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Job summary

Main area
317 CR Core Management 570320
Grade
Band 3
Contract
Fixed term: 24 months (from date of appointment - Secondment Opportunity)
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
317-2026-30-015-B
Employer
The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Trustwide
Town
317 Trustwide
Salary
£25,760 - £27,476 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
28/09/2026 23:59
Interview date
19/10/2026

Employer heading

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust logo

Research Secretary

Band 3

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest and largest NHS hospital trusts in the country.  We have around 16,000 staff and an annual budget of £1.7 billion.

With strong history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation regionally, nationally and internationally,  we’re in the top five providers of specialised health services in the country. 

As well as providing a wide range of hospital and community services, we support people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders.

We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.

Newcastle Hospitals are proud to be one of the exemplar organisations across the NHS on sustainability, with a long history of delivering Sustainable Healthcare in Newcastle (Shine) and the first healthcare organisation in the world to declare a climate emergency. Our strategy includes commitments to being Net Zero by 2030, for our direct carbon footprint, and Net Zero by 2040 for our footprint plus. Delivering these ambitions will not be possible without the help, support and action of every single member of our team.

Job overview

As a Research Secretary within Clinical Research Directorate, you will provide vital administrative and secretarial support to research teams across a range of specialities. The role is central to ensuring the smooth running of research services, managing appointments, coordinating communications, maintaining accurate patient records, handling correspondence, and supporting meetings and clinical activities.

We are looking for an organised, proactive and professional individual with excellent communication, keyboard and IT skills, experience in secretarial procedures, and the ability to work independently while managing competing priorities. Accuracy, discretion, attention to detail and a commitment to patient confidentiality are essential, along with the ability to support patients and colleagues in a busy healthcare environment.

This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge clinical research within a supportive NHS team. You will play a key role in delivering high-quality research services, develop valuable specialist knowledge, and work alongside dedicated professionals whose work helps improve patient care and advance healthcare innovation.

  • Interview Date: 19 October 2026
  • 37 Hours 30 Minutes/Week
  • You will be redirected to Trac to apply for the vacancy.  Please expand the job details section and read all of the information before applying for the vacancy

NO AGENCIES PLEASE

Main duties of the job

  • Managing patient research appointments.
  • Acting as a key point of contact for research teams across the Directorate.
  • Handling telephone and email enquiries, resolving issues where appropriate and escalating more complex matters. 
  • Preparing, typing and distributing correspondence, reports, agendas and meeting minutes and other documentation, including audio transcription. 
  • Maintaining diaries, arranging meetings and coordinating meeting room bookings..
  • Managing patient records and data using electronic systems such as eRecord and departmental databases, ensuring confidentiality and accuracy at all times. 
  • Contributing to service improvement, audits, data collection and departmental procedures, while ensuring compliance with Trust policies and governance requirements. 
  • Providing cross-site administrative support and cover for colleagues during periods of absence.

Working for our organisation

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

With around 2 million contacts with patients every year, we deliver care from:

These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS. 

We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites.

Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under ‘Documents to download’ or ‘Supporting documents’.

For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers | Newcastle Hospitals | NHS | Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

  • Working within Clinical Delivery Secretarial Department to provide a comprehensive administrative and secretarial support service across clinical research specialities to Consultants, Medical Staff and other clinical members of their team i.e. Team Lead, Research Nurses etc.
  • Communicates with patients regarding appointments and admissions at the request of the clinical l staff.
  • Provide cross site cover for Secretarial colleagues during absences as directed by Line Manager as required.

Whilst Newcastle Hospitals are a forward thinking and highly innovative organisation, the use of Third-Party Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents a risk to the integrity of our Recruitment & Selection processes.  If you use AI, and it poses a risk to the integrity of your individual application or to the recruitment process, we may withdraw your application at any stage of the process.

Person specification

Qualifications & Education

Essential criteria
  • Appropriate NVQ III Certificate (e.g. Business Administration, Secretarial Support etc) or equivalent level qualifications / relevant experience
  • English Language qualification to GCSE level 4 (or above) or equivalent level qualification / relevant experience
  • Advanced keyboard skills including a high standard of word processing skills (e.g. OCR / RSA II or equivalent level qualification / experience)
Desirable criteria
  • OCR / RSA III

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience of secretarial procedures
  • Audio typing experience
Desirable criteria
  • NHS secretarial experience
  • Working Knowledge of NHS Systems e.g. eRecord
  • Knowledge of Medical Terminology

Skills & Abilities

Essential criteria
  • IT skills to include office software packages
  • Advanced keyboard skills including a high standard of word processing skills (e.g. OCR / RSA II or equivalent level qualification / experience)
  • Excellent communication skills
Desirable criteria
  • Ability to manage time effectively and work on own initiative

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Jess Stewart
Job title
Research Secretary
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
0191 2824144
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