Job summary
- Main area
- Gastro
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 4
- Contract
- Permanent: N/A
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (5 days a week - hours between 8 -4, 8.30- 4.30, 9 - 5pm)
- Job ref
- 418-COR9334-SSJ
- Employer
- Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Bedfordshire Hospital NHS Trust
- Town
- Bedford
- Salary
- £28,392 - £31,157 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 23/10/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Gastroenterology Medical Secretary
NHS AfC: Band 4
Job overview
The post holder will provide a comprehensive and specialist medical secretarial service to consultants, specialist nurses and other clinicians within the Gastroenterology and Hepatology team. The post holder will have significant responsibility for independently coordinating and monitoring clinical administrative processes and patient pathways.
Main duties of the job
Main Duties of the Job
- Act as a central point of contact for patients, relatives, clinicians, specialist nurses and external organisations, managing a wide range of enquiries professionally and sensitively.
- Provide high-quality secretarial support, including audio typing and processing clinical correspondence using digital dictation systems .
- Prepare agendas, attend meetings, take minutes and follow up
- Coordinate administrative actions arising from outpatient clinics, ensuring appointments, investigations, referrals, waiting list actions and follow-up arrangements are completed accurately and within agreed timescales.
- Monitor patient pathways, including cancer and 18-week RTT targets, identifying delays and escalating concerns where appropriate.
- Track outstanding investigations and diagnostic results, ensuring relevant information is brought to the attention of clinicians in a timely manner.
- Support the planning, booking, cancellation and reconfiguration of outpatient clinics, working closely with booking teams and clinical departments.
- Maintain accurate patient records and ensure documentation is appropriately scanned, uploaded and managed in line with information governance requirements
Working for our organisation
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.
Our values
We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.
Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The Job Description and Person Specification are attached to this job, please review for the full details and responsibilities
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Act as a key point of contact for patients, relatives, consultants, specialist nurses, clinicians, allied health professionals and external organisations. Independently manage electronic, telephone and written enquiries, including sensitive, confidential, difficult or distressing information, using tact, discretion and developed knowledge of the services to establish the nature of the enquiry and determine the appropriate course of action. Resolve enquiries wherever possible and ensure matters requiring clinical or managerial input are escalated appropriately and followed through to an outcome.
2. Independently sort, assess, prioritise and distribute incoming correspondence, including electronic mail, according to clinical urgency, patient need, service requirements and agreed timescales. Use judgement to determine which matters require immediate action, which can be dealt with directly and which require referral to the appropriate clinician, department or external organisation.
3. Audio type clinic letters, reports and other clinical correspondence dictated through the Big Hand system, ensuring accuracy, confidentiality and timely completion. Monitor consultant amendments and approvals, identify outstanding correspondence and take appropriate action to ensure letters are completed and communicated within agreed timescales.
4. Independently monitor and coordinate administrative actions arising from outpatient clinics. This includes ensuring that follow-up appointments, investigations, referrals, discharges, waiting lists, cancellations and other actions identified by clinicians are appropriately processed and completed.
5. Maintain oversight of outstanding investigations and clinical information, including blood tests, histopathology, MRI scans, X-rays, imaging and other diagnostic investigations. Identify delays, discrepancies or outstanding actions. Ensure significant or clinically relevant issues are brought to the attention of the appropriate clinician without unnecessary delay.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Educated to GCSE level or equivalent including English and Mathematics at a minimum grade of C or above.
- NVQ 3 in Business Administration / RSA3 or equivalent secretarial qualification. Or working towards / equivalent experience.
Desirable criteria
- Secondary education to A Level or equivalent standard.
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of working within a Secretarial/PA or Administrative role.
- Experience of working as a part of a team and on own initiative.
- Experience of dealing with highly sensitive and complex information.
Desirable criteria
- Managing a clinical rota on a day to-day basis.
- Minute-taking.
- Gastroenterology/Hepatology experience.
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Knowledge and use of Microsoft software including Office, Word, Excel and PowerPoint and TEAMS
- Understanding of data protection, confidentiality and record keeping requirements
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of NHS IT systems including IPM, ICE and Bighand.
- Appreciation of patient pathway targets.
Personal Skills
Essential criteria
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills – ability to deal with people at all levels using tact, diplomacy and understanding.
- Excellent organisational skills with the ability to work to tight deadlines and with interruptions.
- Excellent decision-making skills.
- Able to use own judgement and initiative to provide information and support.
- Able to analyse problems and initiate appropriate solutions effectively.
Personal Characteristics
Essential criteria
- Empathetic, Caring and Understanding Open, Reflective and Warm
- Enthusiastic and Self-Aware
- Creative and Flexible
- Team focussed
- Reliable, Adaptable and Dependable
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Claire Adde
- Job title
- Assistant Service Manager, Group 2
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07501 609704
- Additional information
Contact Telephone number is 01245
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