Support Secretary - Acute Paediatrics

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Support Medical Secretary to ensure safe and efficient patient pathways. You will support consultants and junior medical staff, prepare clinic letters, diagnostic summaries, and reports using Tpro, while maintaining high accuracy and confidentiality.

You will coordinate pathways, liaise with families and external partners, manage diaries, book venues, take minutes, and keep files and notes prepared for clinical decisions.

Qualifications

• GCSE English and Maths at grade 4 or above.
• Typing speed of 50 wpm.
• Experience using medical terminology and healthcare settings.

Responsibilities

• Provide full secretarial service to consultants and junior medical staff, including clinic letters and diagnostic summaries.
• Prepare paperwork for clinics and reports using digital dictation (Tpro).
• Manage incoming messages, electronic filing and accurate record-keeping.

Skills

Typing speed

Office 365

Minute taking

Medical terminology

Diary management

Communication

Confidentiality

Education

GCSE English & Maths

NVQ 3 Administration (Desirable)

ECDL (Desirable)

Tools

Tpro

Flex

Evolve

Job description

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Support Medical Secretary plays a key role in ensuring that the patients pathway operates safely, efficiently and with excellent patient experience.

You will be responsible for providing a full secretarial service to consultants and junior medical staff, including preparing clinic letters, diagnostic summaries and reports using digital dictation systems such as Tpro. This requires strong typing skills, attention to detail and familiarity with medical terminology. You will also prepare paperwork for clinics, manage incoming messages, organise electronic filing, and maintain accurate records to support clinical decision-making.

A core part of the role is pathway coordination. You will track each patient's progression through their pathway, liaising with families, schools, GPs and other agencies to gather and chase required information. You will identify and escape delays that could impact diagnostic timeliness or create bottlenecks, helping to ensure the service meets key targets and delivers a smooth patient journey.

You will proactively manage consultant diaries, arrange meetings, prepare agendas, book venues and take minutes as required. Strong organisational skills are essential, as you will maintain bring-forward systems, highlight deadlines, prepare daily briefings, and ensure that relevant files, clinic lists and notes are ready in advance.

The post requires a high level of communication, professionalism and confidentiality. You will support parents and carers by providing updates, addressing enquiries, and signposting appropriately, ensuring families feel informed and supported. Internally, you will work closely with medical staff, administrative teams, operational managers and external partners to ensure the highest standard of coordination and documentation.

You must be able to work independently, using your initiative to prioritise workload, balance competing tasks and maintain high standards of accuracy. Flexibility is also required, as you may be asked to provide cover for colleagues to maintain continuity across the administrative team.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Good Standard of education Minimum GCSE English & Mathematics Grade 4 and above
• Typing speed of 50 wpm

Desirable criteria

• NVQ 3 Administration or equivalent experience
• ECDL or equivalent experience
• Audio typing experience

Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria

• Efficient in the use of Office 365 (Word, Excel, Outlook etc)
• Able to manage own workload and work autonomsly as part of a team.
• Demonstrate a commitment to continuing personal and professional development
• Experienced and competent minute taking
• Knowledge of medical terminology
• Previous experience in a healthcare office environment
• Ability to work under pressure and completing priorities

Desirable criteria

• Use of Trust IT packages ie Flex, Evolve, Tpro
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology

We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of race, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership, neurodiversity or veteran status are encouraged to apply for this post. Our Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders is available