Job summary
- Main area
- Women & Childrens
- Grade
- Band 4
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 210-2026-718
- Employer
- Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Countess of Chester Hospital
- Town
- Chester
- Salary
- £28,392 - £31,157 pa
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 01/11/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Team Leader and Safeguarding Secretary
Band 4
Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, staff pride themselves on not only leading through clinical excellence, but also by creating an environment where all staff are valued and appreciated. To achieve this, the Trust has embarked on an exciting new strategy focused on continuous improvement.
Our vision is to improve the lives of our community and provide excellence in healthcare, through partnership and innovation
Our High Performance Culture will support everyone to be the best version of themselves by being true to our Trust vision, values and behaviours.
We welcome applications from colleagues from our local and neighbouring communities of all backgrounds and identities, who are currently under-represented within our region such as Black, Asian, Minority ethnic and those with disabilities.
As a region we are reviewing the way we work, and exploring how new working practices that support flexible working can create a positive work-life balance. As part of our recruitment process we will explore how our inclusive employment policies, flexible working, staff engagement forums, Trust facilities and services can be of mutual benefit.
Job overview
Working Full Time: 37.5 Hours per week
The post holder will provide an effective, efficient and high-quality secretarial and administrative service, supporting the Paediatric Safeguarding Team, Community Paediatrics and designated and named doctors for safeguarding, adoption and fostering. They will also lead and support secretarial teams within the Division, promoting a positive, collaborative and team-based approach and ensuring the delivery of excellent administrative and secretarial support to the Management Team.
Working with minimal supervision, the post holder will be expected to exercise independent judgement, use their own initiative and manage competing priorities effectively. They will maintain high standards of data quality and information governance, ensuring that confidential and sensitive patient and staff information is handled appropriately at all times.
Main duties of the job
The role will provide comprehensive administrative support for the delivery of the Trust’s paediatric safeguarding agenda, including facilitating the data and administrative requirements associated with the paediatric safeguarding strategy. This will include providing administrative and data support for the monitoring and reporting requirements associated with the Trust's statutory safeguarding functions, Safeguarding Assurance Framework and mandatory safeguarding submissions.
The post holder will work collaboratively and co-operatively with colleagues across the Trust and external agencies, acting as a key point of contact between Trust staff, the Paediatric Safeguarding Team and partner organisations. This will include liaison with social care and acting as the single point of contact for requests to the Paediatric Safeguarding Team, including requests for child protection medical referrals.
The post holder will be accountable to the Assistant Service Manager and will be expected to contribute to a supportive, responsive and well-organised service, demonstrating flexibility in response to changing service requirements and priorities to ensure the delivery of Safe, Kind and Effective care.
Working for our organisation
The Trust’s services are provided from three locations:
• The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 473 general and acute beds.
• Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 60 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility.
• Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population.
The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust employs 5,964 staff (headcount) to provide care and treatment to a population of over 400,000 people living in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire.
The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System. Due to its location on the border with North Wales, the Trust also works closely with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.
The Trust treats patients from England and some parts of Wales. During 2024/2025, there were approximately 643,000 patient attendances (inpatient, A&E, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
See Job Description for further details.
Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values. An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page.
If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the ‘essential’ criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer ‘YES’ to the question: ‘Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?’
Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.
The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.
If a DBS is required for your role, you are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee applies which is payable to the DBS Service. Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs will be deducted from their salary over the first three months of employment.
New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.
Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.
The Trust will not sponsor where the starting salary does not meet immigration rules
Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.
Good luck with your application.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- NVQ 3 or equivalent
- GCSE standard (English) or equivalent
Desirable criteria
- RSA Typing III
Knowledge & Experience
Essential criteria
- Touch typist
- Recent and relevant secretarial experience
- Knowledge of full range of secretarial duties
- Knowledge of Microsoft Office Packages
- Experience of managing own workload with minimal supervision
- Experience of participation with audit and performance dashboards
- Experience of supporting with policy development
- Understanding of the Safeguarding Assurance Framework and Compliance audits
- Experience of ensuring accurate and concise minute taking, meeting planning and organising
- Understanding of Data Protection/Caldicott issues
- Experience of working with confidential and sensitive information
Desirable criteria
- Experience as a medical secretary in a healthcare setting
- Experience of first line management/supervision
- Knowledge/experience of specific patient administration systems
- Knowledge of Medical Terminology
- Knowledge of NHS or other health/social care settings
- Participation in service development and change management
- Prior experience of working within both Safeguarding and Complex care
Skills & Abilities
Essential criteria
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- Ability to problem-solve
- Excellent organisational skills
- Reliable and flexible
- Positive attitude
- Ability to cope well with change
- Able to work under pressure within a multi-disciplinary team-based environment
- Ability to work both on own initiative and as part of a team
- Ability to work to a high level of accuracy and attention to detail
- Willing to undergo further training or development
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties 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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Amy Mills
- Job title
- Assistant Service Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01244 364641
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