About this role
Job summary
We are looking for an experienced and enthusiastic Senior Medical Secretary to join our dedicated Cardiology team. In this rewarding role, you will play a vital part in supporting Consultants and multidisciplinary teams, helping to ensure patients receive a high-quality, efficient and compassionate service throughout their care journey.
As a key non-clinical point of contact, you will communicate professionally and sensitively with patients, relatives, carers, clinical teams, GPs and other services, building positive working relationships and ensuring queries are managed effectively, with clinical or complex issues escalated appropriately.
Your responsibilities will include managing correspondence, typing, referrals, appointments, clinic activity, waiting lists, reports, trackers and follow-up actions, helping to ensure patient pathways are coordinated efficiently, and patients receive timely access to care. You will use Trust systems accurately maintain confidentiality and ensure information is managed in line with Trust policies and data protection requirements.
This is a varied and rewarding role requiring excellent organisational and communication skills, the ability to manage competing priorities and a proactive approach to problem-solving. You will work independently, use your initiative and support the smooth delivery of the service, while contributing to the training and development of administrative colleagues where required.
Main duties of the job
Act as a key non-clinical point of contact for patients, relatives and carers, responding to queries about appointments, waiting lists, results, letters, referrals and pathway progress.
* Provide appropriate non-clinical advice and information within role boundaries, ensuring clinical questions, medication concerns, test result queries or urgent patient issues are escalated to the appropriate clinician or manager.
* Support patient pathway coordination by liaising with consultants, nurses, CNSs, operational teams, GPs, external providers and other departments to progress appointments, clinics, investigations and follow-up actions.
* Monitor and follow up patient-related information, including clinic outcomes, waiting list actions, reports, correspondence, referrals and tracking systems, to support timely care delivery.
* Manage sensitive or challenging patient contact professionally, including anxious, distressed, frustrated or aggressive callers, using empathy, tact and discretion.
* Identify and escalate concerns that may affect patient care, safety, access, capacity or delays in the pathway
*The role will also involve supporting local administrative processes, contributing to service improvement, and providing day-to-day guidance, support and training to Band 3 administrative/secretarial staff, new starters and less experienced colleagues where required.
About us
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust strives to have an inclusive culture where everyone feels like they belong, can thrive, knows that they add value and feels valued. We do this by developing compassionate and culturally competent leaders, being values driven in all that we do and by creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace that thrives on the diversity of our people. As such we want to attract and recruit talented individuals from all backgrounds, and for each of you to feel supported for the diversity you bring, to achieve your full potential. For those staff with a disability, including physical disability, long term health condition, mental health or neurodiverse condition, this also means being committed to making reasonable adjustments needed for you to carry out your role.
Job description Job responsibilities *Please Note : For a detailed job description for this vacancy, please see attached Job Description*
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Good standard of general education, including GCSE English and Mathematics (or equivalent qualification/experience). NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration, Customer Service, Secretarial Studies, Medical Administration or equivalent knowledge gained through training and experience. Demonstrable knowledge of medical secretarial and administrative procedures and systems. Knowledge of specialist medical terminology and NHS administrative processes acquired through training and practical experience.
Desirable
* ECDL or equivalent IT qualification. * AMSPAR qualification or equivalent secretarial qualification. * NHS-specific administrative training.
Experience Essential
* Experience in a medical, clinical, administrative or patient-facing office environment. * Experience using patient administration, clinical, booking, dictation or reporting systems. * Experience managing correspondence, diaries, appointments, referrals, waiting lists or clinic-related administration. * Experience handling patient, staff or service enquiries by telephone and email. * Experience prioritising a varied workload with competing deadlines. * Significant experience working in an administrative or secretarial role. * Experience of managing complex diaries, appointments, correspondence and enquiries. * Experience of dealing with patients, relatives and members of the public in a professional and sensitive manner. * Experience of prioritising and managing a varied workload with competing demands and deadlines. * Experience of using computerised information systems and databases. * Understanding of confidentiality, information governance and data protection requirements. * Experience of producing accurate correspondence, reports and documentation.
Desirable
* Previous NHS experience. * Experience supporting patient pathways, waiting lists, MDTs, theatre lists or specialty clinics. * Experience producing reports, maintaining trackers or supporting service improvement. * Knowledge of Trust systems such as clinical portal, dictation, booking or patient administration systems.
Additional Criteria Essential
* Ability to work across sites if required by the service. * Willingness to undertake training relevant to the role.
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 University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
Address Trustwide
Mindelsohn Way
Birmingham
West Midlands
B15 2TH
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.uhb.nhs.uk/jobs.htm (Opens in a new tab)