Job overview
The post holder will be responsible for providing a comprehensive departmental secretarial service to the consultants, specialist nurses and other clinicians within the team. The departmental secretary will be instrumental in the smooth running of the office and will need to work without supervision, using their initiative when dealing with enquiries that arise in the absence of the clinicians, to bring about a successful outcome. The post demands the ability to communicate at all levels with patients, relatives, medical colleagues and allied health professionals whilst maintaining a high standard of service to meet the needs of the patient.
Main duties of the job
Main contact for consultants, patients, and external organisations, managing communication with discretion and empathy
Independently manage workload, chase actions, and handle incoming correspondence
Coordinate clinics, bookings, and consultant availability to ensure service continuity
Support 18-week RTT pathways, e-RS referrals, and urgent inpatient requests
Maintain clinician diaries, book meetings, and coordinate room use
Type and dispatch clinical correspondence within Trust timeframes
Book patient procedures and complete all necessary pre-steps
Scan documents accurately into patient records (e.g. Evolve)
Assist with audits and gather data for service development
Order, track, and maintain office supplies
Organise meetings, prepare materials, and take minutes
Support local SOPs and implement admin improvements
Maintain admin cover, support leave planning, and cross-cover
Assist with recruitment, induction, and junior staff training
Manage department intranet and webpage updates
Provide flexible support across projects and daily operations
Working for our organisation
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.
Our values
We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.
Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Communication and Patient Liaison
Act as the main point of contact for consultants, healthcare professionals, patients, and external organisations.
Handle all communication professionally and efficiently, using discretion and good judgement to respond to or escalate enquiries appropriately.
Deal with concerned or distressed patients and relatives with empathy, patience, and tact, particularly when communicating sensitive or complex clinical information.
Provide reassurance and clear information to patients, ensuring they understand the process and next steps in their care.
Workload Management and Initiative
Prioritise and manage own workload independently, ensuring queries are followed through and actions progressed to support clinical efficiency.
Proactively chase outstanding actions, investigations, or results on behalf of clinicians to free up clinical time and maintain progress in patient care.
Sort, assess, and distribute incoming correspondence including post, email, and faxes, using initiative and knowledge to direct items appropriately.
Clinic and Appointment Coordination
Liaise with the departmental pathway coordinator to support the partial booking process, ensuring timely and effective scheduling of patient appointments in line with service requirements.
Manage clinic templates, including setting up additional clinics, rescheduling or cancelling sessions due to leave or service changes, under the guidance of the Department Admin Lead.
Oversee consultant availability and planned absences to ensure sufficient clinic cover, raising issues proactively and helping maintain capacity.
Conduct regular forward-planning meetings with clinicians to ensure clinic availability is accurate and service demands are met.
Referral Management
Access and manage referrals via the electronic referral system (e.g., e-RS), ensuring timely triage by clinicians.
Process and track referrals, ensuring patients are seen and managed within pathway timelines and in accordance with Trust policies.
18-Week Pathway Support
Provide support to the 18-week RTT (Referral to Treatment) team by updating them weekly with information on patient progress at tiers 1, 2, and 3.
Chase typing, test results, clinic letters, and other outstanding elements required to complete the 18-week pathway.
Ensure clinicians are informed of any necessary actions to keep patients within their RTT timeframes and escalate concerns where delays are identified.
Diary and Office Management
Maintain and manage clinicians’ electronic diaries, scheduling appointments, meetings, and coordinating room bookings.
Plan and organise internal departmental arrangements and meetings with appropriate prioritisation and efficiency.
Support wider office administration including rotas, noticeboards, and general coordination of departmental activities.
Correspondence and Typing
Ensure prompt and accurate typing of all clinical correspondence including clinic letters, medico-legal reports, results, minutes, and other documents.
Monitor and manage digital dictation systems (e.g., Big Hand), ensuring priority letters (red/green) are completed and dispatched within the Trust's 72-hour timeframe.
Action tasks arising from patient and GP letters efficiently and ensure timely follow-up where required.
