Secretary for Community Occupational Therapy United Kingdom
Job description
COMMUNICATION SKILLS: Communicate professionally and effectively with patients/parents/carers, the general public and all internal and external agencies both verbally and non-verbally in a timely manner. Ensure diplomacy, empathy and confidentiality when dealing with distressed patients/parents/carers. Liaise with clinical and non-clinical staff to resolve any issues that may arise, to the mutual benefit of all concerned. Meet and greet external visitors to the department in a professional and polite manner.
Attend and contribute to departmental meetings, team briefs etc. Work flexibly to ensure the needs of the service are met at all times. Have a clear understanding of current Government and locally agreed targets, ensuring key performance indicators are achieved by working in conjunction with the clinical and management teams. PHYSICAL SKILLS AND DEXTERITY: Required to sit in a restricted position for prolonged periods whilst inputting data and typing.
Required to have prolonged use of a VDU screen. The post holder may be required to handle and move heavy objects, such as case notes and stationery stores etc. The post holder may be required to pull, lift and carry case notes. The post holder will require advanced keyboard skills.
PATIENT/CLIENT CARE: Proactively manage telephone calls; many may be of a sensitive nature from patients/parents/carers or from other healthcare professions, all of which require a high level of patient confidentiality and sensitivity. Responsibility for providing accurate, up to date, non-clinical advice relating to queries into the department. POLICY & SERVICE DEVELOPMENT: To comply with all Trust and local departmental policies and procedures. Undergo all statutory/mandatory training as and when required.
To take reasonable care for the health and safety of oneself, as well as others. Adhere to Trust risk management policies to ensure a safe working environment. The post holder is required to comply with the Trust policies on infection prevention and control, bringing any deficiencies to the attention of the Line Manager. To be responsible for the general housekeeping of own work area, as well as departmental common areas, reporting any faulty or broken equipment and adhering to the Trust Risk Management Strategy.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR FINANCIAL AND OTHER RESOURCES Responsible for ensuring Trust equipment and resources are maintained, reporting any faulty equipment to the Estates Department. HUMAN RESOURCES & TRAINING: To provide full support to Line Managers at all times. To provide cover in the absence of other Support Secretaries to ensure the smooth running of the service during planned and unplanned leave. To use initiative, working autonomously within the remit of the role.
Offer training and support to new members of staff or students within the department, including training in any new technology whilst ensuring some level of responsibility for their workload until competencies have been met. Undergo continuous professional development as identified in personal development plan/review, in conjunction with the Knowledge & Skills Framework (KSF) outline for this post. IT OR OTHER INFORMATION SYSTEMS/RECORD KEEPING: Following consultation, co-operate in the introduction of new technology and new working practices, in addition to those already in place as it may apply to the work of the administrative service. Ensure all information on the Patient Administration System is updated and accurate, in line with the Trust Data Quality Policy and liaise with colleagues as required, ensuring any necessary changes are actioned.
Ensure that information systems accurately record the stage of the patient journey in line with national and locally agreed policies and procedures. Undertake regular refresher training in information technology to ensure knowledge and skills are kept up to date. Ensure any other patient identifiable information (other than that stored on the Patient Administration System) is stored and used in line with the Trusts Information Governance Policy. When required, create, maintain and update databases specific to the specialty requirements.
RESEARCH & AUDIT: The post holder may be required to undertake audits of their own workload, as well as that of the supporting team, in conjunction with the requirements of the management team, e.g. telephone audit. MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP: Promote a working culture that improves quality and efficiency within the department. To support the management team with the identification of more efficient ways of working within area of responsibility.
To comply with all Trust and department policies and procedures. OTHER JOB RELATED FACTORS: Freedom to Act Work within clearly defined policies. Manage own workload with minimal supervision. Physical Effort Required for the Job Some lifting may be required when filing or handling stationery stock.
Frequent sitting. Occasional moderate effort for short periods. Mental Effort Required for Concentration and Multi-tasking Frequent concentration patterns. Work patterns can be predictable.
Emotional Effort Required for the Job May be exposed to distressing or traumatic situations but unlikely. Working Conditions Required to use a VDU more or less continuously.
