team: Clinical Team Secretary (Band 4)
We have three full-time Clinical Team Secretary opportunities within the West London Forensic Service at St Bernard's Hospital. There are two vacancies within the Men's Low Secure Service and one vacancy within the Women's Service.
This is a busy and rewarding role providing comprehensive administrative and secretarial support to multidisciplinary clinical teams. You will be responsible for managing correspondence, coordinating meetings, maintaining patient records and supporting the smooth day-to-day operation of the service.
We are looking for organised, proactive and enthusiastic individuals who can work effectively in a fast-paced environment. You should be able to manage competing priorities, communicate confidently with a range of professionals and demonstrate excellent attention to detail.
Ideally, you will have previous experience in a secretarial or administrative role, preferably within a healthcare setting, and experience using RiO or a similar electronic patient record system.
In return, West London NHS Trust offers a supportive working environment, excellent learning and development opportunities, and the chance to make a meaningful contribution to patient care.
If you are looking for a varied role with opportunities to develop your skills and be part of a dedicated team, we would love to hear from you.
Please note: This post is not eligible for sponsorship.
Main duties of the job
As a Clinical Team Secretary, you will provide comprehensive administrative and secretarial support to a multidisciplinary clinical team, helping to ensure the delivery of high-quality patient care within a specialist forensic service.
You will support Consultants, clinicians and senior managers by coordinating meetings, preparing documentation, managing correspondence and maintaining efficient office systems. You will act as a key point of contact for the team, ensuring effective communication and the smooth running of daily activities.
The role involves liaising with external agencies, including courts, solicitors, special hospitals and the prison service, while supporting the Care Programme Approach (CPA) process and maintaining accurate patient documentation.
You will work closely with the Patient Affairs Department to support Mental Health Act processes, including legal detention paperwork, consent to treatment documentation, Mental Health Tribunals and Hospital Managers' Hearings.
You will organise meetings and conferences, take minutes, maintain action logs, support governance processes and assist with enquiries and investigations. You will also ensure filing systems and records are maintained accurately and efficiently.
This is an excellent opportunity for an organised, proactive and motivated individual who enjoys working in a fast-paced environment and making a valuable contribution to patient care and service delivery.
About us
West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse providers of mental health, community and social care in the UK.
Our 3,982 staff care for people in hospital and in the community, helping them to recover and go on to lead full and productive lives. We aim to be the best organisation of our kind in the country.
We provide care and treatment for more than 800,000 people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow, delivering services in the community (at home, in GP surgeries and care homes), hospital, specialist clinics and forensic (secure) units.
We'rerated good overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Together, we're committed to promoting hope and wellbeing, working with patients, service users, carers, families and partners across the communities we serve.
We are keen to ensure that our workforce reflects the community it serves, particularly in terms of ethnicity, gender, disability, LGBTQ+ and experience of mental illness.
The West London Forensic Service provides a comprehensive multi-disciplinary assessment, treatment and rehabilitation service for mentally disordered offenders, as well as those with challenging behaviour and specialist rehabilitation needs for men and women.
Job description Job responsibilities
The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached
The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.
Person Specification
QUALIFICATIONS Essential
oEducated to GCSE level or higher (grade C or above). oRSA, NVQ - Level 3 in Management and/or Administration. oDegree or diploma in Management and/or Administration [or equivalent experience]
EXPERIENCE Essential
oSubstantial administrative and secretarial experience oSignificant experience of taking minutes at senior level. oDemonstrated ability to develop "best practice" administrative systems and structures to support Business Plan. oDemonstrated ability to sustain initiative and direction under difficult circumstances. oExperience of working within complex teams. oAbility to work collaboratively and in partnership with other senior managers and professions. oCompetent in the use of Rio & other patient system
Desirable
oAdministrative and secretarial experience within a forensic psychiatric setting. oPrevious experience within an NHS setting. oWorking within a forensic psychiatric environment. oProcurement of goods and services for forensic services - knowledge of risk factors. oResearch and audit experience.
KNOWLEDGE Essential
oHighly competent user of MS Office - including Excel and PowerPoint. oRisk assessment and management. oKnowledge of the Care Programme Approach process oTrust's policies and procedures.
Desirable
oKnowledge of Clinical Governance processes. oKnowledge of Mental Health Act 1983. oUnderstanding of mental health issues oUnderstanding of psychiatric terminology. oWorking knowledge of security related issues within a secure environment
SKILLS Essential
oFull range of administrative and secretarial skills. oClear and effective planning and decision making skills. oAbility to communicate and negotiate effectively with staff at all levels. oExperience of organising/preparing papers for conferences/training days. oAbility to work autonomously and on own initiative.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS Essential
oAble to deal with occasional verbal / physical aggression. oAbility to work under pressure. oFlexible and Proactive. oAble to exercise discretion and maintain confidentiality at all times.
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 London NHS Trust
Address St Bernard's Hospital
SOUTHALL
UB1 3EU
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.westlondon.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)