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Job overview
We are looking for an enthusiastic and dedicated part time support secretary, to provide an effective and efficient secretarial support service to the Ophthalmology team, part of UHBW. The successful candidate should ideally have a range of secretarial/administrative experience and skills.
The department is fast paced due to the nature of the specialty. The successful candidate will need to be able to demonstrate being a team player and working well in a multidisciplinary team.
They will be working in a busy department with other secretaries and will need the ability to work independently and manage their own workload.
As the successful candidate will be dealing with patients, relatives and other healthcare professionals on the phone/via email, applicants must have excellent communication skills and a courteous and empathetic telephone manner.
The successful candidate will need to have a good working knowledge of Microsoft Office 365. They should also have experience of proofreading and editing.
We would welcome applications for those that meet the essential criteria for this role.
Main duties of the job
- To support the Senior Medical Secretaries on a day-to-day basis with admin, typing of letters and overseeing of basic tasks
- To liaise with and act as a point of contact for clinical and non-clinical staff via telephone and email
- To 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
- To show a caring and professional approach towards patients, relatives and carers. This may require acting with resilience to deal with sometimes distressed patients and relatives in a professional and empathetic manner
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
We would welcome applications from those who meet the essential criteria as set out in the person specification. This includes having a qualification (pass or distinction) in audio transcription, word processing or have relevant experience.
For a more detailed job description, main responsibilities, and person specification, please refer to the job description document attached to this vacancy.
Person specification
Aptitudes
Essential
- Supportive
- Respectful
- Innovative
- Collaborative
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 on your own, using your own initiative, if required
- 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
- Good secretarial and audio typing skills
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Experience of dealing with the public, both on the telephone and in person
Desirable
- Previous NHS experience
- Understanding of medical terminology
- Clerical / administrative experience
Qualifications and Training
Essential
- Educated to GCSE, grade C or above (or equivalent) in English Language and Maths
- Business and Administration Level 3 NVQ or equivalent experience
- Qualified in word processing or audio typing (or equivalent)
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Support Medical Secretary with University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust in Bristol Eye Hospital. It is listed as a Band 3 Administrative and IT role. The advertised salary is £25,760 - £27,476 pa pro rata. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 01 Sep 2026.
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