Secretary - Cellular Pathology

The Great Western Hospitals NHS FT; Swindon; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare provider in Swindon is looking for a Band 3 Secretary for the Cellular Pathology Department. The role involves providing a comprehensive secretarial service, maintaining patient data accuracy, and producing sensitive reports. Candidates must have the right to work in the UK. The organisation supports a healthy work-life balance and offers flexibility in working arrangements.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Support for DBS payment recovery

Commitment to staff health and well-being

Qualifications

• Current right to work in the UK.
• Experience in secretarial or administrative roles is desirable.
• Ability to participate in quality assurance processes.

Responsibilities

• Input and retrieve information using the pathology IT system.
• Produce and format Cellular Pathology reports accurately.
• Type letters and correspondence for medical staff.
• Print reports for distribution when necessary.

Skills

Attention to detail

Confidentiality

Strong communication skills

IT proficiency (Winpath)

Job description

This role requires you to have current right to work in the UK, which enables you to undertake the role without the need for sponsorship. Accordingly, any application that does not meet this requirement will not be considered. The role is not eligible for sponsorship, and the Trust cannot sponsor applicants for a visa.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 3 Secretary to join our Cellular Pathology Department. As part of the team, you will provide a high‑quality, comprehensive, and confidential secretarial service to the department. Your duties will include accurately inputting specimen details, descriptions and reports onto the Laboratory Information Management system, participating in quality assurance to maintain department standards as set out by UKAS ISO15189, and carrying out all aspects of administration within the department. All tasks will be completed following departmental standard operating procedures. The post holder will undergo a period of training and will work unsupervised once deemed competent.

Responsibilities

• Use the pathology IT system (Winpath) to input and retrieve information concerning patients and specimens, maintaining a high degree of accuracy.
• Produce accurately typed and formatted Cellular Pathology reports from handwritten or audio dictation, using template reports where available. These reports are confidential and may include sensitive nature such as cancer diagnosis or fertility assessment.
• Accurately upload reports from external providers to Winpath, involving copy‑typing hard copies, or copy‑and‑pasting electronic reports and formatting them to align with Cellular Pathology report templates.
• Type letters and other correspondence for Cellular Pathology medical staff.
• Print Cellular Pathology reports when necessary for distribution via post or email.

Working for our organisation – Our STAR values (Service, Teamwork, Ambition and Respect) are a golden thread running through everything we do. These values guide us toward delivering great joined‑up services to our local community, whether at home, in the community, or within the hospital. Our goal is to empower individuals to lead independent and healthier lives.

Eligibility for this role requires:

Current right to work in the UK, subject to verification. Qualification of the eligibility sponsorship criteria. Note that from 4 April 2024, UK immigration policy changes have increased minimum salary levels for skilled workers.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled Worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications, subject to eligibility of the role for a skilled worker visa and salary requirements. Not all roles in the Trust are eligible for sponsorship.

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, 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.

Upon acceptance of a job offer, your information will be transferred to the national NHS Electronic Staff Records System. All communication regarding your application will be conducted via email; please ensure to check your junk/spam folders as emails may occasionally be filtered there.

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.

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.

If we receive a high volume of applications, we may close adverts prior to the published closing date. Therefore, we advise you to complete and submit your application as soon as possible.