Medical Secretary
County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Closing date: 19 January 2026
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated, calm and methodical team player to become a medical secretary and provide essential administration within the Department of General Surgery/Colorectal Service which is part of the Surgical Directorate. We are currently recruiting for a full‑time (37.5 hrs) Medical Secretary to work in Colorectal for which the nominal base will be Darlington Memorial Hospital and working days can be determined at interview; offering both agile and flexible working following an initial period of training.
Working in a friendly team, our medical secretaries are an excellent resource, ensuring consultants, nurse specialists have all the administrative support they require.
The Department of General Surgery is a friendly, supportive, busy but a welcoming Directorate.
Responsibilities
* Full range of secretarial duties to the General Surgery Team.
* First point of contact to patients.
* Track & trace investigations to meet 18‑week pathway requirements.
* Provide confidential secretarial/administrative support to clinical staff with minimal supervision.
* Type and distribute clinical and general correspondence dictated by consultants and staff to meet Trust standards of accuracy and timeliness.
* Act as the point of contact for staff, patients and others, responding to telephone enquiries, making appointments, giving non‑clinical advice and arranging onward referrals as required.
* Receive and respond to internal and external correspondence in accordance with Trust and departmental standards.
* Book investigations and follow‑up appointments directed by clinical staff, ensuring results are presented to medical staff upon receipt.
* Maintain accurate patient and GP details in the Trust’s central and local Patient Administration and Clinical Systems.
* Bar‑code patient information correctly for scanning into the electronic clinical document management system (ECDMS).
* Manage electronic diaries as required.
* Support arrangement of on‑call rotas.
* Organise meetings: arrange venues, prepare agendas, collate and issue papers, and take and produce minutes.
* Operate efficient administrative systems and processes for all office tasks.
* Enter data accurately and timely into databases to meet service requirements.
* Prioritise own workload to meet the needs of patients and consultants, ensuring all deadlines are met.
* Support new or less experienced staff as directed by line manager/head of service.
* Provide cover during colleague absences.
Person Specification
Special Skills & Knowledge
* Experience of Microsoft Publisher.
* Knowledge of Data Protection and Caldicott Principles and understanding of strict confidentiality.
* Ability to use email and maintain and update paper and electronic diaries.
* Excellent written communication skills for routine correspondence.
* Excellent verbal communication skills to obtain and convey confidential messages.
* Ability to organise and prioritise workload to meet deadlines.
* Ability to use own initiative and work with minimal supervision.
* Good interpersonal skills.
Qualifications
* Good standard of general education.
* Typing qualification equivalent to RSA 3 / OCR Advanced text/word processing or equivalent experience.
* NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration or equivalent experience.
* Understanding of medical terminology.
* Experience of bespoke/therapeutic clinic management.
* Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.
Special Requirement
* Ability to travel independently across the county to fulfil the requirements of the post.
Experience
* Experience of a secretarial/administrative role providing general support in a challenging and constantly changing environment.
* Demonstrated experience using Microsoft Word.
* Experience in setting up and maintaining office filing systems.
* Experience of maintaining and setting up databases.
* Experience in planning and organising meetings and taking minutes.
Employer name
County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
£24,937 to £26,598 per annum / pro rata
We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under‑represented.
We provide hospital services from two acute sites – Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham – as well as community services throughout the region.
Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.
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