Job Description: Medical Secretary & Business Support Administrator

Job Title: Medical Secretary & Business Support Administrator
Reports To: Management Team
Hours: 37.5 Hours per week
Salary: Between £10.00 to £10.35 per hour - dependent on experience

Job Summary

Duties can include but are not limited to:

• Undertake a variety of secretarial and administrative duties to assist in the smooth running of the  Practice, including the provision of clerical support to clinical staff and other members of the  Practice team
• Offer general assistance to the practice team and project a positive and friendly image to patients  and other visitors, either in person or via the telephone
• Receive, assist and direct patients in accessing the appropriate service or healthcare professional  in a courteous, efficient and effective way
• Facilitate effective communication between patients, members of the primary health care team,  secondary care and other associated healthcare agencies
• Process information (electronic and hard copy) in a timely manner in accordance with current  policies

Practice Mission Statement

Destination Statement

• We aim to give our patients the care that we ourselves would like to receive. 
• We aim to offer our staff a healthy work environment where all members of the team are valued,  supported and empowered.
• We aim to deliver a quality service while maintaining value for money for the wider NHS.
• We aim to keep up with and embrace the regular changes within the NHS

Shared Vision & Values

• To offer good access and continuity of services to patients
• To enjoy the working day by making it fun and valuing each other’s contribution within the  integrated team
• Positively supporting other outside interests

Primary responsibilities 

The following are the core responsibilities of the Medical Secretary & Business Support Administrator.  There may be on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks and this will be dependent upon factors  such as workload and staffing levels. 

Working time will partially be divided between Medical Secretarial duties and other duties to include SARs,  Summarising, and assisting with QoF and other recalls.

Medical Secretarial Duties include:

• To provide an efficient audio, copy typing and word processing service for GPs and health  professionals as required. This includes the typing of letters, reports, patient referrals, minutes, etc.  in an accurate and quality manner
• Liaise with external agencies such as hospitals and community services, ensuring referrals and patient queries are processed efficiently
• Assist with any secretarial projects / initiatives / pilots that the practice signs up to

Other Duties include:

• To retrieve medical records and assist with the completion of medico-legal reports. To prepare copies of computer and paper medical records as requested by third parties including processing  requests for information i.e. for SAR, insurance / solicitor’s letters and DVLA forms
• To accurately summarise medical records as per the Summarising Policy
• To assist the Management Team with clerical and administrative duties, including the administration of existing and any new recall systems and other reporting tasks as required
• To establish and maintain filing and administrative systems to ensure that written or computer information is easily accessible and secure
• To receive incoming and initiate outgoing telephone calls in order to facilitate timely and appropriate communications with others, taking messages and dealing with appropriate queries
• To answer the office telephone and assist patients/visitors that come to the ‘upstairs reception desk’ on a round-robin/shared basis as well as manage these enquiries in an effective manner
• To receive and dispatch mail
• Input or read code data into patient’s healthcare records as necessary
• Scanning of patient related documentation and attaching scanned documents to patient’s healthcare records

Other Responsibilities:

The following are other responsibilities that are required to be carried out in conjunction. There may be on  occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks: this will be dependent upon factors such as workload and  staffing levels:

• Partake in audit and system searches as directed by the Management Team 
• Maintain a clean, tidy effective working area at all times
• To write and regularly update policies for job-related responsibilities
• To assist with the gathering of statistics and other information when required

Confidentiality:

• The practice is committed to maintaining an outstanding confidential service. In the course of  seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to  their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately
• In the performance of the duties outlined in this Job Description, the post-holder may have access  to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, Practice staff and other healthcare  workers. They may also have access to information relating to the Practice as a business  organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential
• Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the Practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the Practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data
• It is essential that, 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

Safeguarding:

Maywood Surgery is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual  harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. The post-holder should recognise the importance of safeguarding and understand that:

• The safeguarding of children, young people and adults at risk is crucial and it is essential that all staff are aware of their responsibility to detect individuals at risk, provide the necessary support to those affected by safeguarding issues and ensure a high-quality service, including the appropriate sharing of information. 
• All children, young people and adults at risk have a right to protection from abuse and neglect and the organisation accepts its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of such persons with whom staff may come into contact. 
• A quick and appropriate response is required where information requests are made, abuse is suspected or allegations are made in relation to children, young people or adults at risk. 
• We will give children, young people, their parents and adults at risk the chance to raise concerns  over their own care or the care of others and have in place a system for managing, escalating and reviewing concerns.

Appropriate safeguarding training and annual refresher training is mandatory. New members of staff will receive safeguarding training as part of their induction programme. 

Safety, Health, Environment and Fire (SHEF)

The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others’ health, safety, well-being and security as defined in the Practice Health & Safety Policy, to include:

• Using personal security systems within the workplace according to Practice guidelines
• Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks
• Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills
• Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards
• Reporting or dealing with (where possible) potential risks identified
• Compliance with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and any other statutory legislation
• The security of the practice is the responsibility of all personnel. Staff must ensure that they remain vigilant at all times and report any suspicious activity immediately to their line manager. Staff are required to ensure that restricted areas remain effectively secured and under no circumstances are staff to share the codes for the door locks.

Equality and Diversity:

The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:

• Acting in a way that recognises the importance of people’s rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with Practice procedures and policies, and current legislation
• Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues
• Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings, priorities and rights.

Personal/Professional 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. The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the Practice as part of this employment, such training to include:

• Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development
• Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work
• Remain up-to-date with all statutory and mandatory training requirements
• External training courses are also permitted (subject to approval) in order to enhance knowledge and skills, allow career progression and ultimately improve processes and service delivery

Quality and Continuous Improvement (CI):

The post-holder will strive to maintain and improve quality within the Practice, and will:

• Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk
• Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision
• Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the team’s performance
• Share good practice
• Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patient needs
• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources

Communication:

The post-holder should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

• Communicate effectively with other team members
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers
• Recognise people’s needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly

Person Specification – Medical Secretary & Business Support Administrator

This document may be amended following consultation with the post holder, to facilitate the development of the role, the practice and the individual. All personnel should be prepared to accept additional, or surrender existing duties, to enable the efficient running of the practice.