Dietetics Team Secretary/Administrator

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust; Torquay; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Part time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in Torquay is seeking a part-time administrator to support the dietetic department. Responsibilities include patient registration, appointment scheduling, and effective communication with patients and other healthcare professionals. The ideal candidate will have strong organizational skills and proficiency in IT systems. This role offers a supportive environment and opportunities for career development within the NHS.

Benefits

NHS Pension Scheme

Generous Holiday Entitlement

Career development opportunities

Employee Support – 24-hour helpline

Qualifications

• Ability to handle routine and non-routine enquiries efficiently.
• Experience in administrative support in a healthcare setting.
• Skills in planning and organizing multiple tasks.

Responsibilities

• Register patients and book clinic appointments.
• Organize dietetic outpatient clinics efficiently.
• Communicate effectively with patients and healthcare professionals.

Skills

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Manual dexterity

Empathy

IT proficiency

Tools

PAS/ICS system

UNIT4 procurement system

Job description

Overview

You will work closely with and support a part time administrator and liaise regularly with our dietetic support workers. Your job will include a variety of tasks, including registering patients, booking clinic appointments for a number of dietetic clinics, typing letters, managing the main telephone and email, handling and distributing referrals into the team, liaising with other departments and supporting all the teams within the department when necessary. You will also support the Head of Service and Team Leads by processing staff sickness and annual leave records as well as bank staff administration. We are moving to a new electronic patient record in 2026, so an ability to embrace new technology and electronic systems is a required attribute. To work closely with all members of the nutrition and dietetics team, and other employees of the Trust, providing efficient and high quality administrative support. To liaise and communicate with patients, carers, healthcare workers and other external agencies, demonstrating courtesy and respect at all times. Communication and working relationships.

Responsibilities

• Communication and working relationships
  • Ensure patients are treated with courtesy, dignity and respect
  • Communicate effectively verbally face to face, over the telephone, via email, electronic patient record and in writing with:
    • Internal:
      • Dietitians and Dietetic Support Workers
      • Other team administrators
      • Other internal teams including ward staff, specialist nurses, medical secretaries, catering staff.
      • Social care teams
    • External:
      • Patients and their families / caregivers
      • Members of the general public
      • GP practices
      • Healthcare professionals from other Trusts
      • Nutrition company co‑ordinators and reps
  • Ability to recognise and Escalate any concerns about a parent or carer to clinical staff
• Planning and organisation
  • To plan, organise and prioritise own workload proficiently and effectively.
  • Co‑ordinate dietetic outpatient clinics, ensuring efficient organisation and optimised patient numbers, using PAS/ICS system (to be superseded by EPIC). This includes booking appointments and issuing appointment letters and sending other required information.
  • With the support of the Administration Assistant ensure that all clinical and non‑clinical correspondence and reports are typed (using audio typing equipment), within local targets.
  • If required, organise meetings including collation and distribution of agendas, taking and transcribing formal minutes, and room bookings.
  • Maintain a comprehensive filing system for patient record cards to be readily available. Oversee management of filing/storage or destruction of old record cards, with assistance of Medical Records staff.
  • Assist with a variety of office duties – filing, typing, dealing with telephone messages, monitoring office message book, opening and distributing post, enveloping letters, photocopying, printing documents and booklets, arranging collection and delivery of notes for storage, moving and lifting of patient notes to ensure efficient and effective support to the department.
  • Teambuild with the Dietetic Support Workers to maintain and update the department website, and provide colour photocopying and production of department diet sheets and written information.
  • Print and distribute Friends and Family forms for clinicians to use at all outpatient clinics.
• Physical skills
  • Manual dexterity for typing
  • Able to transport medical records
  • Able to move stationery items
• Patient and client care
  • Handle routine and non‑routine enquiries efficiently and ensure appropriate follow‑through, using initiative to deal with all enquiries either verbally or in writing, or via secure email.
  • Demonstrate empathy with clients, carers and families, and colleagues, ensuring effective communication especially where barriers to understanding exist, and form productive relationships with others who may be under stress and/or have challenging communication difficulties.
• Policy and service development
  • Identify areas for service improvement and support implementation.
  • Follow and update Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all aspects of the role.
• Finance, equipment and other resources
  • Order and maintain stock of stationery items through the online procurement system (UNIT4) ensuring timely and economic supplies.
• People management and training
  • Support the Administration Assistant in their role and ensure compliance with Standard Operating Procedures.
  • Ensure mandatory training is kept up to date.
  • Attend training for any new IT systems as required.
• Information technology and administrative duties
  • Arrange annual leave for staff and cover arrangements, in liaison with clinicians. Assist in creating annual leave sheets for staff, as well as calculating and checking annual leave entitlements for team members.
  • Input and verify on ESR, Tempre and Allocate (Bank Staff) any departmental staff absence, sickness, annual leave and study leave. Record authorised additional hours worked on the relevant database, ensuring procedures are followed and completed.
  • Manage department diaries and appointments including meetings with outside nutrition company representatives.
  • Use the relevant IT systems to register patients, make appointments, transfer medical records, create clinical letters, as required.
• Freedom to act
  • Ensure patients are put at the heart of the service.
  • Provide and receive sensitive information and be able to respond to patients, carers, and other service users (who may at times be distressed) tactfully and empathetically. Escalate unresolved matters appropriately to the Service Lead / Team Leader.

Benefits

• NHS Pension Scheme
• Childcare at our day nursery
• Generous Holiday Entitlement, starting at 27 days a year (for full‑time workers) plus bank/public holidays
• Staff Discounts
• Career development and training opportunities
• Employee Support – Staff have access to a 24‑hour helpline

Important Information

• We reserve the right to close vacancies early if we receive a high volume of applications. Therefore, we encourage you to apply promptly.
• Please read the job description carefully and tailor your application to reflect the requirements of the role.
• Applicants who identify in their application form they are a part of the Armed Forces community will be guaranteed an interview, provided they meet the minimum essential criteria outlined in the job description and person specification for the role. Step into Health guidance can be found on our NHS Employers website.
• Correspondence will be sent via Trac, text, and email. Please ensure you check your email and Trac account regularly.
• Applicants with no previous NHS experience will ordinarily be appointed to the minimum of the band.
• If you have not received an invitation to interview within 28 days of the closing date, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.
• It is your responsibility to ensure the timely receipt of appropriate references.

The Trust is committed to preventing discrimination, valuing diversity and achieving equality of opportunity. No person (staff, patient or public) will receive less favourable treatment on the grounds of the nine protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. If you require support you can obtain this from our Equality Business Forum which has representatives from all protected groups.