Medical Secretary

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Swindon; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting a Medical Secretary to join the Respiratory team in Swindon. The role provides a comprehensive secretarial and administrative service to consultants, including audio-typing clinic letters, managing patient correspondence, coordinating appointments and supporting administrative diaries.

The successful candidate will be highly organised with excellent communication and typing skills.

Qualifications

• Educated to a minimum of 5 GCSEs with Maths and English.
• RSA II/II or equivalent demonstrable experience in typing/Audiotyping.
• Proficient in Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel.
• Certificate in Medical Terminology.
• European Computer Driving Licence.
• Secretary qualification.

Responsibilities

• Attend meetings, arrange meetings, record minutes and undertake general secretarial duties for clinicians.
• Provide comprehensive administrative and clerical support including audio transcription.
• Maintain knowledge of hospital systems to answer enquiries efficiently.
• Distribute incoming correspondence and prepare outgoing mail for collection.
• Liaise with booking teams to arrange patient appointments and care pathways.
• Promote a positive Trust image and support service improvements.

Skills

Typing

Audio typing

Microsoft Office

Education

GCSEs (5+ including Maths & English)

RSA II/III typing

Secretary qualification

European Computer Driving Licence

Certificate in Medical Terminology

Tools

Outlook

Word

Excel

Job description

Employer Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Great Western Hospital Town Swindon Salary £25,760 - £27,476 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 05/11/2026 23:59

Medical Secretary

Band 3

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a unique organisation, serving as the sole integrated provider in the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire system. Our scope extends beyond boundaries as we oversee adult community services in Swindon and provide acute care from the Great Western Hospital.

Our 5,500 staff have 1.2m patient contacts a year, with 13,000 operations carried out in our Theatres, around 4,000 babies born, and our emergency attendances are now well over 100,000 per year. Those numbers only tell part of our story about what an exciting time it is to join Great Western Hospitals.

We are cultivating a culture that fosters our ambitions, prioritising equality, diversion, inclusion, wellbeing, and leadership. We aim to create an environment where every member of our team can truly thrive.

Job overview

***previous applicants need not apply***

This is a fixed term contract for 12 months.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Medical Secretary to join our Respiratory team.

You will provide a comprehensive secretarial and administrative service to Consultants , including audio ‑ typing clinic letters, managing patient correspondence, coordinating appointments, supporting diaries and inboxes, and liaising with clinical and administrative teams to ensure smooth patient pathways.

We are looking for a highly organised individual with excellent communication and typing skills, the ability to prioritise workload, and a proactive, flexible approach. Previous NHS or medical secretarial experience is desirable but not essential as full training will be given.

At Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, our STAR values; Service, Teamwork, Ambition and Respect are at the heart of everything we do.

Main duties of the job

1.Audio-Typing clinic letters, referrals, reports, and other patient related documentation. Ensure that all work leaving the department is of the highest quality in terms of presentation and layout and is dispatched within agreed timescales, sent and documented appropriately.

2.File tests and loose histories regularly as appropriate, including placing on casenotes, scanning or cutting & pasting onto any indicated/necessary computer systems and or delivering to departments/health records.

3.Learn the digital dictation system and ensure that processes are followed.

4.Retrieve, log and return case notes / medical records and ensure that they are processed in accordance with Trust policy (“Case note tracking” and “Filling in Case notes”) as well as scanning required documents and cutting & pasting scanned or word documents where required into Medway, Word or other IT packages

5.To undertake administrative (E-referral/Choose and Book), clerical duties as required.

6.To answer phones professionally, deal with queries wherever possible, record messages accurately and forward on to the appropriate individual for actioning.

7.Request appointments/clinic bookings, cancellations, and expeditions as required.

8. Maintain and update calendars/diaries, manage shared mailboxes and calendars and apply/record consultant/clinician leaves and prepare and submit expense and leave forms as required.

Working for our organisation

We are proud to be part of BSW Hospitals Group – a formal partnership between Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. With a combined workforce of over 17, 600 colleagues, and budget of 1.6 billion the Group is united by a common purpose to deliver the best possible care to over 1 million people.

We are creating a health and care system that works with the people we care for, reducing the differences people currently face in access, experience and outcomes, improving the experience of our colleagues and tackling shared challenges like sustainability and finances. Every improvement we make across our Group will be guided by what creates the greatest benefit for our colleagues, our patients, our communities and our partners.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Attend any meetings, arrange meetings, record minutes and undertake general secretarial duties of all descriptions for the consultants/clinicians/department as required.
• To provide a friendly, professional, complete and fully comprehensive administrative, secretarial and clerical service to the department including audio transcription service to the specialist nurses, doctors and/or consultants.
• Update and maintain a working knowledge of hospital systems so that enquiries can be dealt with efficiently.
• Distribute all incoming correspondence and ensure outgoing mail is ready for daily collection.
• Liaise with booking teams and departments to arrange patient appointments of all types.
• Participate in meetings and be actively involved in generating ideas for service improvement.
• Promote a positive image of the Trust at all times.
• Attend meetings as required.
• Manage and record information on patient administration systems from multiple share email inboxes including replies and advice requests.
• Other duties and responsibilities of the post will be required, flexible and will be reviewed by the Team Leader.

See Job Description for further details.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Educated to a minimum of 5 GCSE’s (or equivalent) with GCSE of Grade C/4+ above or above inc both Maths and English essential
• RSA II/II or equivalent demonstrable experience in typing/Audiotyping (i.e. speed over 60wpm)
• Demonstrable working knowledge of Microsoft packages including Outlook, Word and Excel
• Certificate in Medical Terminology.
• European Computer Driving Licence
• Secretary qualification
• Willingness to actively seek personal development and training.

Experience

• Previous experience in a fast paced office environment
• Experience dealing with members of the public
• Running and organising outlook diary/calendar systems
• Experience using database systems
• Knowledge of medical terminology and working in a healthcare environment
• Knowledge of security and dealing with confidential issues in relation to handling personal information

Certificate of Sponsorship - Sponsorship can only be offered where the role meets the relevant eligibility criteria, including minimum salary requirements. Please note that not all roles within the organisation are eligible for sponsorship. Eligibility for this role includes:

• Current right to work in the UK, subject to verification

Meeting the Skilled Worker visa criteria, where applicable

From 4 April 2024, UK immigration policy changes increased the minimum salary levels required for Skilled Worker visas. Further information is available on the UK Visas and Immigration website.

Current employees should be aware that this position is advertised as a Great Western Hospitals position and appointment ends any TUPE protection.

Candidates are responsible for covering the cost of their own DBS check if required: £21.50 for a Standard DBS check, recoverable from the first pay, or £49.50 for an Enhanced DBS check, divided and recoverable over the initial two pay periods. Payment for DBS checks for bank posts must be settled prior to commencement. Apprentices are exempt from DBS payment.

We are committed to supporting our staff in achieving a healthy work-life balance through flexible work arrangements. Upon joining the Trust, you have the right to request flexible working, with an unlimited number of requests allowed.

The Trust is a Disability Confident Employer; all applicants who have a disability can opt to be considered under the guaranteed interview scheme, which means that, providing they meet the minimum essential criteria for the post, they will be offered an interview. We are also proudly accredited as a Veteran Aware organisation and have signed The Armed Forces Covenant.

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