Team Secretary - Specialist Surgical Care

North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust; Whitehaven; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in North Cumbria is seeking a full-time Team Secretary within the Specialist Surgical Collaborative. The successful candidate will provide comprehensive secretarial and administrative support to a team of consultants. Key responsibilities include managing the consultants' diaries, coordinating appointments, and discussing theatre lists. Good knowledge of medical terminology and previous administrative experience are highly desirable. The position offers a competitive salary range of £24,937 to £26,598 per annum, along with generous leave and NHS discounts.

Benefits

27-day holiday scheme rising to 33 after 10 years

NHS Discounts

Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work

Free confidential counselling service

Qualifications

• Previous medical terminology knowledge is desirable.
• Experience in audio typing and word processing is required.

Responsibilities

• Provide secretarial and administrative support to consultants and medical staff.
• Maintain the consultant's diary and arrange appointments and meetings.
• Ensure efficient use of resources in the department.

Skills

Medical terminology

Microsoft Office

Audio typing

Data Protection Act knowledge

Education

GCSE English language (minimum C grade) or equivalent

NVQ 3 in administration or equivalent

RSA 2 and 3 word processing or equivalent

Job description

North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust

Team Secretary – Specialist Surgical Care

The closing date is 30 December 2025

Team Secretary Band 3 – 37.5 hours per week (Monday - Friday)

A Team Secretary role has become available within the Specialist Surgical Collaborative on a Full-Time basis, based at West Cumberland Hospital.

Previous medical terminology knowledge, as well as knowledge of NCIC admin systems and processes, including RTT pathways and Digital Dictation would be desirable.

The team consists of Medical Secretaries, Team Secretaries and Clerk Typists, working alongside Consultants, Nurse Practitioners etc to achieve collaborative objectives, including a 48‑hour turnaround of clinical letters, forward clinic preparation, minute taking and general office admin duties including phones and emails.

Main duties of the job

Act as the focal point of communication for the Consultants and their team, confidentiality being the key issue at all times. Provide a high standard of secretarial and administrative support to the consultants, medical staff and their team, interacting with other departments, patients and GPs. Assist in the organisation of the consultants' workload and ensure effective use of manpower and resources to assist in the smooth running of the department.

Provide a full secretarial/administration service including audio/digital typing, filing and electronic filing systems, photocopying and scanning.

Type clinics, discharge summaries and other internal and external correspondence, on behalf of the clinical teams, ensuring all documentation is correct.

Open and action consultant's correspondence and respond accordingly.

Maintain the consultant's diary and arrange appointments and meetings, coordinating non‑clinical meetings to fit in with clinical commitments. Inform others of clinicians availability.

Ensure all theatre lists are used to capacity. Compile theatre lists effectively to avoid wasted theatre / consultant time and cancellations. Select replacement patient for any theatre slot that becomes available due to short‑notice cancellation.

Prepare admission lists, contacting patients and other relevant parties. Arrange transport for patients where appropriate.

Please see the attached Job Description for more information.

About us

At NCIC, we have an ambition to deliver outstanding healthcare services to the population of North Cumbria. The Trust is committed to creating a centre of excellence in providing rural and remote healthcare and provides a wide range of community and acute services throughout our county.

Our 5 key principles demonstrate our belief in the delivery of 'safe, high quality care every time':

• Being a clinically led organisation
• Quality and safety at the heart of our Trust
• A positive patient experience every time
• A great place to work
• Managing our money well

As an organisation we are serious about supporting a diverse workforce that reflects our local community and are very much focused on being an inclusive and compassionate place to work.

Across the North East and North Cumbria we are working together to deliver our ambition to be the greenest region in England by 2030. All staff are expected to support sustainability.

Job responsibilities

Please see attached job description and person specification for further information regarding the role and the essential and desirable criteria required to be met by applicants.

CERTIFICATE OF SPONSORSHIP

Please note, due to changes implemented by the Government to the UK immigration policy, individuals who require a Health and Care Visa or a Skilled Worker Visa may no longer be eligible for sponsorship where the UKVI salary threshold is not met or if the occupation is not included in the updated Immigration Salary List (ISL). Applicants must check their eligibility to be employed in any role they are interested in applying for, prior to completing an application for employment. Any applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria will not be progressed. For further information visit theUK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

If you are applying under the Disability Confident Scheme or Armed Forces Covenant and you meet all the essential criteria for a post, you will be guaranteed an interview.

Relocation assistance may be available for successful applicants moving to the region for certain posts. Please see our Policy for eligible vacancies.

The cost of the DBS must be met by the successful candidate(s) through salary deduction. DBS charges are as follows if applicable to the post:

Standard Check: £21.50 + Administration cost of £5.90 = £27.40. Deducted from salary over a 4 month period or a one‑off payment.

Enhanced Check: £49.50 + administration cost of £5.90 = £55.40. Deducted from salary over a 4 month period or a one‑off payment.

NCIC can offer successful future employees the following benefits:

27‑day holiday scheme rising to 33 after 10 years

NHS Discounts*

Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work*

Vivup is a free, confidential counselling and information service to assist with personal or work‑related problems

*Subject to eligibility

Please ensure that you document evidence of meeting all the essential criteria in the supporting information.

If sufficient response is received this post could be closed earlier than the specified closing date, please apply as soon as possible to ensure that your application is considered.

Candidates who have been successfully shortlisted for interview will be asked via an email notification to log on to their Trac account to select an interview time. This will usually be within 2 weeks of the closing date.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• GCSE English language (minimum C grade) or equivalent.
• RSA 2 word processing or equivalent.
• RSA 3 word processing or equivalent.
• NVQ 3 in administration or equivalent.

Knowledge and Experience

• Operating word processing and computer packages
• Audio typing / word processing
• Medical audio typing / word processing

Skills and Aptitudes

• Requirements of the Data Protection Act, Freedom of Information Act, Access to Health Records and Defensible Documentation, Health and Safety and their application in the workplace
• Equality issues
• Medical terminology
• Microsoft Office
• PAS

Other requirements

• Willing to develop further relevant skills.

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 (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer name

North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust

£24,937 to £26,598 a year Per Annum Pro Rata