Support Medical Secretary

NHS; Oswestry; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider is seeking a Support Medical Secretary to assist Senior Medical Secretaries in typing clinic letters and handling sensitive information. The ideal candidate will have secretarial experience, RSA typing qualifications, and a good grasp of medical terminology. Excellent communication and organizational skills are essential, along with the ability to manage confidentiality and handle patient interactions with empathy.

Benefits

Professional development opportunities

State-of-the-art facilities

Comprehensive staff benefits

Qualifications

• RSA II/III typing or proven experience required.
• Must have good knowledge of medical terminology.
• Experience in secretarial roles is essential.

Responsibilities

• Type clinic notes accurately and efficiently.
• Distribute correspondence to healthcare professionals.
• Respond to queries from clinical staff and patients.
• Check dictation for urgency and prioritize accordingly.

Skills

Good organisation skills

Good communication skills

Tact and discretion

Ability to work independently

Education

RSA level 2/3 or OCR II/III Audio typing/Digital dictation

English/Maths GCSEs or equivalent

AMSPAR diploma

ECDL/NVQ

Job description

Support Medical Secretary

Closing date: 24 November 2025

We are seeking to recruit a Support Medical Secretary to provide support and cover to the Senior Medical Secretaries in our new Veterans Centre. Applicants should have good all‑round experience in a secretarial role, RSA II/III typing, audio typing or proven experience, and a good knowledge of medical terminology. Candidates must display discretion when dealing with sensitive and confidential information, and be able to remain calm when dealing with patients and staff by telephone and face‑to‑face. Good communication and interpersonal skills are essential.

Under current Home Office Immigration Rules, this role does not meet the UK Visas and Immigration criteria and therefore the position is not eligible for sponsorship. Applications from candidates that require skilled worker sponsorship will NOT be shortlisted.

Main duties of the job

Provide accurate and high‑quality typing of clinic notes, pre‑op notes, operation notes, and correspondence of varied medical terminology through our Digital Dictation System as directed by the Senior Medical Secretary. Distribute as necessary clinic letters. Process incoming mail, answer telephone queries, and regularly check the Digital Dictation System for urgent/priority dictation. Assist with advice and guidance requests and patient pathways.

About us

The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic NHS Trust (RJAH) is one of the leading orthopaedic hospitals in the country, with high levels of staff and patient satisfaction and a strong reputation for research and innovation.

RJAH offers a range of staff benefits, outstanding professional development opportunities, and state‑of‑the‑art facilities, including our recently‑opened £6 million Headley Court Veterans’ Orthopaedic Centre. Our hospital is affiliated with multiple universities and located in North Shropshire, close to the border with North and Mid Wales.

Job responsibilities

Type clinic letters, operation notes, pre‑operative notes, ward notes, discharge letters, specialist reports, and conference notes efficiently and accurately through audio word processing or shorthand dictation. Distribute to the relevant healthcare professionals with a copy to the patient.

Ensure all clinical letters are completed and dispatched within the 10‑day standard where possible, liaising with medical staff to encourage prompt dictation and signing.

Process and date‑stamp incoming mail, prioritise and distribute as necessary on a daily basis.

Prioritise own work schedule as required.

Respond to queries via telephone, e‑mail and face‑to‑face contact from clinical and non‑clinical NHS staff, patients, relatives and the public with an articulate and sympathetic approach, safeguarding patient confidentiality.

Record queries in the EPR system and pass to the Consultant as directed by the Senior Medical Secretary.

Show empathy when dealing with anxious and distressed patients and bereaved families.

Direct telephone calls appropriately and provide external callers with correct information regarding referral to a named specialist consultant.

Deal with difficult people and challenging situations.

Check Big Hand for urgent dictation and miscellaneous dictation found in the wrong section, alerting necessary staff. Check for missing dictations and alert the Consultant or Team.

Identify and arrange urgent out‑patient appointments, admissions and investigations, including multi‑departmental scans and biopsies with the consultant and their team.

Urgently marked results/information to be brought to the early attention of the Consultant or Team.

Assist the Senior Medical Secretary with RTT patients on MS2, C and U stream, checking all investigations are arranged within the appropriate timescale to assist the RTT process. Update the diagnostic waiting list accurately and promptly.

Ensure all results and documentation are scanned into the correct section of the patient’s EPR record, performing a quality assurance check for each scanned document.

Complete Inter‑Provider Transfer forms accurately to effectively coordinate patient pathways with other hospitals.

Maintain up‑to‑date patient demographics and, if necessary, contact the patient or GP to ensure data accuracy and prevent DNAs, meeting information governance and data quality standards.

Deal with advice and guidance letters promptly and record the outcome on the Choose and Book system.

Check Lorenzo and Bluespier to confirm the patient is listed as necessary for surgery.

Person Specification

Qualifications/Training

• RSA level 2/3 or OCR II/III Audio typing/Digital dictation or proven experience
• English/Maths GCSEs or equivalent
• AMSPAR diploma
• ECDL/NVQ

Experience

• Previous secretarial experience

Skills and Competencies

• Good organisation skills and ability to work independently and take direction from the Senior Medical Secretary
• Good communication and interpersonal skills
• Tact and discretion when dealing with sensitive and confidential information
• Able to deal with frequent interruptions while maintaining concentration

Knowledge (including specialist or technical knowledge required)

• Good knowledge of medical terminology
• Knowledge of computer systems

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 to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Address

The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital