Senior Obstetric Medical Secretary - Maternity Leave Cover
Posted 3 days ago by North Bristol NHS Trust
Negotiable
Undetermined
Undetermined
Bristol, England, United Kingdom
Summary: The Senior Obstetric Medical Secretary role at North Bristol NHS Trust involves providing essential administrative support within the obstetric and maternity department during a fixed-term maternity leave cover. The position requires strong communication and organizational skills to assist clinical teams effectively while managing various administrative tasks. The role is part-time, focusing on supporting the department during weekdays, and offers opportunities for training and development. Applicants should be adaptable and possess good keyboard skills, with a working knowledge of NHS IT systems being desirable.
Key Responsibilities:
- Provide full administrative service, including clerical and secretarial support for consultant obstetricians and junior doctors.
- Manage diaries, take minutes, and coordinate Multi-disciplinary Team (MDT) meetings.
- Handle telephone queries, maintain waiting lists, and book appointments.
- Sort and prioritize correspondence for clinicians and track medical records and x-rays.
- Support junior team members and assist in training new starters.
- Promote excellent customer service and maintain confidentiality in all communications.
- Undertake general administration duties, including photocopying and filing.
Key Skills:
- Good general education including GCSEs in Maths and English (or equivalent).
- Advanced computer skills, particularly in Microsoft Office.
- Experience working under pressure and as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to prioritize workload and work to tight deadlines.
- Confident and empathetic when dealing with patients.
- Attention to detail and organized approach to work.
Salary (Rate): undetermined
City: Bristol
Country: United Kingdom
Working Arrangements: undetermined
IR35 Status: undetermined
Seniority Level: undetermined
Industry: Other
Thank you for your interest in this vacancy. We highly recommend reading our Tips on how to apply page to give you an insight on how applications are scored & shortlisted by our Recruiting Managers. These tips have been provided to give you a better chance of being shortlisted for our vacancies. North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) are working towards merging as one organisation from July 2026. This will create an exciting future that brings together the best of both organisations. As a single, strong and sustainable organisation, we will not only be able to deliver better outcomes for our patients and fairer care for our population, but it will also provide greater opportunities for our people. Should you join NBT as an employee prior to our organisations merging, your employment will be automatically transferred across to UHBW. Should your employment begin after our two Trusts merge, you will be employed directly by UHBW and therefore UHBW terms and conditions of service will apply Our job adverts may close as soon as sufficient applications have been received. Considering this, if you are interested in this role, please do apply as soon as you can. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) describes algorithms that can be used to produce new content, including audio, code, images, text, simulations, and videos. It is developing all the time and is now being used as a support mechanism for all kinds of content-based creations. Please note the use of AI is monitored and if applicants have used it then they are required to declare this.
Job Overview If you are inspired at the thought of delivering integral support within a team passionate about providing the best care for women and their families, this may be the role for you! This is a Fixed Term or Secondment opportunity to cover Maternity Leave. Secondment would be accepted with prior approval from your line manager. We are looking for an enthusiastic individual to join the obstetric and maternity department, playing a key role within our clinical teams as a senior medical secretary. Our services run Monday to Sunday, including bank holidays, however this role will be focused on supporting the clinical teams during the Monday-Friday working week. This is a substantive position. Working within our Trust, you will receive excellent benefits, including access to: Competitive NHS Pension Scheme Local/UK NHS Discount schemes Training and development opportunities through annual appraisal-reviews Comprehensive Health and Wellbeing support from our award-winning team
Main duties of the job Applications are invited from enthusiastic, adaptable individuals who would enjoy working as part of a friendly team providing the obstetric service in this busy department. To provide a full administrative service, to include clerical and secretarial support for its consultant obstetricians and junior doctors. This will include (but is not limited to) the typing of and distribution of patient communications, taking minutes, diary management, Multi-disciplinary Team (MDT) coordination, answering telephone queries, maintaining waiting lists and booking appointments. You will be able to work as part of a team, be able to demonstrate adaptability and initiative and have good communication and organisational skills. Applicants are required to have good keyboard skills and a working knowledge of NHS IT systems would be desirable, although full training will be provided. This is a fixed term, part time position (22.5 hours must be available on Wednesday and Friday), although we would welcome applications from suitable applicants who would prefer different hours. If you would like to work less than full time, or non-standard hours, please specify this in your application and we will be happy to discuss with you at interview.
