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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To deal with telephone enquiries from key contacts including GPs, liaise with internal and external sources to resolve any problems, queries or complaints, which may be from distressed patients/relatives and may include dealing with delicate situations, using own judgement.
• Deal with patients, relatives, medical representatives and other professionals that attend the office to resolve any problems, queries, complaints or requests for appointments.
• Ensure confidentiality at all times.
• Manage own workload and work independently within service need.
• Maintain diaries, assist in scheduling Nurse Specialists  workload, and liaise with other relevant parties concerning the planning and re-scheduling of work as necessary.
• Supporting the Specialist Nursing Team with day to day office duties, booking of clinics, typing of clinic letters and contacting patients 
• Advise junior medical staff to attend clinical commitments as necessary.
• Allocate and organise junior medical staff administrative workload, ensuring timely response in the interest of patient care.
• Organise medical students, clinical attachments and work experience students attached to the specialist nurse, liaising with various departments to arrange the placements, arrange teaching sessions and attendance at clinical sessions as necessary.
• Compile and review office protocols, modifying working practices where necessary, ensuring that protocols are up to date and contain all relevant procedures within individual offices to support any relief medical secretaries, clerical staff and new staff who may be required to support the office.
• Open post and prioritise for specialist nurses, dealing with any matters not requiring the nurses attention.
• Ensure all investigations and test results are checked by the specialist nurse, or an appropriate member of his/her team. Ensure all known abnormal or urgent results are brought to the attention of the specialist nurse, or an appropriate member of his/her team, ensuring urgent action is taken as appropriate.
• Ensure systems are in place to ensure that accurate copies of correspondence, X-rays, pathology and other investigative reports are accurately filed in medical records case notes, following guidelines and protocol.
• Ensure word processing of all documents relevant to the  specialist nurse' work, clinical and non-clinical, including transcription of tapes and prioritise workload effectively.
• Follow the Trusts protocols for typing from the Trusts internal transcribing system – Big Hand and dispatching communications to GPs electronically.
• Ensure that correspondence is dispatched in line with the Medical Secretarial Benchmarks and in the interest of patient care.
• Ensure a general administrative service is provided for the specialist nurse and his/her team including photocopying, filing, faxing and distribution.
• To assist in the compilation of any patient, clinic or admission lists, liaising with waiting list/appointment staff where necessary, giving concise instructions regarding preparation and administration of waiting list issues and procedures and appointment requests, cancellations and rescheduling.
• Liaise with other departments concerning case notes for appointments and admissions, ensuring timely availability of patient X-rays, the results of tests and investigations.
• Ensure prompt dispatch of case notes from the office.
• Undertake ordering of stationery for the office/area you are responsible for to the designated staff member responsible for ordering supplies.
• Take minutes and arrange meetings.
• Assist in the preparation of teaching materials including presentations/slides, organising teaching sessions and speakers.
• To use the computerised Integrated Clinical Information System regarding identification of patient, in-patient, out-patient and waiting list data.
• Process information through established Trust systems and procedures.
• Participate in audits as required.
• Provide support with training to any new staff where required, demonstrating duties to new starters.

Ensure up to date personal awareness and knowledge of Trust wide issues and directives, applying the knowledge in the workplace, including attending appropriate directorate briefing and meetings.