Medical Secretary, Ophthalmology

UHCW; Coventry; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust in Coventry is seeking a dedicated administrator to provide confidential, patient-centred support to consultants and teams. You will act as a senior point of contact, manage clinical records, and help coordinate patient pathways while upholding national standards and Trust policies.

The role includes diary management, meeting coordination, and data-driven service improvement, with opportunities for development within a busy ophthalmology

Qualifications

• Experience at Secretary level or trainee secretary level.
• Thorough working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel).
• Excellent organisational skills.
• Good presentation skills.
• Able to supervise support staff on a daily basis.

Responsibilities

• Act as senior admin contact for patients, clinicians and staff; handle enquiries efficiently.
• Manage and maintain clinical records and correspondence; ensure accuracy and timely distribution.
• Monitor RTT requirements and patient pathways to meet national targets.
• Coordinate patient care admin with Booking, Outpatient, Theatre, Diagnostic and Ward teams.
• Provide admin support to consultants; diary management, meetings, minutes, reports.
• Support service improvement through data collection, reports and IT systems.
• Train and supervise colleagues; assist with induction and development.

Skills

Secretary level experience

Microsoft Office

Organisational skills

Presentation skills

Staff supervision

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Main area Ophthalmology Grade NHS AfC: Band 4 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Mon - Fri, 0800 - 1600) Job ref 218-AC-B4-8197611-A

Site University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire Town Coventry Salary £28,392 - £31,157 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 17/11/2026 23:59

Job overview

Please note: Previous applicants need not apply.

To provide a specialised, comprehensive and confidential patient centred clinical administration and secretarial service to Consultants and their teams in accordance with Departmental, Trust and National standards, policies and procedures. To act as a source of advice and guidance regarding the specialism.

Please be advised that sponsorship is not eligible for this post.

Main duties of the job

• Act as the senior administrative contact for patients, clinicians and staff, ensuring enquiries are handled efficiently, resolved promptly and appropriately documented.
• Manage and maintain clinical records and correspondence, ensuring patient documentation is accurate, up to date, available for clinical decision-making, and distributed in a timely manner.
• Monitor and manage patient pathways, including understanding and applying Referral to Treatment (RTT) requirements to ensure patients progress through their care pathway within national targets.
• Coordinate patient care administration by working closely with booking, outpatient, theatre, diagnostic and ward teams to maintain accurate waiting lists, optimise clinic utilisation and support seamless patient journeys.
• Provide comprehensive administrative support to consultants and clinical teams, including diary management, meeting coordination, minute taking, report preparation, correspondence management and office administration.
• Support service improvement and performance monitoring through project work, data collection, report production, use of Trust IT systems, and contributing ideas to improve patient services and business processes.
• Support, train and supervise colleagues, sharing knowledge, maintaining high standards of practice, providing cross-cover during absences and assisting with the induction and development of staff.

Working for our organisation

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, rated as good by the Care Quality Commission, is one of the largest teaching Trusts in the UK.

We are extremely proud of our employees across our hospital sites, with high quality patient care at the heart of everything we do.

Boasting some of the most modern facilities in Western Europe, the Trust is renowned for being at the forefront of research and innovation as part of its blossoming reputation as a worldwide leader in healthcare.

By joining our exciting journey, you will form part of a passionate, talented team and will be able to access a wide range of learning and development opportunities. There has never been a better time to join our team.

The Trust is committed to building an organisation that makes full use of the talents, skills, experience, and different perspectives available in our diverse society. We want everyone to feel they are respected, valued, can achieve their potential and receive the most appropriate and relevant care. We will create an environment where the equality and human rights principles of fairness, respect, equality, dignity and autonomy are promoted and are part of the organisation's core values.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To act as a senior point of contact to ensure all enquiries are effectively managed and successfully resolved within a prompt timescale, ensuring all relevant personnel are informed as necessary and an appropriate record is maintained.
• To ensure, wherever possible, that all clinical documentation is up-to-date, in an orderly fashion and available whenever clinical decisions are being made, reporting exceptional circumstances where necessary. This will require: effective collaboration with all relevant personnel to maintain an efficient administrative system; prompt transcription, manipulation and distribution of appropriate correspondence.
• To understand Referral to Treatment (RTT) clock, ensuring pathways are followed and completed.
• To ensure the effective organisation of all patients under the care of the consultant and his/her team in accordance with Local and National policy and targets. This will require effective collaboration with: the Booking Centre and Patient Access team to ensure the waiting list is up-to date and accurate at all times; Outpatient Access team and General Managers to monitor the utilisation and effectiveness of outpatient clinics, ensuring that established Patient Access Policy and procedures are adhered to; Theatre, Diagnostic and Ward teams to ensure that the elective care pathway for all patients is seamless and sensitive to their needs.
• To implement and maintain an efficient office management system/procedure to enable the consultant and his/her team to optimise their patient care services. This will require: effective management of the consultant’s time, managing schedules and leave arrangements ensuring appropriate and timely communications with all relevant personnel; arranging meetings/events; composing and transcribing minutes proactively ensuring action points are raised and completed, preparation of correspondence and reports; effective management of the consultant’s office by establishing and maintaining efficient manual and electronic correspondence and documentation management systems; ensuring office equipment and stationery levels are maintained, processing orders as required.
• To continually contribute to patient and business improvement Agendas.
• This will require: undertaking any project work as directed, including obtaining information from theInternet, collation and reporting of data in order to produce reports and spreadsheets, utilisingrelevant Trust IT systems, as determined by the role, ensuring all relevant patient data is collectedand input accurately in line with Trust guidelines. These systems may include Revenue Cycle, Powerchart, Appointment Book etc. Share ideas for potential service improvement.
• To support team members. This will require: demonstrating and explaining Departmental practices and procedures; undertaking appropriate training and development with new and existing staff ensuring high standards of practice are maintained at all times; providing cross-cover on a reciprocal basis in the absence of colleagues and providing day to day supervision where required.

