South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust
Medical Secretary Manager
The closing date is 01 March 2026
We're seeking an experienced and motivated Medical Secretary Manager to lead our Medical Secretarial Teams and support the smooth running of patient pathways across the Trust.
In this key leadership role, you will oversee service performance, ensure RTT and cancer standards are met, manage typing turnaround times, support clinical teams, and drive improvements across administrative processes. You will provide strong leadership, manage staffing, support recruitment, and promote a positive, high‑performing team culture.
What we're looking for
* An organised and confident leader
* Excellent communication and problem‑solving skills
* Experience managing teams or working within NHS administration
* Ability to analyse performance and implement effective improvements
* Calm, professional and resilient under pressure
What we offer
Supportive management structure, opportunities for development and progression, and a role where your leadership directly enhances patient care.
If you're passionate about service quality, leadership and improving patient experience, we'd love to hear from you.
Main duties of the job
Ensure the successful management and leadership of the Medical Secretarial Teams in line with the Trust values, strategic objectives, policies and procedures ensuring the smooth running of the patient pathway to ensure efficient use of the Trust resources and a positive patient experience.
To make informed decisions within the area of responsibility, ensuring that agreed standards and targets are met in accordance with departmental, Trust and National standards, policies and procedures. To act as a source of advice and guidance regarding complex queries from the designated specialty teams.
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‑Un pon‑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 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
Main Duties
* Take lead responsibility for the Medical Secretarial Teams across the Trust, including building and maintaining services for your teams.
* Overall management of the Medical Secretarial Teams and being responsible for the departmental performance including the setting of objectives and standards.
* Responsible for the implementation of new systems and procedures as required, engaging staff to embrace change.
* Ensure RTT related targets are met in compliance with Trust guidelines including cancer, and referral to treatment targets (RTT).
* Accountable for the monitoring of call handling and staff rotas for Medical Secretarial Teams ensuring adequate on‑site cover to support clinical staff.
* Support the Operational Manager and liaise closely with the other Patient Access Service and Secretarial Managers to ensure all areas of the service are covered.
* Responsible for ensuring typing turnaround targets are met for all clinical correspondence as per trust standards including Two Week Wait correspondence.
* Monitor systems set to track patient investigations to prevent delays in treatment.
* Request, validate and act on information relating to Trust KPIs performance, activity and quality, taking corrective action where appropriate to meet standards.
* Manage complex situations, after seeking senior advice identifying issues and taking appropriate action.
Measurable Result Areas
* Monitor performance and support initiatives to maximise throughput and efficiency within the Medical Secretarial Teams. Where appropriate, develop and implement effective ways of working to maximise resources/service delivery.
* Analyse/interpret data in order to provide regular performance monitoring reports for presentation at the departmental performance management meetings relating to activity, identifying adverse variances and monitoring activity trends.
* Continuous review of administration policies and procedures within own area, implementing and developing new processes and guidance to secure efficient and effective operation of specialties.
* Work independently on all aspects of the role, exercising maximum autonomy and control whilst recognising when it is appropriate to seek advice or assistance from a senior member of staff.
Communication and Reporting
* Pro‑actively establish internal/external communication with service users, Primary Care Trusts, GPs and other stakeholders to ensure that their needs and views are taken into account in the planning and monitoring of directorate activities and the development of services.
* Participate in strategic, service provider and Trust/Divisional/Departmental meetings, assuming responsibility of administrative issues and the impact of resources.
* Provide expert guidance to staff, health professionals, clinicians and GP practices.
* Act on guidance from Best Practice Groups and various other stakeholder groups for quality and improvement of secretarial Services.
* Ensure daily Winscribe sync report and distribution failures are resolved.
* Monitor the timely verification of clinical correspondence.
* Deal with constant interruptions and occasional verbal aggression from service users in a professional manner, treating them with empathy.
* Communicate information appropriately on own initiative, including sensitive, confidential, complex and/or urgent information, to a variety of stakeholders.
Data Quality
* Liaise with the Information Manager to ensure accurate data quality and information within the department.
* Monitor call handling and ensure staff are logging in and calls are answered within KPIs.
Management and Leadership
* Optimise the use of resources and ensure staff effectively and efficiently use stationary.
* Maintain service delivery at the service level agreement activity and quality standards, whilst ensuring that equipment in service and staff practice comply with health and safety standards at all times.
* Lead investigation of complaints and incidents, analysing issues and identifying any faults in procedures, processes or the treatment of patients and making appropriate recommendations to the Operational Manager and others to avoid future occurrences.