Working for our organisation North Bristol NHS Trust employs over 12,000 staff providing healthcare to the residents of Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset from our award-winning hospital building at Southmead. We are the regional Major Trauma Centre, and an internationally recognised centre of excellence in a range of services and major specialities. Our vision is that by enabling our teams to be the best that they can be, we will provide exceptional healthcare, personally delivered. North Bristol NHS Trust values all people as individuals. We aim to be an anti-discriminatory organisation and are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We welcome applicants from all underrepresented groups.
Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities To provide secretarial support for the efficient operation of the department Diary management for the Consultant Surgeons To act as a contact point, liaising between patients, medical and nursing staff and other internal and external organisations taking clear and concise messages when required, using personal judgement and sensitivity to resolve as necessary To receive, sort and prioritise daily correspondence for clinicians as required, resolving as appropriate and ensuring all clinical reports/requests are brought to the attention of the relevant clinician to enable appropriate action to be taken To receive and act upon telephone calls and face to face enquiries from patients, relatives and staff giving advice and information in a prompt, helpful and professional manner, handling conversations with sensitivity and confidentiality. Accurately maintain waiting lists where required, including those for pre-pregnancy counselling and post-natal follow-up appointments. To be responsible for the tracking of all medical records and x-rays to and from the department and to ensure that they are kept in a tidy order when they are in the department Able to use (or be prepared to learn) the in-house Patient Administration System and other hospital IT systems ensuring that the department functions within the Trusts standards for the integrity of data collection To work closely with senior colleagues within the team to ensure effective secretarial support and cover Work together as an effective team worker, providing cover for colleagues in times of absence / annual leave as requested by line manager Undertake photocopying, filing and other general administration duties such as monitoring stationary supplies to ensure the efficient running of the office Willingness to support and assist junior members of the team and others across the maternity & obstetric department as required, including assisting in the training of new starters Willingness to undertake further training and development Promote and uphold excellent standards in customer service Maintain terms of references and agendas and take/distribute minutes at several monthly meetings, please note this may include topics related to Bereavement and Miscarriage Coordinate and provide administration for MDT meetings, manage outcomes and liaise with clinician's and patients. The post holder will be expected to make changes in own work practices in accordance with service needs and demands and offer suggestions for improving services Such other reasonable duties, appropriate to a Band 4, as agreed with the line manager from time to time
Person specification Education/Training/Qualifications Essential criteria Good general education including GSCEs to grade C or above in Maths and English (or equivalent) Advanced Computer Skills (Microsoft Office) Desirable criteria RSA 3 Standard or equivalent Patient Administration System (PAS) Training Work Experience Essential criteria Experience of working under pressure Experience of working as part of a team in a multi-disciplinary environment Experience of working in the NHS or similar organisation Desirable criteria Experience of taking minutes Previous secretarial experience Experience of supervising a team Knowledge/Skills/Abilities Essential criteria Excellent written/verbal communication skills Excellent customer care skills Ability to work using own initiative Ability to work under pressure within a stressful environment Ability to prioritise own workload, work to tight deadlines and escalate appropriately when necessary Ability to exercise judgement and take responsibility for actions Ability to promote good working relationships across a multi-disciplinary team Willingness and ability to learn new IT skills Personal Qualities/Special Circumstances Essential criteria Confident and empathetic when dealing with patients Ability to remain calm and professional when working under pressure Attention to detail and an organised approach to work
Please note that if you apply for a position with North Bristol NHS Trust, you may be contacted via TRAC or via email. This includes invites for job interviews. We therefore recommend that you regularly check your TRAC Account and email accounts including junk and spam folders. If you apply for this vacancy and have not received a communication from North Bristol NHS Trust within three weeks of the closing date, please assume that on this occasion your application has been unsuccessful. Please note that North Bristol NHS Trust does not reimburse travel expenses relating to interview attendance. If you feel you meet the requirements of the Disability Act / Two Ticks scheme and require further support/advice, please contact us on tel 0117 414 1151. North Bristol NHS Trust are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful applicant(s) will normally commence at the minimum of the scale unless they have previous NHS service at the same band. Progression through the scale is by annual increments. At North Bristol Trust (NBT), we know diverse and inclusive environments lead to happier and healthier teams and improved patient care and outcomes. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are currently underrepresented in NBT’s workforce at Band 8a and above. These include people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, disabled people and LGBTQIA+ people. Please note that stringent pre-employment checks are undertaken on all successful applicants prior to commencement in post.