Medical Secretary

Job overview

We are seeking a keen and enthusiastic person to provide strong secretarial, organisational and administrative support within our Corneo Plastic Department, supporting corneal consultants.

The successful candidate will ideally have a medical secretarial background with strong computer skills including fast and accurate audio typing. Key skills required are excellent verbal and written communication skills, enabling communication at all levels, a keen eye for detail, good time management, and the ability to work to tight deadlines prioritising workload under pressure while working efficiently as part of a friendly, busy team, ensuring the best possible care for our patients in a timely manner whilst ensuring that targets adhered to.

Main duties of the job

To provide full secretarial and administrative support to the Corneo Plastic Department.

To provide and receive confidential and sensitive information written, aural or verbal, to be exchanged with patients/clients, relatives, staff or external parties.

To review and manage the patient pathway to ensure all Oncology and RTT targets are met, escalating concerns when they arise.

To communicate sensitively and appropriately with patients suffering from serious illness.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Liaison with Nursing and Diagnostic Imaging support services to QVH.

Maintain close and collaborative working relationships with the Service Co-ordinator and other administrative and clinical staff.

Maintain effective manual and computerised systems to ensure accurate and timely delivery of information to clients and professionals.

Deal with correspondence making use of IT, i.e. e‑mail, internet and intranet, using initiative and discretion to prioritize.

Deal with all telephone calls promptly and courteously with an empathetic approach.

Respond sympathetically to individual needs within resources available.

Type clinic letters from digital dictation to meet Trust guidelines on responses.

Ensure clinic letters are sent out to GP within agreed timeframe of the clinic date.

Prioritise results needing urgent attention and chase for results where needed.

Co-ordinate and monitor patients that require follow up tests to ensure the tests and results are obtained wherever possible.

Ensure an audit trail in the patients’ notes is kept.

Co-ordinate matters arising from clinical appointments and arrange further referrals/ investigations as directed.  This includes liaison with external trusts conducting interventional/diagnostic procedures and the tracking of these patients through their pathway ensuring that interventional/ diagnostic reports are available for Clinicians’ review prior to or for patient follow-up appointments.

Responding to the requests of the Patient Access team regarding  RTT18 queries and/ or input clinical outcomes for clinics.

Planning of Consultant operating lists.

Book appointments for patients for the services as required onto Patient Care.

Manage patient’s expectations when booking appointments and advising them of updates.

Monitor clinics to ensure that they are fully utilized and ensure full clinics wherever possible.

Monitor the patient pathways for all patients in the services make every effort to ensure all patients are offered an appointment within 6 weeks of referral.

Schedule all diagnostics that are required for each clinic type in a time effective order to ensure the patient’s receive an excellent service from QVH.

Ensure there are regular reviews of all the outstanding patients in the service to ensure patients are seen in the timescales allowed.

Support the Service Co-ordinator with gathering monitoring data for the service as required.

Create and maintain patient case notes in preparation for outpatient consultation clinics, working closely with medical records departments where necessary.

Ensure patient case notes are stored, tracked and archived according to Trust guidelines.

Develop and maintain a sound knowledge of medical terminology, tests, symptoms and procedures.

Arrange for notes/ referrals/ equipment for triage, dictation equipment and clinical supplies to be transported to/ from off-site clinics.

Actively participate in Departmental meetings as required.

Where required assist in maintaining stationery/ equipment stock control for the department.

Attend statutory Trust training courses as necessary and access training ensuring continued professional development within the service.

Assist with the supervision of temporary or new secretaries when covering for holidays and sickness.

Follow the QVH Trust’s guidelines on confidentiality.

Ensure a professional image of QVH and the service is maintained at all times.