Go back South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust
Ward Operational Coordinator - Acute Medical Unit
The closing date is 22 August 2025
We are looking for a highly motivated individual to work with the existing teams on AMU. AMU is a 42 bedded unit with 92 nursing staff. We are looking for a person to work alongside our nursing team in helping them deliver high quality care.
Working directly for the Ward Manager/Senior Sisters, the Ward Operational Co-ordinator will play a key role in providing operational and administrative support to ensure the wards run as effectively as they can.
You will support the Ward Manager/Senior Sister in managing and scheduling the team's work patterns, meeting schedules, notes, minutes and actions, project co-ordination, helping plan and deliver investigations and supporting them in staff related processes such as sickness absence management, annual leave and team rostering. This role will be varied, fun, and engaging and will suit those individuals looking to progress into a management or human resources role.
You may have a background in administration, business management or project co-ordination. You will need to be able to demonstrate your good interpersonal, negotiation, verbal and written communications skills. You will also need to be able to demonstrate your excellent IT skills and your ability to plan, prioritise, manage your time and problem solve effectively, with an understanding of the clinical patient journey.
The post holder will work within the office on this busy and fast paced unit.
Main duties of the job
To provide operational and administrative support to the Ward Managers in a way that is responsive to their needs and contributes to the effectiveness of their roles.
About us
Come and join a Trust rated Outstanding by the CQC. South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust have been rated as outstanding following our latest inspection by the CQC and we are recruiting new staff to come and help us improve even further.
We provide services across Warwickshire and beyond ranging from Hospitals in Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Royal Leamington Spa and Shipston-on Stour to Community Services across the county. We are a progressive, expanding organisation with great ambition around improving quality, integrating pathways and delivering high levels of productivity.
Our values can be summed up in one sentence. We are 'Trusted to provide safe, effective, Inclusive and compassionate care'. Throughout the recruitment process you will be asked to think about how you demonstrate these values and how they impact on your work. It doesn't matter what role you do, whether it is patient facing or not, we are all working in the same way with our values at the core.
Job responsibilities
Ward Manager Support
Responsible for the proactive, accurate management of the electronic diary, maximising time management by prioritising entries considering objectives and geographical implications.
Provide comprehensive, high quality administrative support for HR and incident investigations, including arranging meetings, taking minutes and typing of letters.
Work on own initiative to manage and prioritise administrative tasks to support effective and efficient running of the ward.
Receive and make telephone calls on behalf of the Ward Manager/Clinical Sisters, taking messages, dealing with enquiries appropriately and ensuring accurate and timely communication of messages including issues of a confidential and contentious nature.
Provide effective administrative support to the Ward Managers/Clinical Sisters within a changing environment. Deal on a regular basis with confidential, sensitive and contentious information on staff and services.
Health Roster
Arrange return to work meetings, provide administrative support and ensure that all documentation is completed.
Monitor sickness triggers for staff members and escalate to the Ward Manager/ Clinical Sister. Liaise with HR to arrange sickness meetings as necessary.
Draft sickness outcome letters and schedule sickness review meetings.
Monitor annual leave usage and communicate available annual leave slots to ward staff.
Escalate to Ward Manager/Clinical Sister if staff are not utilising their annual leave allocation effectively.
Monitor when staff appraisals are due and book appraisal meetings, liaising with mentors.
Monitor professional registration renewal and escalate any concerns to the Ward Manager/Clinical Sister prior to registration lapsing.
Monitor mandatory training compliance for the ward staff and book training in a timely manner.
Staff Administration
Support recruitment of new staff, liaising with Employment Services and maintaining contact with successful candidates prior to commencement of employment on the ward.
Ensure all induction and training is booked for new starters and coordinate with the Ward Manager/Clinical Sisters to allocate a mentor/preceptor.
Generate change forms and termination forms and submit to the Ward Manager/ Clinical Sister for authorisation.
Communication
Act as Communication Champion for the ward, linking in with the Communications Department to ensure that Trust messages are disseminated to ward staff.
Attend Trust meetings with the Ward Manager/Clinical Sisters and draft feedback for ward staff.
Compile the ward newsletter, including information relating to incidents, safety notices and screensaver messages.
Arrange ward meetings as required, taking minutes and following up actions.
Ensure ward noticeboards are kept up to date with current information.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* NVQ Level III in Business Administration or a willingness to undertake
* Good standard of general education (4 GCSEs or equivalent), including Maths and English language
* Evidence of ongoing professional development
* Diploma in administrative practice or business management
Experience
* Previous experience of working in a clerical/administration post
* Previous experience of working within the NHS
Skills
* Good interpersonal, negotiation, verbal and written communication skills
* Excellent IT skills and experience in the use of Microsoft Office, including Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and Excel, and other databases
* Sound personal management skills - prioritising, planning, organisational, time management and problem solving
* Understand issues related to and be able to maintain confidentiality
Personal Qualities
* Ability to work effectively as part of a team, although can work independently
* Ability to deal with unpredictable workload and frequent interruptions
* Tactful and diplomatic
* Adaptable and flexible
* Ability to operate a bring forward system and follow up action points from meetings
Other
* Flexibility to work in other areas when required
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.
South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust
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