About this role
Job summary
Due to a secondment, we have an exciting opportunity to join our team on a fixed term basis until 6 June 2027. We are seeking to recruit a Band 4 Senior Medical Secretary, working 37.5 hours per week, within the Paediatric Neurology Team at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. You will be joining a friendly, supportive and collaborative team who take pride in delivering a high quality service and value initiative, attention to detail and a positive approach to managing a busy and varied workload.
The role offers a balance of home and office working, alongside a flexitime arrangement, to help support a healthy work-life balance, while remaining fully engaged with the wider team and service.
We are looking for an individual with strong Microsoft Office skills, who is an accurate and confident typist with excellent proofreading ability. A professional and friendly telephone manner is essential, as you will have regular contact with patients, families and a wide range of healthcare professionals. Clear communication skills, a flexible approach and the ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team are key. The successful candidate will also be able to manage and prioritise their workload independently, while contributing positively to the overall functioning of the team.
Applications are welcomed from those who meet the criteria. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a face to face interview, with pre-interview testing taking place on the same day.
Main duties of the job
Communication:
To act as a point of contact for queries from clinical and non-clinical staff Liaise via telephone and email with other clinical/clerical teams to action urgent appointments or procedures where necessary and ensure that all relevant departments are notified accordingly Act as a point of contact for patients, relatives and carers. The post holder should be polite and empathetic to the patient's needs at all times and be able to communicate effectively when dealing with difficult situations/conversations Returning calls promptly and keeping callers updated with information in an effective and efficient way Escalate patient queries, capacity problems and general issues to the role's line manager or relevant clinical staff as appropriate
Organising and Planning:
Checking and sorting investigation reports and passing information on to clinical team as required Ensure the dispatch and production of all clinical correspondence is maintained by pro-actively monitoring the digital dictation and speech recognition system, and to escalate where delays are identified Provide monthly key performance indicator information to the Line Manager and discuss with the team any appropriate actions that need to be taken
About us
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) is one of the largest acute Trusts in the country, bringing together a combined workforce of over 13,000 staff and over 100 different clinical services across 10 different sites, serving a core population of more than 500,000 people across South West England. UHBW has been rated by the CQC as 'Good' overall and our staff are proud to deliver excellent care to the people of Bristol, Weston and beyond. As a forward-thinking multi-award winning Trust and a digital exemplar committed to improving patient care, our world-leading research and innovations are having a positive local and global impact. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone's throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer. UHBW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we're meeting our pledge.
Job description Job responsibilities
For a more detailed job description and main responsibilities, please refer to the job description document attached to this vacancy.
Person Specification
Skills and Abilities Essential
Effective and polite manner when dealing with people, both face to face and on the phone Able to work under pressure and meet deadlines whilst maintaining a high standard of accuracy Ability to work effectively in a busy team, adjust to change and motivate others Ability to work independently, managing own workload, whilst providing supervision and support to others Confidence to handle difficult conversations with patients, relatives and carers Ability to adapt to use new computer packages and programmes Effective organisational skills Good IT skills including Microsoft packages Attention to detail Ability to deal with non-routine issues on own initiative
Knowledge and Experience Essential
Clerical/administrative experience/Secretarial Understanding of specialist medical terminology Experience of dealing with the public, both on the telephone and in person Knowledge of NHS policies and/or procedures
Education and Qualifications Essential
Educated to GCSE, grade C or above (or equivalent) in English Language and Maths Qualified in word processing or audio typing (or equivalent) Business and Administration Level 3 NVQ or equivalent experience
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Employer details Employer name University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW)
Address Bristol Royal Hospital for Children
Upper Maudlin Street
Bristol
BS2 8BJ
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.uhbw.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)