Senior Medical Secretary

University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust; Bristol; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 31,000; Part time

Job summary

A large hospital trust in Bristol is seeking a Band 4 Senior Medical Secretary for a part-time role of 25 hours per week. This fixed-term position involves working in the Paediatric Plastic Surgery and Burns Service for 12 months. Applicants should have strong organisational and communication skills as well as clerical experience. The role includes managing patient communications and administrative duties in a dynamic healthcare setting. A commitment to cultural diversity and work-life balance is emphasized.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Training and development support

Qualifications

• Effective and polite manner when dealing with patients and colleagues.
• Ability to meet deadlines while maintaining accuracy.
• Confidence to handle sensitive conversations.

Responsibilities

• Act as a point of contact for queries from clinical and non-clinical staff.
• Liaise with other teams for urgent appointments.
• Manage clinical correspondence promptly.

Skills

Communication skills

Organisational skills

Interpersonal skills

Ability to work under pressure

Teamwork

Education

GCSE grade C or above in English Language and Maths

Word processing or audio typing qualification

Business and Administration Level 3 NVQ or equivalent experience

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Main area Paediatrics - Plastic Surgery & Burns Grade Band 4 Contract Fixed term: 12 months (contract will end 12 months after the successfully appointed candidate's start date.) Hours Part time - 25 hours per week Job ref 387-WC6349-LMH

Site Bristol Royal Hospital for Children Town Bristol Salary £27485 - £30162 pa pro rata (depending on experience) Closing 08/01/2026 23:59 Interview date 19/01/2026

As an organisation we recognise the value of a healthy work-life balance. When applying, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate flexible working, so your work life fits around your home life.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are under-represented within the Trust.

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

We are looking to recruit a Band 4 Senior Medical Secretary to join the Paediatric Plastic Surgery and Burns Service at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. This is for 25 hours per week, over four or five days, ideally to include a Thursday and Friday. This position is for a duration of 12 months (fixed term).

We are looking for someone who is a strong team player and enjoys working within a multidisciplinary team. Excellent organisational and interpersonal skills are essential, along with the ability to remain calm under pressure and manage competing priorities effectively. The role requires someone who can use their initiative and take ownership of the secretarial workload. You will thrive in a dynamic environment where your organisational skills and initiative will make a real difference.

The post involves regular contact with patients, families and healthcare professionals, both in person and over the phone. Therefore, excellent communication skills and a courteous, professional telephone manner are vital. Due to the nature of the specialty some clinical correspondence, clinical photographic images or conversations may be distressing, so sensitivity and emotional resilience are important.

Interviews will take place in person at the Children's Hospital. This role requires an on-site presence and cannot be carried out entirely remotely.

Main duties of the job

Communication:

• To act as a point of contact for queries from clinical and non-clinical staff
• Liaise via telephone and email with other clinical/clerical teams to action urgent appointments or procedures where necessary and ensure that all relevant departments are notified accordingly
• Act as a point of contact for patients, relatives and carers. The post holder should be polite and empathetic to the patient’s needs at all times and be able to communicate effectively when dealing with difficult situations/conversations
• Returning calls promptly and keeping callers updated with information in an effective and efficient way
• Escalate patient queries, capacity problems and general issues to the role’s line manager or relevant clinical staff as appropriate

Organising and Planning:

• Checking and sorting investigation reports and passing information on to clinical team as required
• Ensure the dispatch and production of all clinical correspondence is maintained by pro-actively monitoring the digital dictation and speech recognition system, and to elevate where delays are identified
• Provide monthly key performance indicator information to the Line Manager and discuss with the team any appropriate actions that need to be taken

Working for our organisation

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) is one of the largest acute Trusts in the country, bringing together a combined workforce of over 13,000 staff and over 100 different clinical services across 10 different sites, serving a core population of more than 500,000 people across South West England. UHBW has been rated by the CQC as ‘Good’ overall and our staff are proud to deliver excellent care to the people of Bristol, Weston and beyond. As a forward-thinking multi-award winning Trust and a digital exemplar committed to improving patient care, our world‑leading research and innovations are having a positive local and global impact. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone’s throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer. UHBW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them.

Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For a more detailed job description and main responsibilities, please refer to the job description document attached to this vacancy.

Person specification

Skills and Abilities

• Effective and polite manner when dealing with people, both face to face and on the phone
• Able to work under pressure and meet deadlines whilst maintaining a high standard of accuracy
• Ability to work effectively in a busy team, adjust to change and motivate others
• Ability to work independently, managing own workload, whilst providing supervision and support to others
• Confidence to handle difficult conversations with patients, relatives and carers
• Ability to adapt to use new computer packages and programmes
• Effective organisational skills
• Good IT skills including Microsoft packages
• Ability to deal with non-routine issues on own initiative

Knowledge and Experience

• Clerical/administrative experience/Secretarial
• Understanding of specialist medical terminology
• Experience of dealing with the public, both on the telephone and in person

Education and Qualifications

• Educated to GCSE, grade C or above (or equivalent) in English Language and Maths
• Qualified in word processing or audio typing (or equivalent)
• Business and Administration Level 3 NVQ or equivalent experience

We hope that you will decide to join us and become part of this exciting journey, helping us to shape our future together.

• As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.
• The Trust is committed to investing in and caring for all our staff. We will support you in maintaining and improving your health and wellbeing, as well as your career development through management and training support - developing exceptional people for exceptional careers.
• UHBW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.
• To comply with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 all applicants must be able to speak fluent English to an appropriate standard which will be assessed at Interview.
• If you require sponsorship for a visa to work in the UK, to avoid disappointment, please check to ensure you are eligible under the UKVI points based system.
• The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.
• By applying for this post, you are agreeing to University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.
• Please be aware of scams – unless specified above, we will only communicate with you via @recruit.trac.jobs or nhs.net e‑mails and we will never ask you for any payments.

IMPORTANT:

Please note that if you apply for a position with this 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. We may also contact you by texting the mobile number, if provided, on the application form.

Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close this vacancy before the advertised closing date. Therefore, please apply for this post as soon as you can, if you are interested and you meet the requirements of the Person Specification.

Only those candidates who clearly demonstrate how they meet the person specification will be shortlisted for this job.

As a guide interviews should usually take place within 3 weeks of the closing date.

When providing employment reference details, please provide correct work‑related email addresses so references can be sought promptly when we are looking to progress your application. Your referee must all be known to you in a line manager or professional lead capacity.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

The postholder will have regular contact with vulnerable people and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Application numbers

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.

Name Claire Streete Job title Medical Secretarial Services Manager Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 011734 21061

If you have problems applying, contact

Address People & Transformation Division
North Bristol NHS Trust
Southmead Hospital
BS10 5NB
Telephone [phone]