Secretary and Administrator – Beechwood Medical Centre

Job title

Secretary and Administrator

Contract

Permanent, following probationary period

Hours

37.5 hours per week - Monday to Friday (will consider part time)

Salary

£20,000 to £25,000 annually and to be reviewed each year

Base(s)

Beechwood Medical Centre, Halifax

Line manager

Operations Manager

Accountable to

Partners, Operations Manager and Business Manager

Job summary

The post-holder will be working with the rest of the team at Beechwood Medical Centre. You will answer the telephone and liaise with patients and other clinicians, carry out secretarial duties as required to keep the smooth running of the general practice. The hours are flexible and could be full time or part time depending on the individual candidate. If you have worked in general practice or primary care before that would be useful but it is not essential, however what is essential is having previously worked as a secretary in some kind of healthcare setting

Generic responsibilities

All Beechwood Medical Centre staff have a duty to conform to the following:

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I)

A good attitude and positive action towards ED&I create an environment where all individuals are able to achieve their full potential. Creating such an environment is important for three reasons: it improves operational effectiveness, it is morally the right thing to do, and it is required by law.

Patients and their families have the right to be treated fairly and to be routinely involved in decisions about their treatment and care. They can expect to be treated with dignity and respect and will not be discriminated against on any grounds including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Patients have a responsibility to treat other patients and our staff with dignity and respect.

Staff have the right to be treated fairly in recruitment and career progression. Staff can expect to work in an environment where diversity is valued and equality of opportunity is promoted. Staff will not be discriminated against on any grounds including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Staff have a responsibility to ensure that they treat our patients and their colleagues with dignity and respect.

Safety, Health, Environment and Fire (SHEF)

This practice is committed to supporting and promoting opportunities for staff to maintain their health, well-being and safety. You have a duty to take reasonable care of health and safety at work for you, your team and others, and to cooperate with employers to ensure compliance with health and safety requirements. All personnel are to comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Environmental Protection Act 1990, Environment Act 1995, Fire Precautions (workplace) Regulations 1999 and other statutory legislation. 

Confidentiality

This practice is committed to maintaining an outstanding confidential service. Patients entrust and permit us to collect and retain sensitive information relating to their health and other matters pertaining to their care. They do so in confidence and have a right to expect that all staff will respect their privacy and maintain confidentiality at all times. It is essential, if the legal requirements are to be met and the trust of our patients is to be retained, that all staff protect patient information and provide a confidential service.

Quality & Continuous Improvement (CI)

To preserve and improve the quality of our output, all personnel are required to think not only of what they do, but how they achieve it. By continually re-examining our processes, we will be able to develop and improve the overall effectiveness of the way we work. The responsibility for this rests with everyone working within the practice to look for opportunities to improve quality and share good practice.

This practice continually strives to improve work processes which deliver healthcare with improved results across all areas of our service provision.  We promote a culture of continuous improvement, where everyone counts and staff are permitted to make suggestions and contributions to improve our service delivery and enhance patient care. 

Induction training

On arrival at the practice, all personnel are to complete a practice induction programme; this is managed by the Operations Manager.

Learning and development

The effective use of training and development is fundamental in ensuring that all staff are equipped with the appropriate skills, knowledge, attitude and competences to perform their role. All staff will be required to participate in and complete mandatory training as directed by the training coordinator, as well as taking part in the practice training programme. Staff will also be permitted (subject to approval) to undertake external training courses which will enhance their knowledge and skills, progress their career and, ultimately, enable them to improve processes and service delivery. 

Collaborative working

All staff are to recognise the significance of collaborative working. Teamwork is essential in multidisciplinary environments. Effective communication is essential, and all staff must ensure that they communicate in a way which enables the sharing of information in an appropriate manner.

Service delivery

Staff working for Beechwood Medical Centre must adhere to the information contained within practice policies and regional directives, ensuring that protocols are adhered to at all times. Staff will be given detailed information during the induction process regarding policy and procedure.  

Security

The security of the practice is the responsibility of all personnel. Staff must ensure they remain vigilant at all times and report any suspicious activity immediately to their line manager. Under no circumstances are staff to share the codes for the door locks with anyone and they are to ensure that restricted areas remain effectively secured.

Professional conduct

All Beechwood Medical Centre staff are required to dress appropriately for their role. Administrative staff may be provided with a uniform whilst clinical staff must dress in accordance with their role.

Primary responsibilities

The following are the core responsibilities of the Secretary and Administrator. There may be, on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks; this will depend on factors such as workload and staffing levels as directed by the Operations Manager:

1. To provide secretarial support to Beechwood Medical Centre clinical team (Main role)
2. To use the telephone to call patients and take inbound calls from patients, as required
3. Book, change and cancel appointments for patients in line with current arrangements.
4. Deal with things like post, tasks, scanning of letters and carting out duties as requested by the Operations Manager, Business Manager or Partners
5. Look after minutes and agendas from clinical and non-clinical meetings
6. Prepare reports for third party organisations
7. To take part and to be involved in team meetings and to look at ways to improve the service
8. To help with the management of QoF (quality and outcomes framework)

Person Specification – Receptionist & Administrator

Qualifications

Essential

Desirable

Educated to GCSE level or equivalent

ü

IT or admin qualification at NVQ level III or above

ü

RSA level II or equivalent

ü

Experience

Essential

Desirable

Experience of working with the general public

ü

Experience of working in a healthcare setting

ü

Experience of working with vulnerable people

ü

Experience of working in general practice/healthcare

ü

Skills

Essential

Desirable

Excellent communication skills (written and oral)

ü

Strong IT skills

ü

Clear, polite telephone manner

ü

Competent in the use of Microsoft Office and Outlook

ü

Effective time management (planning and organising)

ü

Ability to work as a team member and autonomously

ü

Excellent interpersonal skills

ü

Problem-solving & analytical skills

ü

Ability to follow policy and procedure

ü

Knowledge

Essential

Desirable

General understanding of health and community services

ü

Personal qualities

Essential

Desirable

Polite and confident

ü

Flexible and cooperative

ü

Motivated

ü

Forward thinker

ü

High levels of integrity and loyalty

ü

Ability to work under pressure

ü

Other requirements

Essential

Desirable

Flexibility to work outside core office hours

ü

Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check

ü