Medical Secretary Southampton, England
Job description
Shirley Health Partnership
Medical Secretary job description & person specification
Job Title - Medical Secretary
Line Manager - Administrative Manager
Accountable to - Practice Manager
Hours per week - tbc
Job Summary
To be responsible for undertaking a wide range of secretarial and administrative duties and the provision of administrative support to the multidisciplinary team. Duties can include but are not limited to, the processing of information (electronic and hard copy) in a timely manner, liaising with multidisciplinary team members and external agencies such as secondary care and community service providers in accordance with current policies, including the use of the electronic referral service (ERS).
Mission Statement
To provide a joined-up GP service, delivered by a multi-disciplinary team, appreciated for everything we do.
Generic Responsibilities
All staff at Shirley Health Partnership have a duty to conform to the following:
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
A good attitude and positive action towards ED&I creates and environment where all individuals are able to achieve their full potential. Creating such an environment is important for three reasons: it improves operational effectiveness, it is morally the right thing to do, and it is required by law.
Patients and their families have the right to be treated fairly and be routinely involved in decisions about their treatment and care. They can expect to be treated with dignity and respect and will not be discriminated against on any grounds including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Patients have a responsibility to treat other patients and our staff with dignity and respect.
Staff have the right to be treated fairly in recruitment and career progression. Staff can expect to work in an environment where diversity is valued, and equality of opportunity is promoted. Staff will not be discriminated against on any grounds including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Staff have a responsibility to ensure that you treat our patients and their colleagues with dignity and respect.
Safety, Health, Environment and Fire (SHEF)
This practice is committed to supporting and promoting opportunities to for staff to maintain their health, well-being, and safety. You have a duty to take reasonable care of health and safety at work for you, your team and others, and to cooperate with employers to ensure compliance with health and safety requirements. All personnel are to comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Environmental Protection Act 1990, Environment Act 1995, Fire Precautions (workplace) Regulations 1999 and other statutory legislation.
Confidentiality
This practice is committed to maintaining an outstanding confidential service. Patients entrust and permit us to collect and retain sensitive information relating to their health and other matters, pertaining to their care. They do so in confidence and have a right to expect all staff will respect their privacy and maintain confidentiality at all times. It is essential that if, the legal requirements are to be met and the trust of our patients is to be retained that all staff protect patient information and provide a confidential service.
Quality & Continuous Improvement (CI)
To preserve and improve the quality of our output, all personnel are required to think not only of what they do, but how they achieve it. By continually re-examining our processes, we will be able to develop and improve the overall effectiveness of the way we work. The responsibility for this rests with everyone working within the practice to look for opportunities to improve quality and share good practice.
This practice continually strives to improve work processes which deliver health care with improved results across all areas of our service provision. We promote a culture of continuous improvement, where everyone counts, and staff are permitted to make suggestions and contributions to improve our service delivery and enhance patient care.
Induction Training
On arrival at the practice all personnel are to complete a practice induction programme; this is managed by the Deputy Practice Manager.
Learning and Development
The effective use of training and development is fundamental in ensuring that all staff are equipped with the appropriate skills, knowledge, attitude, and competences to perform their role. All staff will be required to partake and complete mandatory training as directed by the practice manager/administration manager, as well as participating in the practice training programme. Staff will also be permitted (subject to approval) to undertake external training courses which will enhance their knowledge and skills, progress their career and ultimately, enable them to improve processes and service delivery.
Collaborative Working
All staff are to recognise the significance of collaborative working. Teamwork is essential in multidisciplinary environments. Effective communication is essential, and all staff must ensure they communicate in a manner which enables the sharing of information in an appropriate manner.
Service Delivery
Staff at Shirley Health Partnership must adhere to the information contained with practice policies and regional directives, ensuring protocols are adhered to at all times. Staff will be given detailed information during the induction process regarding policy and procedure.
Security
The security of the practice is the responsibility of all personnel. Staff must ensure they remain vigilant at all times and report any suspicious activity immediately to their line manager. Under no circumstances are staff to share the codes for the door locks to anyone and are to ensure that restricted areas remain effectively secured.
Professional Conduct
At Shirley Health Partnership, staff are required to dress appropriately for their role. Administrative staff must dress in accordance with their role.
Leave
All personnel are entitled to take leave. Line managers are to ensure all of their staff are afforded the opportunity to take leave each year and should be encouraged to take all of their leave entitlement.
Primary Responsibilities
The following are the core responsibilities of the medical secretary. There may be on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks; this will be dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels:
- a. Typing letters, reports and associated documentation as required
- b. Liaising with external agencies such as hospitals and community services, ensuring referrals are processed efficiently
- c. Manage all referral enquires in an effective manner
- d. Process and submitting the monthly Claim for personally administered items (PPA)
- e. Maintain an accurate referrals database
- f. Action all incoming emails into the generic email account
- g. Process referral letters as requested including using electronic referral system (ERS)
- h. Scanning of patient related documentation and attaching scanned documents to patient’s healthcare records as requested
- i. Input data into the patient’s healthcare records as necessary
- j. Read code data on EMIS clinical system
- k. Answer incoming phone calls regarding referrals, transferring calls or dealing with the callers request appropriately
- l. Manage all administrative queries as necessary
- m. Carry out system searches as requested
- n. Maintain a clean, tidy, effective working area at all times
- o. Support the administrative manager with general administrative tasks as requested
- p. Manage on-line access requests
- q. Maintain the electronic RIP register
- r. Liaise with the Medical Examiner Southampton (MES) and coroner’s office and produce coroner reports as necessary
Secondary Responsibilities
In addition to the primary responsibilities, the medical secretary may be requested to:
- a. Partake in audit as directed by the administrative manager
- b. Support administrative staff, providing cover during staff absences
Person Specification – Medical Secretary
Qualifications
- Educated to GCSE level or equivalent - Essential
- GCSE Mathematics & English (C or above) - Desirable
- NVQ Level 2 in Health and Social Care - Desirable
Experience
- Experience of working with the general public - Essential
- Experience of administrative duties - Desirable
- Experience of working in a health care setting as a medical secretary - Essential
Skills
- Excellent communication skills (written and oral) - Essential
- Strong IT skills, including audio typing - Essential
- Clear, polite telephone manner - Essential
- Competent in the use of Office and Outlook - Essential
- EMIS user skills - Desirable
- Effective time management (Planning & Organising) - Essential
- Ability to work as a team member and autonomously - Essential
- Good interpersonal skills - Essential
- Problem solving & analytical skills - Essential
- Ability to follow policy and procedure - Essential
Personal Qualities
- Polite and confident - Essential
- Flexible and cooperative - Essential
- Motivated - Essential
- Forward thinker - Essential
- High levels of integrity and loyalty - Essential
- Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations - Essential
- Ability to work under pressure - Essential
Other requirements
- Flexibility to work outside of core office hours - Essential
- Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check - Essential
This document may be amended following consultation with the post holder, to facilitate the development of the role, the practice and the individual. All personnel should be prepared to accept additional, or surrender existing duties, to enable the efficient running of the practice.
Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Permanent
Part-time hours: 20 - 37 per week
Salary: £10.50 per hour
Benefits:
- On-site parking
Schedule:
- Monday to Friday
COVID-19 considerations:
All staff and patients are required to wear face coverings in all NHS buildings.
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Southampton, SO15 3UA: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Education:
- GCSE or equivalent (preferred)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: One location
Application deadline: 01/02/2023
Reference ID: SHP/MB/REPLACEMENT_STRING01
