Medical Secretary (Basildon MHU) | Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

A vacancy has arisen for a Medical Secretary to the Mental Health Urgent Care Department based within the grounds of Basildon Hospital. The Medical Secretary will support two Consultant Psychiatrists and their medical team/s for both the Urgent Care Department and the Crisis Resolution Service. Due to the nature of the service, this is an office based role. We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated person who is flexible and has excellent secretarial and communication skills. You must have the ability to work unsupervised and under pressure and be able to deal sympathetically with patients and relatives of people with mental health problems. The Medical Secretaries are an important part of a team and are very much in the front line with the patients and their families. To provide a vital link for staff, patients, relatives and outside agencies as required. Your main responsibilities will be to provide comprehensive administrative and secretarial support to the Consultant/s and their team. This role is office based due to the nature of the service in order to provide on hand support to the consultant and team members. Good organisation and adaptability to learning new systems is essential., If you are joining our Trust in a fixed term role, please indicate on your New Starter Paperwork that you wish to join our staff bank.

• To become an effective member of the Medical Secretariat, developing productive working relationships with other members of the team, developing and demonstrating a sound understanding of the aims and business activities of the Trust. To ensure that all dealings are conducted in a manner that reflects the professional reputation of the Secretariat.
• To work flexibly to provide efficient, high quality secretarial, administrative and support services to the Consultant and their medical colleagues as required and to maintain office cover.
• To produce documents such as clinic letters and discharge summaries. Clinician's reports, general correspondence, minutes, presentations etc. using audio, shorthand or copy typing skills as required.
• Ensure that discharge summaries and other time-sensitive information are typed within the designated time limits.
• To manage and prioritise own workload appropriately, frequently under pressure, without supervision.
• To react quickly to urgent situations in order to coordinate an excellent service to patients/their carers, health professionals and other professional bodies.
• Excellent communication skills are vital: good relationships need to be established and maintained with other medical/professional staff (other external doctors) involved in patient care in order to ensure that these personnel engage in taking action where there is an urgent situation requiring their input.
• To pass on information received from patients/carers regarding their health condition, medication, problems they are experiencing, etc. to the Consultant and to ensure that this is done in an accurate and timely manner.
• To relay advice of a clinical nature to patients, carers, GPs and members of the clinical team, acting on the instructions of the Consultant, ensuring that this is done accurately and comprehensively.
• If requested, to maintain the upkeep of the Consultant's diary, to arrange meetings on their behalf, including the handling of associated administration such as room bookings, the preparation and circulation of agendas and related papers as required and act as a point of contact for coordinating and ensuring that necessary details are made available to the Consultants and others as required.
• To participate, as required, in the arrangements for training programmes / conferences, ensuring that the relevant documentation is processed and that all necessary practical arrangements are in place for events to run smoothly.
• To provide effective support to the Consultant in the various specialist he/she is involved (e.g. academic, research, arranging conferences, service development, clinical director, SI investigations, dealing with complaints, etc.), in order to provide a smooth and professional service in line with Trust policies.
• To arrange investigation appointments for patients at the request of the Consultant (e.g. bloods, EEGs, ECGs, X-rays, MRI Scans etc.) and, where appropriate, ensure all results are brought to the attention of the Consultant so that appropriate action can be taken.
• Work as part of the clinical support team to ensure delivery of a comprehensive and effective administration service to clinical personnel across the directorate
• Provide advice and demonstrate own activities or workplace routines to new or less experienced employees within the team.
• To maintain confidentiality within the role with clinical changes to pathways across the EPUT.
• To have a good working knowledge of the electronic patient records system used in the team. To participate in the process of updating these records with relevant information such as clinical information, personal data, email, telephone and paper based communications etc. in a timely fashion.
• To provide secretarial cover to other Consultant teams as necessary for colleagues on sick/annual leave and to work flexibly as a team member to ensure smooth and efficient flow of work through the service.
• To process applications for annual leave/study leave, of the doctors within the team ensuring that all relevant team members are aware of forthcoming absences and are advised of the cover arrangements in place.
• To ensure that post/email/telephone enquiries are promptly sorted, recorded and actioned as appropriate, filtering them in an efficient manner in order to organise and assist with the workflow of the Team. To exercise initiative where appropriate in responding to incoming mail by drafting responses.
• To cooperate with others towards maintaining efficient filing, records and bring-forward systems, properly indexed and cross-referenced, to ensure that location of all documents and files are properly recorded and that they are readily accessible.
• To be able to access and use the NHS and the Trust information systems, e.g. to retrieve patient care related information.
• To take responsibility for the care and maintenance of the office equipment supplied to secretaries and the Consultants. To notify the IT Department of any problems with the computers and the other relevant repair services for equipment used.
• To assist with the collection and collation of data and information, including statistical information relevant to the consultant's scope of work to assist them to carry out their work efficiently.
• To provide day to day support and assistance to new and temporary members of staff within the team as part of induction and good team working.
• To assist in the induction of trainee doctors new to the Consultant's team on a regular rotational basis. Provide them with a package of template letters, including the admission and discharge summaries to help them formulate their correspondence. Provide them with a timetable of activities, clinics, ward rounds etc.
• To maintain a system to ensure that the doctors, during the induction, are provided with the available personal safety alarms, Dictaphone, bleeps, and keys. An up-to-date log of these to be maintained to facilitate the retrieval and re-allocation as the doctors in the team changeover.
• To adhere to the principles and processes defined within the equal opportunities provision.
• To report any health & safety issues or fire hazards to the Manager and take immediate action to minimise any risk or hazard.
• To fully comply with the GDPR and related policies.
• To recognise the sensitivity of business undertaken and to ensure strict confidentiality.
  
  Audio typing skills and previous secretarial experience in a similar role would be highly beneficial.
Previous medical secretarial experience in a mental health or other NHS setting with clinical systems knowledge is desirable.

EPUT are looking for motivated staff who shares our Trust values of Care, Learn and Empower. In return, EPUT can offer you a range of benefits and development including;
• Season Ticket Loans
• NHS discounts for staff
• Excellent Training facilities and opportunities
• Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
• The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
• Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
• Day One Flexible Employer
The Trust supports and actively encourages flexible working for all employees. We offer many options and you are encouraged to ask the recruiting manager what is possible for this role. If appointed, you will have the opportunity to apply for a flexible working request from the first day of your employment Join our Staff Bank What is Staff Bank? Our EPUT NHS staff bank is an entity managed by the trust that hires clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals to take on shifts at our trust hospitals and community settings. Here at EPUT we maintain our own bank of specialist staff to ensure that we are able offer safe and effective care at all times. All our permanent staff are automatically enrolled onto the staff bank however this does not mean you have to work any additional shifts, but the option is there for you if you wish.