Senior Trust Medical Secretary - Respiratory Medicine
At NNUH it is our privilege to provide healthcare to over one million people across Norfolk and surrounding areas. Our vision is to ‘provide the best care for every patient’, and if this inspires you and you share our values, we really want you to join our team.
NNUH is currently the busiest Trauma Unit in the East of England caring for almost 850 trauma patients annually many with complex care needs. We are enhancing our urgent and emergency care specialist services for patients with significant injuries as a result of trauma and have an ambition to become a Major Trauma Centre.
Our values support our vision and guide the behaviour of everything we do, these are:
People-focused
We look after the needs of our patients, carers and colleagues, to provide a safe and caring experience for all.
Respect
We act with care, compassion and kindness and value others’ diverse needs.
Integrity
We take an honest, open and ethical approach to everything we do.
Dedication
We work as one team and support each other to maintain the highest professional standards.
Excellence
We continuously learn and improve to achieve the best outcomes for our patients and our hospital.
Wish you were here? So do we.
We want all our staff to achieve a balance between work and personal life and understand how important flexible working can be. We welcome applications on a full or part time basis, various shift patterns and hybrid working, where roles allow.
At the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NNUH), we know the benefits diversity can bring to our organisation such as creativity, innovation and compassion. All of which have a direct impact towards our staff and patient experience.We are committed to being a Hospital for All – being equitable and inclusive, and a place where all feel a sense of belonging. We therefore particularly encourage and welcome applications from candidates who are underrepresented in NNUH’s workforce.
These include people from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, people with diverse abilities and people within the LGBT+ community.
Job overview
Fixed term contract/secondment opportunity until February 2026
The Respiratory Medicine directorate has an exciting opportunity to join the diverse and friendly admin team as a Senior Trust Medical Secretary. The forward-thinking and developing department incorporates new and exciting areas of interest including lung cancer, sleep, interstitial lung disease, emphysema, cystic fibrosis, oxygen, COPD, tuberculosis; as well as a vibrant outpatient department, respiratory investigation unit, lung function lab and a large inpatient footprint, all innovated collaboratively between the clinical, nursing and administrative teams.We are looking for someone who is enthusiastic, proactive and organised to join our vibrant and supportive team.
If you are looking for a role that provides you with the opportunity to show off your caring and compassionate side, you enjoy a busy atmosphere, working methodically with good attention to detail, and you can work flexibly, we want to hear from you!
If you are considering applying for this post on a secondment basis, please discuss with your Line Manager prior to applying to ascertain whether this could be supported.
Main duties of the job
As post holder you will:
- Be a member of a large dynamic admin team and provide an essential first point of contact between the hospital, patients and their relatives, and diverse staff groups including clinicians, nurses and administrative teams.
- Deal efficiently and effectively with direct and indirect patient contact.
- Be able to work well autonomously and as part of a team.
- Demonstrate and maintain knowledge of Trust and National policies.
- Gain experience of the sub-specialties in Respiratory and provide high-quality secretarial support.
Working for our organisation
Join us at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and be part of a workforce of over 10,000 staff!
The NNUH is one of the largest NHS trusts in the UK, providing first-class acute care for around one million people, living in Norfolk and surrounding areas. We are a teaching and research hospital, at the forefront of innovation, home to state-of-the-art facilities, such as the Quadram Institute.We are pleased to work closely with the University of East Anglia, providing teaching opportunities for our staff and placement opportunities for their students. We attract some of the best and leading professionals from across the country and are proud that our workforce represents 94 countries from across the world.
We are a friendly, collaborative hospital, working with local services and home to N&N Hospitals Charity
We can offer you the full range of NHS benefits/discounts and in addition:
- Flexible working hours
- Fast Track Staff Physiotherapy Service
- Multi Faith prayer room
- Discounted gym memberships
- Excellent pension scheme and annual leave entitlement
- Wagestream - access up to 40% of your pay as you earn it
- Free Park & Ride service direct to NNUH site
- Free 24-hours confidential counselling support
- On-site Nursery
- On-site cafes offering staff discounts
- Support in career development
- Flexible staff bank
- Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars, Cycle to Work scheme and home electronics
- Deal efficiently and effectively with direct and indirect (i.e. telephone, face to face) enquiries from patients, all levels of medical and nursing staff, GPs, Social Services and other health professionals and staff. Respond to complex enquiries, providing routine and non-routine information and non-clinical advice, resolving problems where possible. Communicate appropriately with patients who may be fearful, aggressive or have sensitive concerns, needing reassurance and who may present difficulties in communication e.g. terminally ill patients, deaf patients, mentally ill patients and elderly confused patients. To sensitively provide and receive complex information using tact and adapting communication style to meet the needs of individual levels of understanding. Recognise the importance of individual rights in accordance with legislation, policy and procedures.
