General Surgery PA/Secretary (UGI)

As University Hospitals Dorset we are a three site acute trust with 'university hospital' status through our partnership with Bournemouth University, working with an annual budget of £730m.

We offer highly regarded health services, employing some 10,000 staff. Our ambitious £500m transformation programme is well on the way to delivering state-of-the-art facilities over the next two years to meet the current and future healthcare needs of the populations we serve.

In an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with over seven miles of sandy beaches you'll find inspirational opportunities to achieve your perfect work/life balance. With the New Forest and the Purbecks on our doorstep, we're also less than three hours from London by road or train. The thriving towns of Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch give way to idyllic villages and unspoilt landscapes just minutes from our hospitals.

We believe that having a diverse workforce, and allowing people to be themselves, is essential in ensuring we offer an inclusive, welcoming and productive place to work.

We especially welcome applications from minority groups in the community who may be underrepresented in our workforce.

At UHD our active staff network groups are the Women's Network, Black Asian Minority Ethnic Group (BAME), Pride Network, European (EU), Pro Ability Staff Network, and the Armed Forces Support Group.

As a Trust we are proudly signed up to the Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant guaranteed interview schemes.

We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support the preparation of their application. While this is not discouraged, we kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of your own experience and suitability. Personal integrity is an important part of the recruitment process.

Job overview

We are looking for an experienced secretary to join the UGI Secretarial team. This role offers excellent opportunities for an enthusiastic and conscientious person to provide a comprehensive medical secretarial service to consultants, junior medical and specialist nursing staff in an efficient and timely manner, assisting in the organisation of their workload and contributing to the overall success of the service.

The ideal candidate must have a good knowledge of office practices and medical terminology alongside excellent interpersonal skills and be reliable and flexible with the ability to work under pressure and above all be a team player.

We offer training and development opportunities within an established Vascular secretarial team which sits within the Surgical Secretariat.

Base site - UHD Poole Hospital

Please note we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

Main duties of the job

Providing a full support service to the UGI Consultants and Clinical Nursing team, to include - diary management, clinic management/utilisation, tracking patient results and booking appointments, inputting on to hospital systems to maintain complete patient records and follow up investigations etc.

Patient/ client care - contact with patients and relatives, and other professional bodies by telephone and sometimes in person.

Typing of clinical letters to include clinical correspondence, clinician clinics, reports, and letters to other Professional bodies, using audio/ Digital Dictation

Ensure that the telephone is answered during normal working hours and an answerphone service is provided at all other times.

To be involved in liaising with line managers in reporting workload, issues or cover that is required.

MDT facilitation

Organise meetings for the colorectal service when required.

Liaise with the outpatient's department regarding patient appointments and clinic management, including the cancelling and setting up of clinics. Make decisions re-expediting/changing appointments, contact with patients regarding booked appointments and re-bookings.

To support the support secretaries/ other consultant PA roles in their absence.

Audio typing / Teams / Scanning / Uploading documents / Post & Referrals

RTT management

Working for our organisation

UHD are investing, developing and transforming Trust services in line with the New Hospital Programme. As part of this, some services may move site this year or next, either temporarily or permanently. Recruiting Managers will be happy to answer any service-specific questions at interview.

If a role or service relocates as part of a planned move, excess mileage will not be reimbursed. Travel from home to the new work base will be classed as a normal commute. Any other changes will be managed under Trust or national terms and conditions.

UHD has active networks including Women's, BAME, Pride, EU, Pro Ability, and Armed Forces. We support Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant interview schemes.

AI tools may be used, but applications must honestly reflect your own skills and experience. Integrity is key to our recruitment process.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Deal appropriately with telephone calls from GP's, patients, medical staff, nursing staff, hospital departments etc.

Ensure that the telephone is always answered during normal working hours, if only with a message facility in the absence of the post holder.

Liaise with General Practitioners regarding patient care and pathways.

Liaise with other hospitals and agencies regarding the transfer of patient's ongoing care.

Take calls from anxious and distressed members of the public or staff, requiring skill and sensitive handling, without recourse to others other than in exceptional cases

To take initiative in the organisation, administration and communication to minimise the demands upon the consultant.

Deal appropriately with telephone calls from GPs, patients, medical staff, nursing staff, hospital departments etc.

Dealing with queries involving confidential documents regarding a wide variety of information, recognising when issues should be referred, and to whom.

To provide a full comprehensive secretarial service within the Colorectal Secretarial Team.

Maintain a rota of leave for the consultant and the team. Ensure that appropriate departments and individuals are notified of the leave and communicate cover arrangements, as appropriate within the Specialty.

To co ordinate leave and cover, liaising with line manager as needed. To ensure the accurate recording of annual leave and sick leave.

Ensure that all patients attending the Out patient clinics have undergone all necessary investigations and that the results are available at the patient's attendance times.

Arrange investigations for patients with the appropriate department, advising patients by letter or telephone and obtain results.

Ensure that all reports and investigations are correlated and available on the electronic hospital system and TEAMS.

Draw the Consultant/Medical Staff's attention to any results of key importance or abnormality within the guidelines agreed, and the post holder will then action any results within specified procedures.

Ensure all relevant information is obtained for patients to be discussed at the Multidisciplinary Meetings.

It may be necessary for the post holder to cover their colleagues whilst on annual leave and perform duties advised by the Colorectal Admin Team Leader and/or Surgical Secretariat Operations Manager.

Adequate information must be conveyed for others to be able to stand-in for the post holder in their absence.

It is the responsibility of the post holder to inform the Team Leader of any fluctuations in the workload, and report as early as possible any difficulties arising from an inability to complete work in time or effectively.

It may be necessary for the post holder to assist with their colleague's workload - this encompasses all specialties within the Surgical Secretariat.

Qualifications

• RSA II or equivalent touch typing/computer skills
• Minimum 5 GCSE's including English or equivalent
• Computer Qualification

Experience

• Secretarial Experience
• Experience working with MS Teams
• Good verbal and written skills (attention to detail)
• UHD Experience
• Working with people

Technical Skills

• Good knowledge of IT systems and software
• Outlook/Word/Excel/Teams/PowerPoint
• Data accuracy on computer systems
• Experience of hospital systems (eCamis/EPR/Teams)

Knowledge

• Understanding of secretarial procedures
• Medical Terminology
• Understanding of Confidentiality and Data Protection Act

Please note:

Staff recruited are expected to be available to work flexibly across all our Trust locations to meet service demands.

This advert may be closed early if sufficient applications are received.

COVID-19 vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself and our patients from the virus when working in our healthcare settings. Whilst this vaccination is not a condition of employment we do encourage our staff to get vaccinated.

Internal Candidates: staff employed prior to merger who voluntarily change jobs will be appointed to UHD terms and conditions.