Urgent Referrals
Access ICE or equivalent systems daily to print and review urgent inpatient referrals.
Ensure clinicians are made aware of urgent referrals on the same day and that appropriate clinical action is taken and documented.
Procedure Coordination
Coordinate the booking of patient procedures as requested by clinicians, ensuring all relevant information and preparatory steps are completed.
Liaise with relevant departments to confirm procedure details and communicate with patients where needed.
Document Handling and Scanning
Scan appropriate documentation to the Trust’s electronic record system (e.g., Evolve) in a timely and accurate manner, ensuring compliance with data protection and clinical documentation standards.
Audit and Data Collection
Support departmental audits by collecting, interpreting, and presenting statistical or operational data as requested.
Assist with maintaining accurate records to support quality improvement and service development.
Supplies and Equipment
Order and maintain stationery and non-stock items required for the smooth running of the office.
Monitor office supplies and reorder items to ensure minimal disruption to administrative work.
Meeting Coordination and Support
Organise business, clinical, educational, and patient support group meetings, including venue booking, equipment setup, and refreshments.
Prepare agendas, take and distribute minutes where required.
Support the preparation of PowerPoint presentations and other materials for meetings and events.
On occasion, support meetings or events held outside of regular working hours.
Policy and Procedure Implementation
Implement and maintain local policies and standard operating procedures relevant to the administrative function of the department under guidance from the Admin Lead.
Support the continuous review and improvement of administrative systems and workflows.
Staffing and Departmental Cover
Work with the Department Admin Lead to ensure administrative cover is always maintained, reallocating tasks or coordinating cross-cover when needed.
Support planning for annual leave, sickness cover, and short-term adjustments to ensure continuity of service.
Recruitment, Induction, and Training
Assist with recruitment processes including drafting job descriptions, liaising with HR and recruitment teams, booking interview rooms, and supporting interview arrangements.
Lead on local induction for new starters, including guidance on Trust systems, arranging IT access, car parking, ID badges, and completion of the local induction checklist.
Train and support junior admin staff, including apprentices, and act as a point of contact for queries and escalation of issues.
Advise staff on local procedures, policies, and departmental expectations.
Intranet and Webpage Management
Maintain and update the department’s intranet and webpage content to ensure staff and patients have access to up-to-date information.
Liaise with communications or digital teams to ensure branding and content are in line with Trust standards.
General Support
Undertake any reasonable duties required to support the needs of the department and contribute to the effective running of the service.
Provide cover for colleagues during periods of absence, ensuring that essential work is maintained.
Support new projects, pilots, or service developments as required by the management team.
Person specification
Administration
Essential criteria
1. Educated to GCSE level or equivalent including English and Mathematics
2. Secretarial qualification RSA II or equivalent
3. Secretarial experience in a busy, customer focused NHS environment
4. Experience of working as part of a team and on own initiative
5. Use of databases and data collection
6. Organising meetings and minute taking
7. Knowledge and use of Microsoft software including office, Word, Excel, PowerPoint
8. Excellent verbal and written communication skills – able to deal with people at all levels using tact, diplomacy and understanding.
9. Accurate keyboard skills including word processing and audio typing skills
10. Excellent organisational skills
11. Ability to work to tight deadlines
12. Attention to detail
13. Flexible and adaptable
14. Confident with the ability to remain calm under pressure Ability to work with interruptions
Desirable criteria
15. Computer literate to ECDL standard or equivalent
16. NHS experience in a Medical Specialties Department
17. Medical terminology in the NHS
18. Knowledge of NHS IT systems
19. RTT Knowledge and Appreciation of patient pathway targets
Education
Essential criteria
20. GCSE Level or Equivalent
Commuication
Essential criteria
21. Speaks clearly and professionally with patients, staff, and consultants.
22. Handles difficult conversations with empathy and tact.
Team Player
Essential criteria
23. Collaborates well with clinical teams, admin colleagues, and managers.
24. Helps foster a supportive and positive team culture.
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have regular contact with vulnerable people and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.