ENT Medical Secretary and Pathway Co‑ordinator
The closing date is 26 November 2025
The Department of ENT is looking for a friendly, hardworking individual, with good communication skills to join the secretarial team based at PRUH. The post holder will have a 'can do' attitude and have experience of working in a busy NHS environment. The post holder will be responsible for support in providing an effective administrative and secretarial service to a Consultant/s and their team within a clinical unit. You will be required to liaise with the multi-disciplinary team, internal departments and external agencies to ensure continuity in achieving excellence in patient care. The post holder will manage their own workload to ensure clinical correspondence is produced and turned around in accordance with Trust target timescales. To have comprehensive understanding of the work of the service and using knowledge, initiative and skills to their full potential in order to significantly contribute to the smooth running of the service.
Main duties of the job
The role involves providing comprehensive secretarial and administrative support to clinicians, ensuring the smooth and efficient running of the department. Key duties include managing correspondence, preparing and reviewing clinic letters, maintaining accurate patient records, and ensuring that all information is processed in line with Trust standards and national policies such as the 18‑week RTT target. The post holder coordinates clinicians' annual leave, manages outpatient work queues, books appointments, and processes referrals within required timeframes. They are also responsible for handling correspondence, phone calls, and emails in a professional and sensitive manner, often dealing with patients and relatives who may be anxious or distressed. Additional responsibilities include organising meetings, taking minutes, preparing reports, and providing cover for colleagues during absences or busy periods. The role requires maintaining confidentiality, demonstrating excellent communication and organisational skills, and ensuring tasks are prioritised and completed efficiently to support high‑quality patient care and departmental operations.
About us
The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. The trust‑wide strategy of Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do. By being person‑centred, digitally‑enabled, and focused on sustainability, we aim to take Team King's to another level.
We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.
King's is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone's contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust's carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.
Job responsibilities
To provide a full secretarial service to the Clinician/s.
To review and check returned letters before circulating to GPs, patients and other clinicians ensuring that quality standards are met.
To manage Clinician/s annual leave requests ensuring wider teams are notified of approved leave and activity reviewed where impacted.
To ensure all patient demographic details (address, postcode, GP & Ethnic Group) are checked and any amendments/corrections are carried out in an accurate and timely fashion.
To manage ENT Outpatient workqueues for PRUH and Beckenham Beacon Hospital ensuring appointments are booked efficiently in clinical, chronological order.
Ensure clinic investigation orders, waiting list entries and onward referrals are requested on EPIC.
To cross cover within the team or cover the Medical Secretary, including periods of absence and high demand.
To maintain a full and comprehensive knowledge of medical and drug terminology, theoretical knowledge of procedures carried within all specialties in the department.
Ensure external correspondence and investigations are available on EPIC.
To support the Department and Admissions in ensuring the National 18 week RTT Programme and the Elective Access policy aims to ensure that all patients referred for care at Kings are treated efficiently, effectively, and in a timely manner appropriate to their clinical condition and RTT management is in line with national guidance, access targets, and the best standards of patient care.
To prepare acknowledgment letters and draft responses as required, and prioritise incoming correspondence ensuring that it is promptly dealt with by the appropriate member of staff.
To act as the first point of contact for users of the Trust, dealing with telephone calls and enquiries promptly and efficiently, providing immediate response and referring as necessary. These will include personal enquiries from patients and their relatives, as well as calls from GPs, clinicians, students, nursing and administrative staff, at all times understanding the sensitive nature of calls.
To organise the opening and sorting of post and preparing replies to routine correspondence.
To initiate, where appropriate, the request of medical records in order for the clinician/s to prepare a reply to correspondence/enquiries.
To process all patient referrals within nationally agreed time frames, i.e. ensuring 2‑week wait cancer policy.
To arrange, plan, take and transcribe and distribute accurate minute taking notes for meetings and conferences as required.
To be part of the daily office routines, such as opening and sorting post, preparing replies to routine correspondence, requesting stationery, equipment and photocopying for the team as necessary using Trust systems.
When required, to deal with private patients, overseas visitors and fellow colleagues in accordance with the working methods of the relevant consultant(s) and Trust procedures.
To plan and co‑ordinate specific functions and diary events involving liaison with individuals and organisations both internal and external to the Trust specific.
To prepare and edit presentations, articles and other material as required by the Clinical Teams.
To act independently ensuring that daily tasks and ongoing workloads are prioritised and completed within agreed timeframes.
To manage and answer all emails and telephone calls related to the service in a courteous and tactful manner to ensure that patients and visitors are communicated with effectively and patient focus is maintained and ensuring problems are dealt with promptly and efficiently.
To deal with stressful situations that may arise when dealing with patients who are anxious or distressed using tact and diplomacy at all times.
To provide information and advice to patients and relatives where appropriate relating to admissions and appointments and/or redirect to appropriate member of staff.
To manage confidential patient material in a sensitive and discrete fashion in compliance with Trust policy and procedure.
To communicate with other secretaries and administrative staff within the Trust regarding patients clinic letters and outcomes.
To offer non‑clinical advice and guidance to clinicians, staff and patients.
Person Specification
* Minimum 5 GCSE A-C grades, one of which must be English or equivalent qualifications
* Proven record of working knowledge of administrative and secretarial practice
* Ability to work under pressure and exercise judgement when dealing with inquiries.
* Previous experience in the NHS
* Knowledge of EPIC
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Salary
£32,199 to £34,876 a year, including HCA
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