Job summary
To provide a high quality, comprehensive and confidential secretarial and administrative support service to the Consultant and clinical team on a day-to-day basis.
You will work independently in an ever changing administrative environment, managing numerous workloads with priorities changing daily on a sliding scale.
You will be confident in communicating with patients, internal and external stakeholders, and across a breadth of seniority levels.
This role involves managing a patient caseload for your clinical team along with managing, scheduling and booking an elective theatre list.
Main duties of the job
The post-holder will have day to day responsibility for providing a comprehensive, efficient and confidential secretarial service to a team of consultants, clinicians and nursing staff.
Key responsibilities include constant liaison with consultants, medical staff, patients, other administration teams, General Practitioners, external bodies, ward staff and theatre staff.
Staff is expected to demonstrate initiative in organising workload and taking decisions within clearly defined limits.
Receive and take relevant action on telephone calls and enquiries from key contacts, resolving problems, queries and complaints, making appointments, and arranging visits and meetings where appropriate.
About us
Northampton General Hospital is one of the largest employers in the area and we are on an exciting journey. All of our divisions are committed to doing things better, with more efficiency as we update, modernise, and advance. We have also entered into a Group Model with neighbouring Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and become University Hospitals of Northamptonshire.
Our Excellence Values: Compassion, Accountability, Respect, Integrity, Courage.
We want to recruit the best people to deliver our services across the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire and help to unleash everyone's full potential. The Hospital Group encourages applications from people who identify from all protected groups, especially those from BAME, Disabled and LGBTQ+ backgrounds as these are underrepresented in our hospitals.
We understand that we need to work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and ensure an inclusive and collaborative environment.
We have active Networks that promote and support colleagues from all backgrounds. This ensures everyone feels supported and has a sense of belonging working for Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals.
Details
Date posted: 11 February 2026
Pay scheme
Agenda for change
Band
Band 4
Salary
£27,485 to £30,162 a year Per Annum / Pro rata
Contract
Fixed term
Duration
12 months
Working pattern
Part-time
Reference number
265-7735466-SUR
Job location
Northampton General Hospital, Cliftonville, Northampton, NN1 5BD
Job responsibilities
To co-ordinate the day-to-day management and maintenance of the patient elective pathway in accordance with the Patient Access Policy.
Receive and take telephone calls and other enquiries, internally and externally; problem solve, resolving situations to prevent ongoing issues or complaints; deal with queries, make appointments and arrange visits and meetings when required.
As a medical secretary maintain consultant diaries, assist with scheduling consultant workload and communicate with other relevant parties concerning planning and rescheduling of work.
Provide accurate, efficient typing from an audio-based dictation system, typing letters, results, discharge summaries, reports and general correspondence all within the Trust target frame.
Open and prioritise post for consultants, dealing with matters not requiring clinical input and executive general administrative tasks.
Select cases for theatre lists within guidelines ensuring national and local targets are met.
Replace cancellations, as and when necessary, with like-for-like cases within guidelines, while considering the national targets for waiting times.
Inform patients of any requirements depending on scheduling of theatre sessions.
Deal with patient enquiries regarding cancellations, rescheduling, holiday bookings and suspensions.
Contact patients and agree a convenient date for their admission in line with booked admissions.
Advise patients of the pre-operative assessment appointment process and isolation period prior to surgery.
Manage waiting list entries, following the elective policy, amending pathways for each patient; remove and re-establish entries when ready for surgery to offer an admission date.
Liaise with clinicians regarding appropriate scheduling of patients such as case mix together with other key information to ensure full utilisation of theatre lists.
Produce operating lists for individual operating sessions, including special/clinical instructions, and circulate to the designated areas in a timely manner.
Inform theatre staff of specialist equipment required as directed by the medical staff and arrange for identified representatives to be present at the time of surgery.
Accurately input, update and monitor patient-related information onto the computerised Patient Administration System.
Report and keep records of patient cancellations on the day of surgery to ensure the patient is re-dated for surgery within the 28 days national target.
Work closely with the Medical Secretarial team and Health records clerks to ensure the development of an efficient team to effectively support the Directorate.
Be responsible for the timely processing of all incoming and outgoing mail.
Act as a mentor for newly recruited staff, including an introduction into working practices and procedures within the Department.
Be a dynamic key role in the team, assisting and covering for other team members in times of absence.
Person Specification
* Education, Training and Qualifications (Essential)
* Minimum 3 GCSE at Grade C or above, including English and Mathematics or equivalent.
* RSA 2 Certification of secretarial studies or vast experience having been a secretary.
* Education, Training and Qualifications (Desirable)
* NVQ level 3 in Business Administration.
* Experience of Patient Administration System (Camis) or equivalent.
* Knowledge and Experience (Essential)
* Significant experience working in an office setting.
* Some NHS or healthcare administration experience.
* Experience of prioritising own workload, meeting targets and deadlines.
* Knowledge and Experience (Desirable)
* NHS Experience desirable but not essential.
* Knowledge of Camis or similar patient system.
* Experience of managing patient waiting lists.
* Skills (Essential)
* Good communication skill.
* Organisation and time management.
* Ability to speak to distressed patients.
* Excellent IT and keyboard skills.
* Working in a complex environment within a required timeframe.
* Skills (Desirable)
* Ability to speak to distressed patients.
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit UK Visas and Immigration website.
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.
Employer details
Northampton General Hospital, Cliftonville, Northampton, NN1 5BD
Employer's website
https://www.northamptongeneral.nhs.uk/Home.aspx
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