Support Secretary - Acute Paediatrics

Job summary

We are looking for an organised, motivated and compassionate Support Medical Secretary to join our Acute Paediatrics team. This role is central to supporting the delivery of our Diabetes and Endocrine Service.

Working closely with consultants, junior medical staff, administrative teams, and external agencies, you will provide high-quality secretarial and administrative support. You will be the first point of contact for patients, parents and professionals, helping to maintain excellent communication, timely clinical correspondence, and efficient management of their pathway.

This role requires someone who can work independently, use their initiative, manage competing priorities, and consistently uphold confidentiality and professionalism. You will play an essential part in supporting the team to deliver excellent patient care and meet key performance standards.

Main duties of the job

• Act as the first point of contact for all day-to-day patient related enquiries, directing queries appropriately and maintaining a helpful and supportive approach.

• Provide comprehensive secretarial and administrative support to consultants and junior medical staff, including audio-typing clinic letters, reports and other clinical correspondence.

• Track patient progress on their Diabetes and Endocrine pathway, liaising with internal and external partners to chase outstanding information, escalate delays, and support timely diagnostic decision-making.

• Manage consultant diaries, arrange appointments and meetings, prepare agendas and take accurate minutes when required.

• Maintain efficient administrative systems including filing, bring-forward systems, case-note tracking and data entry onto relevant IT systems.

• Ensure that patient information is handled securely, confidentially and in accordance with Trust Information Governance policies.

• Support colleagues during periods of absence to ensure continuity and smooth running of the administrative service.

About us

At Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, we take pride in caring for our staff as well as our patients. We recognise that working in a busy environment requires help with a healthy work-life balance. We also believe in ensuring that our staff get the chance to reach their full potential when working with us, which is why we open lots of doors for career progression once you join our team. With us, the sky truly is the limit!

We have 10,000 fantastic people working hard to deliver quality services to our patients. Whatever your role, you help look after 370,000 people in our local area and give specialist care to 1.5 million people across Lancashire and Cumbria.

Working with us gives you the knowledge and sense of pride that every activity you do genuinely does make a difference to support our patients and staff, ensuring we keep thriving and delivering outstanding healthcare right across our local towns.

You will have access to varied development opportunities, learn new skills, meet inspiring people and do things you'd never have done.

You will make an impact, be challenged to think differently, be bold and help innovate to keep improving things. Everything we do centres around patient care and enhancing their experience which means your role is pivotal and something really to be proud of.

Job 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 patients progression through their pathway, liaising with families, schools, GPs and other agencies to gather and chase required information. You will identify and escalate 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

Qualfications

Essential

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

Desirable

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

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• 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

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