Department Secretary

Employer heading Department Secretary Band 3 Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest and largest NHS hospital trusts in the country. We have around 16,000 staff and an annual budget of £1.7 billion. With strong history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation regionally, nationally and internationally, we’re in the top five providers of specialised health services in the country. As well as providing a wide range of hospital and community services, we support people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups. Newcastle Hospitals are proud to be one of the exemplar organisations across the NHS on sustainability, with a long history of delivering Sustainable Healthcare in Newcastle (Shine) and the first healthcare organisation in the world to declare a climate emergency. Our strategy includes commitments to being Net Zero by 2030, for our direct carbon footprint, and Net Zero by 2040 for our footprint plus. Delivering these ambitions will not be possible without the help, support and action of every single member of our team. Job Overview We are currently looking to appoint a Band 3 Departmental Secretary. This is an exciting opportunity to work within the Social Work Office based at the Freeman Hospital providing support to social workers and team managers. Although you will be based primarily within the Freeman Hospital, you may be expected to provide cover and support to the Royal Victoria Infirmary team on occasion. We are looking for an enthusiastic, motivated and reliable individual to join our busy team. Interview Date Monday 21 September 202622 Hours 30 Minutes/Week (Monday to Wednesday)You will be redirected to Trac to apply for the vacancy. Please expand the job details section and read all of the information before applying for the vacancy NO AGENCIES PLEASE Main duties of the job You will be required to provide administrative support to a team of social workers and managers. Duties will include telephone and reception service, data input and retrieval (using corporate database systems for which training will be provided) and general clerical and word processing duties. You will be responsible for the daily management of 2 FTE Band 2 staff. This includes responsibility for carrying out supervision and appraisals, monitoring of annual leave and sickness and ensuring all mandatory training is completed. The role also includes responsibility for the management of petty cash, stationery ordering and repairs. You will be a team worker with the ability to motivate others and have excellent organisational skills. Working for our organisation As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you. With around 2 million contacts with patients every year, we deliver care from: Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)Freeman HospitalNewcastle Dental HospitalCramlington Manor WalksUrgent treatment centresNewcastle Fertility CentreNorthern Centre for Cancer Care, North CumbriaNorthern Genetics Service These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS. We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites. Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under ‘Documents to download’ or ‘Supporting documents’. For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers | Newcastle Hospitals | NHS | Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities To provide a comprehensive, efficient and effective clerical and administrative support service to Social Work staff within the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Supervision of Band 2 staff day to day including organisation of workload, evaluation, appraisal, induction and training features relating to individualsCovering tasks relate to word processing of multiple documents and note taking at meetings Other tasks relate to management of staff leave, ordering of stationery resources, repair requests relating to management of offices, recruitment and selection of staff.Training, induction, supervisions and performance appraisals relating to Band 2 colleagues. Implementing new work practices, procedures and policies and responsibility for workload prioritisation. Assisting with telephone/reception duties, maintaining filing systems, input of computerised referrals and responding to ad-hoc queries from clients, carers, relatives, colleagues, management and medical professionals. Responsible for ensuring the maintenance of computerised records within the Directorate’s client database system Ensuring adequate cover is maintained on own and alternative sites and confidentiality and equal opportunities are adhered to at all times. Doing any other appropriate duties as delegated by Social Services Admin Team Manager and Trust Line Management. Person specification Skills, Knowledge and Aptitudes Essential criteria Accurate keyboard skills IT literacy and experience of using Microsoft packages (Excel/Word/Outlook) Excellent interpersonal/communication skills both written and verbal. Confidence to deal with difficult situations in person or by telephone Excellent organisational skills Attention to detail Experience of arranging meetings including producing reports, agendas, minute taking skills/experience Capable of undertaking clerical, financial and numeric tasks accurately with attention to detail Team-worker with the ability to motivate a team and also able to work unsupervised using own initiative with a flexible/enthusiastic attitude Desirable criteria Knowledge of the range of services provided by the Trust/Adult/Children’s Social Care Directorates Experience of mentoring/supervising staff in an office environment Knowledge of NHS HR Policies and Procedures Qualifications And Training Essential criteria GCSE or equivalent at Grade C or above in English NVQ Level 3 in customer care/business administration or equivalent experience Desirable criteria ECDL computer qualification or equivalent Experience Desirable criteria Relevant work experience Experience of mentoring/supervising staff in an office environment Important note on completion of reference section of Application Form All references from current and previous employers will be sought and must cover a minimum of 3 years employment. Therefore, when completing the reference section of your application form, please give the address, telephone number and work email address of each of your current/previous line managers that cover 3 years employment. Failure to complete this section may result in your application not being processed. Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first month’s pay. Candidates who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e-mail. You should check your SPAM folders as well as your inbox. If you have not been contacted within 4 weeks of the closing date you should assume your application has been unsuccessful. Employer certification / accreditation badges Documents to download JD & PS (PDF, 232.4KB)Newcastle Staff Benefits (PDF, 274.4KB)Behaviour and Civility Charter (PDF, 93.8KB) Apply online now Further details / informal visits contact Name Joanne Westthorp Job title Departmental Secretary Email address joanne.westthorp@nhs.net Telephone number 0191 2826075