County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Medical Secretary
The closing date is 19 March 2026
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated, calm and methodical team player to become a medical secretary and provide an essential administration and secretarial service within the Acute Medical Unit which is part of the Urgent and Emergency Care Directorate.
We are currently recruiting for a Medical Secretary for which the nominal base will be the University Hospital of North Durham, offering flexible working following a period of training.
Working in a friendly team, our Medical secretaries are an excellent resource, ensuring Consultants and the department have all the administrative support they require.
The Acute Medical Unit is a friendly, supportive, busy but welcoming directorate.
This post is 22.5 hours per week.
Main duties of the job
* Full Range of secretarial and Administration duties to the Acute Medical Unit and Consultants
* First point of contact for department enquiries
* Minute taking
About us
If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager.
You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks.
We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.
We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented.
Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.
Over reliance on AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances of success.
For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.
Job responsibilities
* To provide a full range of confidential secretarial/administrative support to all clinical staff, working with minimal supervision
* To undertake typing and distribution of clinical and other patient-related general correspondence, dictated by Consultants and supporting clinical staff, to achieve Trust standards of accuracy and timeliness
* To be the point of contact for staff, patients and others within and outside the organisation, responding to external and internal telephone enquiries, taking appropriate and timely action required, including making appointments, giving non-clinical advice, onward referral to relevant department etc
* To receive and respond to internal and external correspondence, taking appropriate and timely action as required, in accordance with Trust and/or departmental standards and processes
* To book investigations and any necessary follow-up appointments, as directed by clinical staff, ensuring test results are presented to medical staff on receipt, where these are not available electronically
* To maintain accurate patient and GP details on the Trusts central and local Patient Administration and Clinical Systems, as required
* To ensure patient information is bar‑coded correctly for scanning into the electronic clinical document management system (ECDMS)
* To manage electronic diaries, as required
* To organise meetings, including arranging venues, preparing agendas, collating and issuing papers and attending for taking and production of minutes, as required
* To operate efficient and up‑to‑date administrative systems and processes for all office tasks
* To maintain accurate and timely data entry to databases to meet service requirements
* To prioritise own workload to meet the needs of the patients and Consultants and ensure all deadlines are met
* To support new and/or less experienced staff, as directed by line manager/head of service
* To provide cover as required during absence of colleagues
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Good standard of general education
* Keyboarding/typing qualification equivalent to RSA 3/OCR Advanced text/word processing or equivalent proven typing skills to a high standard (or working towards/equivalent experience)
* Educated to at least NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration (or working towards /equivalent experience)
* Understanding of medical terminology
* Experience of Bespoke/Therapeutic clinic management
Experience
* Experience of a secretarial/administrative role providing general provision of secretarial/administrative duties in a challenging and constantly changing environment
* Demonstrate Experience of using Microsoft Word
* Experience in setting up and maintaining office filing systems
* Experience of maintaining and setting up databases
* Experience in planning and organising
* NHS experience
Special Requirements
* Able to travel across Trust sites to meet the requirements of the post
* Driving posts musty have valid Full UK driving licence
Special Skills & Knowledge
* Knowledge of Data Protection and Caldicott Principles and understanding of the need to maintain strict confidentiality
* Ability to use email and maintain and update paper and electronic diaries
* Excellent written communication skills, with the ability to deal with and prepare routine written correspondence.
* Excellent verbal communication skills, with the ability to obtain information and pass on comprehensive and confidential messages.
* Ability to organise and prioritise workload in order to meet deadlines
* Ability to use own initiative and work with minimal supervision
* NHS experience
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.
Employer name
County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
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