Consultant PA - Gastro

NHS; Greater Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 27,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider is looking for an experienced Consultant PA to join the Medical Secretarial Team within the Gastro team. The role requires providing comprehensive PA services, managing communications, and maintaining sensitive information. Working full-time (37.5 hours), this position offers hybrid working capabilities after training. Candidates must possess an AMSPAR Diploma or equivalent experience, along with excellent communication and time management skills. Salary ranges from £27,485 to £30,162 per annum.

Qualifications

• Experience in providing PA/secretarial service in a medical environment.
• Knowledge of medical terminology.
• Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion.

Responsibilities

• Provide complete PA support including diary management and correspondence.
• Act as first point of contact for queries on behalf of the Consultant.
• Ensure timely responses to medico-legal and administrative reports.

Skills

Communication

Teamwork

Time management

Microsoft Word

Audio typing

Education

AMSPAR Diploma or equivalent

RSA III typing or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Job Summary

An exciting opportunity for an experienced, motivated & enthusiastic Consultant PA to join our Medical Secretarial Team within the Gastro team.

Position: 37.5 hours per week (full-time, flexible). Working at Wigan Site – hybrid working possible after training.

Salary: £27,485 – £30,162 per annum (Pro rata) – Band 4, Permanent.

Location: Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, Wigan Lane, Wigan, WN1 2NN.

Date posted: 24 December 2025.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide a complete PA service including word processing, filing, audio typing, photocopying and composition of letters.
• Distribute and prioritise incoming mail, using judgement and experience to decide which documents are to be passed directly to other areas for action and information.
• Undertake administrative work at the request of the consultant or their team.
• Attend outpatient clinics and ward rounds as necessary and where appropriate.
• Provide 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 with regard to cancelling/reducing clinics and re-evaluating/rescheduling appointments in Consultants diary where appropriate.
• Produce and distribute patient/procedure lists, e.g. admissions, arranging and co‑ordinating Domiciliary visits and assessments, theatre, outpatient procedures within the required timescales.
• Maintain close working relationships between Consultant and patient where appropriate.
• Organise and co‑ordinate multidisciplinary team meetings, arrange venue and take minutes where appropriate.
• Ensure timely responses to Medico‑legal reports/Insurance reports.
• Introduce and implement new practices to enhance service development, i.e. developing protocols and procedures for improved patient services.
• Supervise new PAs/secretaries/support staff and work experience students ensuring an effective office system is maintained.
• Compile and distribute medical staff rotas and liaise with medical staffing about annual leave/sick leave arrangements where applicable.
• Ensure 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.
• Maintain a diary of appointments and information relevant to medical staff.
• Ensure accurate and up‑to‑date information for the Trust’s waiting list requirements.
• Ensure adequate supply of stationery and equipment.
• Develop office, PA and secretarial practices to continually improve service delivery.
• Assist 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 e.g. 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.

Communications and Key Working Relationships

• Use the spoken and written word and be sensitive to those who are vulnerable or do not have English as their first language.
• Assist in the establishment of communication systems with all staff, patients and relatives to promote understanding and goodwill.
• Exchange verbal and written information with patients, staff and carers relating to appointments, admissions and meetings in a tactful and sensitive manner.
• Maintain accurate, timely and legible records.
• Maintain consistency within standards of patient care.
• Communicate complex and sensitive information to patients and relatives with empathy and reassurance.
• Responsibility for all records (including patient health, financial, personal and administrative) that are gathered or used as part of the work within the Trust.
• Compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and Information Governance – the post holder is not entitled to use for their own benefit or gain, or to divulge to any persons, firm or other organisation whatsoever, any confidential information belonging to the Trust.

Responsibility for Finance

• Be the first point of contact for receiving and processing of monies, both cash and cheque, to charitable funds from patients, patients relatives and outside agencies.
• Participate in ensuring the effective use of all financial resources in providing and delivering the service.
• Demonstrate awareness of the need for cost improvement programmes within the Service.
• Promote effective utilisation of resources.
• Provide the service within its financial constraints.
• Maintenance of stock and stationery within own team.

Responsibility for Human Resources

• Be expected to provide day‑to‑day supervision and on‑the‑job training to new PAs, secretaries and administrative support workers, when required.
• Provide mentorship and professional support to Clinical Secretaries.
• Adhere and promote Trust policies, procedures and guidelines and maintain the Professional Code of Conduct.
• Ensure compliance with the Mandatory Training Policy in accordance with Trust policy.
• Take responsibility for ensuring own Performance and Development Review is undertaken on a yearly basis.

Responsibility for Health & Safety

• Have an understanding of health and safety, ethical and legal issues.
• Display a professional attitude at all times when dealing with the general public and colleagues alike.
• Compliance with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 – the post holder is required to fulfil a proactive role towards the management of risk in all their actions, including risk assessment, taking appropriate actions and reporting of all incidents, near misses and hazards, and a statutory duty of care for their own personal safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions.

Responsibility for Teaching

• Knowledge of a full range of secretarial procedures and software programmes (PAS, theatre, EPR, digital dictation) and their application to improve service efficiency and effectiveness.
• Understanding of medical terminology and willingness to assist colleagues with transcription outputs.
• Exercise judgement when dealing with patient enquiries, analysing and resolving problems at source.
• Assist in new staff induction together with the identification and support of their training requirements.
• Facilitate a supportive learning environment that enables all members of the team to develop.
• Recognise the effective utilisation of all appropriate development resources and opportunities.
• Promote the ethos of continuous improvement disseminating any new knowledge gained to other colleagues.
• Recognise and accept responsibility for own personal development.

Person Specification

Essential

• AMSPAR Diploma or equivalent experience of providing a PA/secretarial service.
• RSA III typing or equivalent qualification/experience.
• Medical terminology in at least one specialty.
• Understanding of 18 weeks, CAB and how role fits with these initiatives.
• Information Governance and Data Protection.
• Demonstrate working as a team member.
• Demonstrate prioritising workload effectively.
• Ability to communicate in a clear and concise manner.
• Able to work within tight time frames and to deadlines.
• Able to use tact and empathy when handling patient calls.
• Diary Management.
• Drafting Correspondence.
• Answering telephone enquiries.
• Audio typing.
• Minute taking.
• Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook on a regular basis.
• Experience of monitoring quality of transcriptions.

Desirable

• Knowledge of medical terminology within more than one specialty.
• Knowledge of patient administration systems including Electronic Patient Record.
• Ability to type more than 40–50 words per minute with an accuracy rate of at least 90–95%.
• Experience of utilising digital dictation systems.
• Experience of managing stationery and stock levels.
• Experience of handling medico‑legal reports and insurance claims.
• Experience of scheduling and rescheduling clinic lists on behalf of a consultant.
• Experience of training/mentoring new staff within own work area.
• Shorthand Qualification.
• ECDL.
• AMSPAR Certificate in medical terminology, or equivalent / proven relevant experience.

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.

Employer Details

Wrightington Wigan & Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Royal Albert Edward Infirmary
Wigan Lane
Wigan
WN1 2NN

Website: http://www.wwl.nhs.uk/