Consultant PA - Orthopaedics

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; West Lancashire; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000

Job description

Job Summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a well-motivated and enthusiastic individual to join our Medical Secretarial Team as a Consultant PA to cover a maternity leave for approximately 12 months or until return of post holder.

You will be working 37.5 hours per week within the Orthopaedic department at Wrightington Hospital.

This interesting & varied role requires you to work well on your own initiative whilst being committed to teamwork to ensure work is completed to meet Trust targets. Good communication skills & the ability to deal with confidential & sensitive issues in a professional manner are essential.

Candidates should hold an AMSPAR Diploma Qualification & RSA Level III in typewriting &/or medical audio transcription or be able to demonstrate experience in a similar role.

Main duties of the job

You will be working within a small team, managing office administration for the Consultant(s), junior doctors & Specialist Nurses they support, providing an efficient & effective PA service. You will act as the first point of contact for all forms of communication for the Consultant(s) & their team(s) & will be expected to organise & prioritise your own workload.

The post holder will work with other Consultant PA's to ensure office administration for all the relevant consultants is covered. Supporting other Consultant PA teams, when required, & provide mentorship support to the Clinical Secretaries linked to their team.

Experience in using Microsoft office software is essential. Experience of utilising digital dictation, creating spreadsheets and scheduling of clinic/theatre lists is desirable.

Please note, shortlisting is based on the person specification, therefore, when completing your supporting statement, please refer to the person specification, demonstrating in your application how you match all points, providing examples of experience, understanding and transferable skills. Please also indicate all the specialities that you have experience of typing for, where applicable.

About Us

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust are the proud providers of acute hospital and community services to the people of the Wigan Borough and surrounding areas. At WWL, we value our staff believing that 'happy staff, makes for happy patients'. We have a recognised track record in staff engagement and living our values.

WWL are committed to placing the patient at the heart of everything we do, and in the provision of safe, effective care that acknowledges and ensures dignity. With this in mind we are seeking to recruit people who share our values and beliefs.

On-Call

Please note that senior positions (AFC band 8A or above) may be expected to participate in an on-call rota, if the role is predominantly operational.

Job Description

Job responsibilities

The main duties of this role are:

• Providing a complete PA service including word processing, filing, audio typing, photocopying and the composition of letters. Prepares responses and requests for the Consultant and designated medical staff as appropriate.
• Distributing and prioritising incoming mail, using judgement and experience to decide which documents are to be passed directly to other areas for action and information.
• Undertaking administrative work at the request of the consultant or their team.
• Attending outpatient clinics and ward rounds as necessary and where appropriate.
• Providing the first point of contact for written and telephone enquiries, some of which may be sensitive, on behalf of the Consultant and their team, using judgement to establish the validity and priority of the contact.
• When notified of Consultants leave, ensure appropriate action is taken regarding cancelling/reducing clinics and re-evaluating/rescheduling appointments in Consultants diary where appropriate.
• The production and distribution of patient/procedure lists, e.g. admissions, arranging and co-ordinating Domiciliary visits and assessments, theatre, outpatient procedures within the required timescales.
• Maintaining close working relationships between consultant and patient where appropriate.
• Organising and co-ordinate multidisciplinary team meetings, arrange venue and take minutes where appropriate.
• Ensuring timely responses to Medico-legal reports/Insurance reports.
• Introducing and implementing new practices to enhance service development, i.e. developing protocols and procedures for improved patient services.
• Supervising new PAs/secretaries/support staff and work experience students ensuring an effective office system is maintained.
• Compiling and distributing medical staff rotas and liaising with medical staffing about annual leave/sick leave arrangements where applicable.
• Ensuring all results of investigations are brought to the attention of the medical staff to be signed and uses own judgement and experience to highlight any that may need urgent action.
• Maintaining a diary of appointments and information relevant to medical staff.
• Ensuring accurate and up-to-date information for the Trust's waiting list requirements.
• Ensuring adequate supply of stationery and equipment.
• Developing office, PA and secretarial practices to continually improve service delivery.
• Assisting colleagues in providing cross cover for the work of absent PAs, including across sites, when necessary.
• Preparation of induction packs for Junior Doctors.
• Administration of duties in relation to new policies i.e. 18-week pathway inter provider transfer documentation, choose and book administration and patient choice bookings. Provide training to other staff, as appropriate, in relation to this requirement.
• Migration to digital dictation systems and re-organisation of workload to meet performance standards.
• The post holder is expected to act independently within occupational guidelines and decide when it is necessary to refer to their manager.
• The post holder should exercise initiative commensurate with the role and it is vital that confidentiality is maintained at all times.