Medical Secretary

Job overview

The Mental Health Liaison Service is a 7-day service, which operates over a 24-hour period supporting mental health presentations within the Acute Hospital (New Cross Hospital, West Park Hospital and Cannock Chase Hospital) of individuals aged 18 years and over

The post holder will provide a comprehensive secretarial and administrative role, acting as first point of contact for the Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist, Middle Grade Psychiatrist and the Mental Health Liaison Team, including a team Psychologist.

You will be expected to work independently, exercising judgment and initiative to prioritise and co-ordinate your own workload. In addition to creating clinical correspondence from dictation and general medical secretarial duties, the post-holder will be expected to ensure patients’ electronic medical records are kept up-to-date, book appointments,  input data onto the clinical information system, make onward referrals, participate with audits and support with providing information for Business and Operational Intelligence purposes.  You will be required to use various computerised systems, including Microsoft Office, Outlook and the clinical information system, Rio for which training will be provided.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills are essential as the post-holder will link between the team, the Acute Hospital GPs/Social Services and other agencies by telephone and face-to-face.

Main duties of the job

• To ensure medical staff and clinical staff make optimum use of their time by organising their work programmes, preparation of papers, maintaining their manual and electronic diaries and arranging appointments.
• To deal with incoming queries via the telephone or in person, from patients, relatives, GPs and other health and social care professionals.  Have the ability to deal with patients who may be distressed and give appropriate advice, within the boundaries of the role.  Dealing with sensitive information and having the skills necessary to offer appropriate advice within boundaries, using own judgement or in consultation with medical staff as necessary.
• Maintaining patient files to include registering patients, initiating patient notes, liaising with patients directly, arranging appointments and inputting data onto the information system.  Ensuring patients’ notes and investigations are available at the time of visit/appointment.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Process a wide range of incoming information via the postal system, ensuring patients’ notes, previous correspondence and investigation results are available. Maintain a check on all correspondence to ensure action is taken as appropriate and reminding medical staff of outstanding items where necessary. Transcription of manuscript drafts, audio tapes or shorthand notes for the production of court reports, Mental Health Tribunal reports, clinical correspondence etc. ensuring appropriate design and layout. Transcription of sensitive information ensuring confidentiality, correct medical terminology, medication and drug doses. Arrange and attend formal and team meetings to take notes, produce minutes, draft agendas and ensure members receive agenda and relevant enclosures on time. Provide general support to the meetings and ensure all arrangements for facilities are made. Organise conferences as and when required, ensuring all necessary arrangements are made. Manage and ensure efficient and effective systems and office procedures are developed, maintained and monitored for the provision of medical services. Maintain all reference files; policies and procedures files within the service. Responsible for the implementation and maintenance of policies within medical service provision e.g. filing system, bring forward system, message taking system. To use electronic data systems, including any Clinical Information Systems, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook (respond to and action as necessary) and Internet Explorer.