* Ensure all staff conscientiously review mistakes, complaints and incidents/near misses as well as successes to improve performance and the level of customer care.
* Investigate/conduct disciplinary and performance meetings, investigate issues/concerns and take management actions as necessary.
* Attendance management across the Medical Secretarial Team, to achieve appropriate staffing levels ensuring staff leave is evenly distributed.
* Ensure adequate on‑site staffing levels daily, ensuring agile working is incorporated.
* Monitor sickness triggers for staff members, and conduct necessary meetings as per the sickness policy with the support of the People and Workforce Team.
* Lead and coordinate recruitment of new staff, liaising with the Recruitment Team and maintaining contact with successful candidates prior to commencement of employment in the department. Ensure induction and training programmes are in place as well as mentors.
* Be actively involved in retention of staff and progression of staff through the ranks.
* Provide effective leadership within the department, offering mentorship, guidance, training and support.
* Monitor mandatory training compliance for the Medical Secretarial Teams, sending reminders in a timely manner.
* Responsible for the education and development to maximise the potential of the team, undertaking Personal Development Reviews and ensuring developmental plans are in place, identifying training needs.
* Accountable for health and safety and fire audits, completed in a timely fashion and actions resolved.
* Ensure covid office and staff risk assessments are up to date.
* Maintain communication links with all staff, using a variety of techniques to develop team morale and motivation through effective personal leadership including 1:1s and team meetings.
* Ensure information is cascaded effectively throughout the area of responsibility and that there is a mechanism for all staff to feed information to more senior colleagues.
* Responsible for setting contingency plan for Medical Secretariat, maintaining up to date information.
Finance
* Management of the budget for all staff and resources within the Medical Secretarial Team, monitoring variance and implementing contingency plans as appropriate highlighting any areas of concern.
* Administration stock control within the specialty using analytic judgement to identify and assess information implementing resolutions and monitoring outcomes.
* Working with the Operational Manager to monitor and control bank expenditure.
Policies and Procedures
* Ensure that all staff adhere to Trust Policies and Procedures at all times, including staff compliance of all Health and Safety Policies and the Data Protection Act 1998, which relates to electronically stored personal data.
Systems Management
* Point of contact for queries – all SWFT Winvoice users.
* Responsible for setting up new users.
* Implement upgrades for system improvements.
* Monitor typists and clinical users.
* Update and develop SWFT template headers.
* Resolve user issues and queries.
* Regularly meet with external providers and IT to resolve recurrent issues.
* Support IT with queries.
* Develop/update training packages for systems.
* Responsible for contingency plan procedure for system failure.
* Produce SOPs and communications for system changes/updates.
* Management and maintenance of daily, weekly and monthly reports.
Docman Connect
* Manage GP rejections for all Winvoice and Medisoft clinical correspondence on Docman Connect, ensuring correct GP has information.
* Work with IT to resolve system issues.
Netcall
* Monitor service provided by call handlers and use data to improve patient call handling.
* Manage reports using prism client for clinical correspondence sent via Synertec.
* Investigate any system malfunctions.
* Support implementation and uptake of patient portal subscribers.
Qualifications
* Degree level education in Business/Admin Management or equivalent experience
* Completion of a recognised management training course and or NHS management course i.e. Mary Seacole
Experience
* Previous experience of staff management and leading a team in an NHS environment
* Advanced decision making and resolving complex work issues
* Managing the workload of a team
* Knowledge of current NHS targets
* Project Management
Skills
* Thorough working knowledge of Microsoft Office packages i.e. Outlook, Word, Excel
* Excellent knowledge of hospital IT systems
* Knowledge and understanding of key aspects of current NHS policy including key performance targets
* Excellent understanding of people management
* Must be able to demonstrate behaviours consistent with the Trust values
* Excellent interpersonal, oral and written skills including chairing team meetings and writing reports
* Ability to demonstrate leadership and motivate staff members in a positive manner
* Numerate with excellent analytical skills and ability to understand and produce statistical information to use in problem solving
Personal Qualities
* Ability to supervise a team
* Advanced decision making skills
* Able to persuade, negotiate and influence others
* Able to use judgement and initiative to provide information and support
* Ability to manage time and priorities dealing with frequent interruptions
* Ability to diplomatically handle confidential, sensitive and stressful situations and sometimes difficult work individuals
* Proven record of planning, organisational, change management and administration skills
Other
* Independent means of transport
* Ability to work in an agile way
* Positive and flexible approach to work
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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