- Attend to all communications, for example, emails, faxes, investigation results on a daily basis. Use judgement to undertake a preliminary assessment of content to determine the appropriate course of action and the priority for the consultant’s/clinical team’s attention.
- Accurately transcribe all correspondence by touch typing from audio/ digital dictation or shorthand using knowledge of medical terminology. Generate routine and non-routine correspondence independently.
- Assist patients and their carers by arranging translation/ interpretation facilities.
- Demonstrate and maintain knowledge and understanding of Trust RTT policy.
- Update RTT in accordance with Trust guidelines and ensure accurate patient pathways, investigating and correcting errors as required. Assist the Administration and Clerical team with data management utilising PAS and other departmental patient databases.
Please see Job Description for full details of job specification and main responsibilities.
Please note that this advertised position, which is part of occupation code 4211 does not meet the UKVI eligibility requirements for a Skilled Worker Visa (this includes if you are already in a sponsored post and looking to change employer).The Trust would not be able to issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for this role
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria- RSA III or equivalent training or experience
- Knowledge of medical terminology/AMSPAR qualification
- Good general standard of literacy and numeracy
Experience
Essential criteria- Previous digital/audio typing experience
- Significant Medical Secretarial experience
Skills
Essential criteria- Able to work both independently and as part of a team
Attitude, aptitude
Essential criteria- Ability to work to tight deadlines and maintain concentration in a complex working environment
- Effective role model, demonstrating NNUH’s PRIDE values of People focussed, Respect, Integrity, Dedication and Excellence
The Job Description, which includes a Person Specification, provides a full outline of responsibilities and requirements for this role. Please use your supporting statement to demonstrate how you meet the person specification.
Visa and Immigration
If you are wishing to apply for this role and would require sponsorship (this includes if you are already in a sponsored post and looking to change employer), you can determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for this post by assessing your circumstances against criteria specified on the gov.uk website https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/your-job.
Travelling to work
Staff parking is available onsite; however, this is limited during core working hours. We have more capacity in the evening and at weekends and can usually provide spaces during those hours.
We look to allocate these spaces fairly. Our Travel Office have a set of criteria that staff must meet in order to qualify. If you qualify for a space, you may be placed on a waiting list if we are at full capacity.
The NNUH is served by a number of public buses, and we offer generously discounted monthly passes with First Bus & Konect.
The Costessey Park and Ride runs regularly each day from 06:30 (from P&R) to 20:45 (from NNUH) and this service is free for NHS staff. There is a regular Thickthorn P&R service as well which is free. Applications to the Travel Office are required for this service.We also have a discounted service from the airport P&R if you purchase a bundle. Please see Konect website for further details.
The NNUH host multiple bicycle racks and a salary sacrifice scheme. We also benefit from a Beryl station onsite.
If you work at another Trust site, please discuss travel and parking arrangements at interview.
DBS
If this post involves working with children or adults the application form will ask for information regarding previous convictions as you will be required to undertake a Criminal Record and Barring Check known as a DBS check.
If you are a new employee or registering with the Staff Bank you will need to meet the cost of this unless your salary is less than point 9 of Afc
NHS Service
Should you be appointed to the post we will need to establish any previous NHS service via the ESR IAT and we will accept the submission of your application as your agreement to this.
UK Registration
You will need to have current UK professional registration where this is a requirement of the role.
Application
Following candidate feedback and to reduce our dependency on paper, all our communication with you regarding your application will be by email so could you please check your e-mails (and Spam) regularly.
We value equality in our team and recruit from all sections of the community. We recognise there is a wealth of talent among people who have a disability and if you meet the minimum criteria detailed in the person specification and have a disability, you may wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme by indicating this in the relevant section on your application.
We look forward to receiving your application and if you do not hear within the next four weeks this will usually mean that you have not been short-listed. However, if you wish to confirm this please contact the person indicated on the advert.
Flexibility
Whilst every effort will be made to recruit to the post as it is advertised, there may be occasions where we consider alternative working patterns, such as part time working, or contract types, such as secondments, depending on circumstances.Should you wish to work in a different working pattern to that stated in our advertisement, please indicate this in the supporting statement to your application.
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