Overview
Job title: Business Support Officer (BSO)
Departments: Cellular Pathology and Microbiology
Band: 4 pro rata if part-time
Hours: 18.8 per week (Part Time) – looking for support in the afternoons. Flexible working considered.
The Pathology department is seeking to recruit an enthusiastic and proactive individual to take up the post of Business Support Officer as a secondment for 6 months, to cover the afternoons.
The successful candidate will provide secretarial and admin support to the Pathology Laboratory Managers and Operational service leads, delivering an efficient, effective and high-quality administrative business support service to support day-to-day operational delivery of diagnostic laboratory services.
The Cellular Pathology and Microbiology departments are busy, diagnostic services, with Cellular Pathology playing a vital role in the Trust\'s cancer diagnostics service. The post holder may be required to support other departments within pathology as needed, including during annual leave.
Key elements: administrative duties, personnel and data management, data collection and resource management.
Interview date: 10 October 2025
Responsibilities
To provide an efficient and high-quality administrative business support service to the Cellular Pathology and Microbiology Laboratory Managers and the Operational Service Leads of both departments.
We are looking for a competent and versatile individual with a \\"can do\\" attitude, willing to learn new skills, and able to maintain a high level of confidentiality regarding patient, staff and financial information. The role is largely independent, with tasks completed within working hours.
The successful candidate will be professional with strong IT and time management skills and the ability to communicate confidently with all staff groups. The role involves working as part of a professional and friendly team to deliver a diagnostic service that meets accreditation and regulatory requirements and supports high-quality patient care.
Secretarial Duties
* Provide comprehensive, effective, high-quality business admin support to the Cellular Pathology and Microbiology Laboratory managers and the Operational Service Leads. This includes:
* Handle telephone and postal enquiries (routine and urgent), direct/delegate tasks, and take appropriate action in the absence of the Laboratory Manager.
* Ensure all relevant information is available to Laboratory Managers and the Pathology Services Manager.
* Assist with administrative duties including diary management using an electronic diary system.
* Arrange/attend meetings, book venues, draft agendas, take/transcribe minutes (where required), and distribute documentation within deadlines.
* Handle confidential information with discretion and diplomacy in line with trust policy (e.g., personal folders, sickness absence monitoring).
* Update QPulse with department documentation (minutes, SOPs/policies) and create workflows for feedback collection.
* Monitor HCPC registration for staff roles requiring registration, liaising with managers as required.
Personnel Issues
* Work with the Pathology Business Administrator to provide timely information, generate folders for new staff, maintain personnel files, and complete documentation when staff details change or staff are recruited.
* Facilitate smooth staff selection processes, providing documentation and arranging interviews as required.
Assist in monitoring staff absence, maintaining local records and updating staff availability in HealthRoster, including shift amendments.
Assist in maintaining staff annual leave and contractual hour records, including documenting leave requests when staff cannot use Employee Online.
Data Management
Set up and maintain data-based records in Excel and provide spreadsheet information as required by Laboratory Managers. This includes:
* Staff personal details (Trust ESR and local files)
* Staff appraisal records (Trust ESR and local files)
* Staff personal development folders
* Orders, invoices (NHS Shared Business Services)
* Mandatory training and activity data (ESR and local files)
* QPulse database
Data Collection/Statistics
* Run WinPath queries to provide weekly malignancy lists for MDT coordinators, monthly billing data, and monthly Cancer Registry data as required.
* Identify outstanding work and inform the relevant pathologist; provide data for infection control returns and contract monitoring; provide other data returns as required.
Please refer to the full job description for further details.
Person Specification
Qualifications and knowledge
* Essential: Good general education, including English, minimum of 5 GCSEs (A-C) or equivalent.
* Strong IT skills in Microsoft Word and Excel (NVQ level 3 or RSA III or equivalent).
Experience
* Essential: Secretarial/administration experience in a clinical department; knowledge of Data Protection and patient confidentiality; ability to input/retrieve information on computerised systems with adherence to local/national policies; experience using Excel, Access, and Windows.
* Desirable: NHS experience; understanding of NHS performance targets; experience with NHS IT/patient data systems; knowledge of medical terminology; experience handling inbound/outbound calls with sensitive information.
Skills
* Effective verbal and written communication; good telephone manner; excellent word processing and computer skills; ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines; strong administrative and organizational skills; attention to detail; ability to use initiative.
Personal and people development
* Team player with flexible and positive approach; professional appearance and courteous manner; willingness to develop skills and knowledge.
Communication
* Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (verbal and written); active listener; ability to educate on applications and systems for best practice.
Specific requirements
* Able to perform duties with reasonable aids and adaptations.
Disclosure
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1975 and will require submission for Disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks.
Employer details
Employer: Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Location: Microbiology (Dept), Milton Keynes, MK6 5LD
Website: https://www.mkuh.nhs.uk/working-at-mkuh (Opens in a new tab)
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