For further details please see the attached job description.

Person specification

Experience

• Experience at Secretary level or trainee secretary level.
• Decision making and resolving complex work related issues.

Knowledge

• Thorough working knowledge of Microsoft Office packages i.e. Outlook, Word, Excel.
• Excellent understanding of general office working procedures.
• Awareness of current issues within the NHS.
• Working knowledge of Trust IT systems: Revenue Cycle, Powerchart, Appointment Book

Skills

• Excellent organisational skills.
• Good presentation skills.
• Able to supervise support staff on a daily basis.
• Sound decision making skills.
• Excellent level of verbal and written communication.
• Able to demonstrate good persuasion and influencing skills.
• Able to use judgement and initiative to provide information and support.
• Able to apply tact and sensitivity to establish trust and confidence.
• Empathetic approach to managing and resolving enquiries.
• Able to manage difficult and distressing situations effectively.
• Able to analyse problems and initiate appropriate solutions effectively.
• Able to compose and transcribe minutes, correspondence and reports.

Commitment to Trust Values and Behaviours

• Evidence of demonstrating the Trust Values (Compassion, Openness, Pride, Partnership, Improve, Learn and Respect) and the associated Values in Action behaviours in the workplace.
• For posts with managerial responsibility only Evidence of promoting equality, diversity and inclusion, and ensuring fair and equitable practices throughout your work experience. Evidence of promoting a culture which helps individuals live behaviours aligned to our Trust Values (Compassion, Openness, Pride, Partnership, Improve, Learn and Respect)

To ensure that we provide world-class patient care, UHCW recruits people that can demonstrate the Trust’s Values and Behaviours in their everyday life. Therefore, if you are invited to interview, you will be undertaking a Values Based Interview/Assessment, which explores not only what you do but how and why you do it.
Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trust’s Values and Behaviours which can be accessed on the right side of this page under the job description.
The Supporting Information Section in your application should therefore reflect your understanding of the Trust’s Values and associated Behaviours. You will be expected to provide us with examples from work experience and/or personal life which demonstrate these values through your behaviour.

The Trust is committed to Equal Opportunities within the workplace. All vacancies will be considered for Job Share unless otherwise stated. All applicants who have a disability and who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be interviewed. Where a post has an overwhelming response, this Trust may use random selection in order to reduce numbers to interview, any disabled applicants will automatically be guaranteed an interview and will be exempt from this process.

In submitting an application form, you authorise University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust to confirm from your previous or current NHS employer and other prior employers; previous NHS service details and personal data held about you, including Occupational Health data (inoculations and screening tests). This data will be transferred using NHS Electronic Staff Record and third-party systems via an automated process and only used for the purposes of obtaining and maintaining accurate employment records, should you be appointed to the post.

UHCW NHS Trust, by virtue of its Green Plan, is committed to ensuring that the way we provide services minimises the impact on the environment and the future health of the public e.g. zero waste to landfill, reducing our carbon footprint and increasing our recycling and reuse percentages.

If you are successful at interview you will receive a conditional offer of employment and we’ll ask you for information so that we can carry out pre‑employment checks. You must successfully complete all pre‑employment checks to progress to a final unconditional offer.

We must confirm the identity of our staff and their right to work in the United Kingdom. We will ask you to submit proof of your identity and right to work documents via a secure digital platform approved by the Home Office, named TrustID. Alternatively, you may be asked to attend our office with original documents.

Depending on you level of exposure with patients you may be required to undertake a Standard or Enhanced DBS. The cost of this check will be charged to you and will be deducted from your salary over the first 3 months of employment at the current rate.

All correspondence will be sent by email; please check your account regularly including your Junk/SPAM folders

Employer certification / accreditation badges

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.