County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Medical Secretary
The closing date is 07 January 2026
An opportunity has arisen for a medicalsecretary within the Cardiology Department.We are a busy team and are looking for an experienced medical secretarywith excellent secretarial, typing and interpersonal skills. The successful applicant will become anintegral part of an efficient, flexible and pro-active team providing anexcellent secretarial support service to a clinical and specialist nurseteam. The applicant will requireexcellent organisational and communication skills and be able to work underpressure and to deadlines as part of a team and be able to prioritise workloads. A sound knowledge of medical terminologywould be essential. Experience ofMicrosoft packages including regular use of spreadsheets is essential andknowledge of hospital data management systems would be desirable.
Main duties of the job
* Typing/proofreading clinical correspondence
* Liasingwith the cardiology and medical teams within the Trust
* Lialisingwith patients
* Liaisingwith GP surgeries/tertiary centres
* Usingthe Trust EPR systems
* Usingthe Trust digital systems
* Ensuringa robust system is in place to keep track of investigations
* Bookingand cancelling clinics
* Bookingclinic appointments
* Ensuringmedical notes are updated in the CITO system
* Updatingthe RTT system
* Updatinga variety of spreadsheets to track clinical work
* Updatingrotas
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 onAI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances ofsuccess.
For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.
Job responsibilities
Toprovide a full range of confidential secretarial/administrative support to cliniciansand supporting clinical staff, working with minimal supervision.
To undertake proofreading/typing and distribution of clinical and other patient-related/generalcorrespondence, dictated by Consultants and supporting clinical staff, toachieve Trust standards of accuracy and timeliness.
To be the point of contactfor staff, patients and others within and outside the organisation, respondingto external and internal telephone enquiries, taking appropriate and timelyaction required, including making appointments, giving non-clinical advice,onward referral to relevant department etc.
To receive and respond tointernal and external correspondence, taking appropriate and timely action asrequired, in accordance with Trust and/or departmental standards and processes.
To sort electronic mail,photocopy documents and circulate information within Trust or departmenttimescales.
To receive any paperclinical investigation results, and pass to the relevant Consultant forverification and action.
To ensure patientinformation is bar-coded correctly for scanning into the electronic clinicaldocument management system (CITO).
To maintain accuratepatient and GP details on the Trusts EPR and Clinical Systems, as required.
To provide cover asrequired during absence of colleagues.
To book investigations andany necessary follow-up appointments, as directed by clinical staff, ensuringtest results are presented to medical staff on receipt, where these are notavailable electronically.
To support arrangement ofon call rotas, as required.
To organise meetings,including arranging venues, preparing agendas, collating and issuing papers andattending for taking and production of minutes, as required.
To operate efficient andup-to-date administrative systems and processes for all office tasks.
To maintain accurate andtimely data entry to databases to meet service requirements.
To prioritise own workloadto meet the needs of the patients and clinical team and ensure all deadlinesare met.
To support new and/or lessexperienced staff, as directed by line manager/head of service.
Supervise work experiencestudents and apprentices requiring experience of office work.
To provide cover asrequired during absence of colleagues.
The post holder may berequired to undertake the role of Information Asset Administrator orInformation Asset Owner to provide support for the control and administrationof information assets within their area/department (details available on theHealth Informatics web page).
Thepost holder may be required to undertake the role of Registration AuthorityAgent/Sponsor which includes supporting the NHS Care Records Serviceapplications using smartcards and appropriate access files.
Person Specification
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 meetings and taking notes.
* Experience of providing secretarial/administrative support to a team.
* Experience of working within an NHS Environment.
Qualifications
* Good Standard of Education - Minimum of 3 GCSEs (or equivalent) at C Grade or above including English Language.
* NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration or equivalent knowledge/experience (or working towards).
* Keyboarding/typing qualification equivalent to RSA 3/OCR Advanced text/word processing or equivalent proven typing skills to a high standard (or working towards).
Special Skills & Knowledge
* Knowledge of computer packages, e.g. Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint IT Skills.
* Ability to analyse and present data using Excel and Access packages.
* Ability to use email and maintain and update paper and electronic diaries.
* Knowledge of Data Protection and Caldicott Principles and understanding of the need to maintain strict confidentiality.
* Ability to use discretion and maintain confidentiality.
* Good interpersonal skills
* Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to deal with and prepare routine verbal and written correspondence and the ability to obtain information and pass on comprehensive and confidential messages.
* Ability to communicate accurately, verbally, courteously and effectively with a wide range of staff, professionals and members of the public.
* Able to use own initiative to resolve routine queries, in line with departmental procedures. Able to work with minimal supervision following set procedures.
* Ability to organise and prioritise workload in order to meet deadlines.
* Ability to work as a member of a team
* Committed to quality customer care/delivering excellent customer service.
* Flexible approach to work and adaptable to change.
* Understanding of medical terminology
Special Requirements
* Ability to travel independently across the County to fulfil the requirements of the post.
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
£24,937 to £26,598 a yearper annum/pro rata
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