Administration Assistant

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust; Plymouth; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare provider in Plymouth is seeking a proactive appointment clerk/administrative assistant. The ideal candidate will provide essential administrative support to the Speech and Language Department, managing appointment schedules and patient interactions. Required qualifications include GCSEs in Maths and English, alongside strong communication and organizational skills. Candidates with a background in healthcare will be favored. This role is vital for ensuring that therapists have the administrative support necessary to deliver effective patient care.

Qualifications

• GCSE Maths and English Grade A-C or equivalent is essential.
• Recent experience in a healthcare environment is required.
• Proven communication skills are a must.

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative support to the Speech and Language Therapy team.
• Handle patient calls and manage correspondence.
• Prioritize tasks and maintain accurate records.

Skills

Good communication skills

Organizational skills

Computer skills

Customer service

Education

GCSE in Maths and English

OCR I Qualification or Equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Patient Information Management System

Job description

The Speech and Language Department is looking for a proactive appointment clerk / administrative assistant to work as a job sharer - both staff members to provide a comprehensive administrative service to a group of therapists in a timely and efficient manner.

The work is varied and interesting including reception and appointment clerk duties. The necessity to be able to prioritise own workload is essential. Applicants should be able to use their own initiative although working as part of a close-knit team.

Applicants should have proof of recognised keyboard skills, good telephone manner and be educated to GCSE standard or equivalent. Previous clerical experience of working with the general public or within the NHS would be advantageous.

The applicant would be expected to cover for the colleagues during periods of annual leave/sickness.

The successful candidate should have excellent communication and organisational skills, knowledge of various IT software packages and the ability to demonstrate an understanding of confidentiality.

The successful post holder will also provide administrative support to the professional Lead for Speech & Language Department.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will provide administrative support to the Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) as requested as part of a job sharing role. The administrative team deal with administrative processes for OPD referrals and supporting the inpatient SLT team with ad hoc requests incompliance to all Trust Policies and procedures

Full overview please review job description attached to this advert.

***Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as 'Priority' and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.***

About us

We are a people business - where every member of staff matters and can make a difference. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Joining University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust means becoming part of a team of dedicated staff, who are committed to leading the way through innovation, clinical excellence and great customer care. The Trust has great opportunities for career development in a highly progressive working environment. We offer all of this in a vibrant, modern city with a historic reputation for adventure. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY. If you have any issues with applying online and need additional support including reasonable adjustments with the application process please contact the recruitment manager for this post who will put you in touch with the recruitment team. We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants around less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. Please contact the recruiting manager to discuss this prior to your application submission. We commit to giving this full consideration in each case. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for our roles, as diversity strengthens our teams. It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.

Job responsibilities

• To be an active and pro-active team member ensuring delivery of administrative support to the SLT
• To assist with telephone calls/e-mails/correspondence/messages from patients, GPs and other Agencies in a courteous and helpful manner, referring to the Manager or senior staff for advice when appropriate.
• Dealing face to face with patients, carers and other professionals visiting the department, seeking advice when appropriate
• Prioritise own workload including typing (audio/copy/data entry), administration of appointments and waiting lists, collection of statistics. Seeking support and advice as required.
• To provide administrative support to the Professional Lead for Speech Language Therapy through delegated tasks from the manager.
• To accurately record in-patient SLT referrals and to bring these to the attention of Therapists.
• Adhere to the Administrative Procedure Notes (APNs) with regarding using the Patient Information Management System (PiMs) in conjunction with RTT coding, for administration procedures for outpatients and inpatients.
• To arrange appointments for Voice Therapy and to maintain up-to-date appointment diaries for clinicians.
• Maintain an accurate filing system to ensure swift retrieval of documentation and information.
• To assist with the co-ordination mandatory/appraisal/ CPD/ Career development dates for staff members and bring forthcoming dates to the attention of staff member and line manager.
• To bring defects in equipment to the notice of the line manager and take immediate action to ensure that such equipment is withdrawn from service until satisfactorily repaired.
• To report any incident to self, staff or patient to line manager and ensure that the correct form is filled out and action is taken concerning the incident.
• To be involved in the formal staff appraisal scheme as an appraisee.
• Provide clerical cover during annual leave and sickness periods within other areas of the directorate when required.
• To undertake other reasonable duties at the discretion of the line manager.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• oGCSE Maths and English Grade A-C (9-4)/ equivalent or equivalent qualification/equivalent demonstrable experience
• oOCR I Qualification or Equivalent

Knowledge

• oRecent and demonstrable experience of working with and directly communicating with a wide variety of people and the general public
• oComputer skills and familiarity with Microsoft word, office and other programmes eg Excel/outlook
• oDemonstrable experience of working in a hospital or healthcare environment
• oDemonstrable experience of working with people with communication difficulties
• oFamiliar with IPMS including waiting lists/PTLs/RTT coding
• oGood (and proven) communication and interpersonal skills.
• oAwareness of and ability to maintain patient confidentiality
• oGood organisational skills
• oAbility to respond to unpredictable situations

Disposition

• oSelf motivation
• oAbility to work flexibly over 7 day period if required in the future to meet service needs

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.