Job overview

They will work with other staff including Biomedical Scientists, Medical Laboratory Assistants and Pathologists to provide an efficient service. The Department of Cellular Pathology has a total workload of 21,000 surgical requests annually. In addition, 100 frozen sections, 75 skin immunofluorescence and 14,000 immunocytochemistry tests are performed. Diagnostic Cytology receives 1,500 requests.

Main duties of the job

• Responsible for typing letters / correspondence for departmental consultants relating to patients.
• Responsible for typing Histopathology reports into the pathology computer system from audio tape.
• Responsible for typing Post Mortem reports from audio tape.
• Responsible for distributing reports appropriately using internal / external mail.
• Respond appropriately to enquiries from medical staff, secretaries and patients as to results of tests.
• Receive telephone enquiries for results and respond appropriately or redirect to Consultant Pathologist.
• Responsible for the maintenance of private case spreadsheet for consultants.
• Responsible for the recording of cases referred to other laboratories / reference centres.
• Responsible for packing blocks and slides for despatch to other laboratories / reference centres.
• Responsible for the maintenance of archive reports to enable location of pre-computer records, including paper and microfiche records.
• Responsible for determining the location of associated paperwork, blocks and slides of any case processed by the department in Cytology, Histology or the Mortuary.
• Advise laboratory management of changes to SOPs in accordance with changes in practice.
• Receive and distribute departmental mail appropriately.
• File and retrieval of blocks and slides from store as required
• Scanning of archived records and disposal of confidential records as required.

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Working for our organisation

The Cellular Pathology department at Torbay Hospital has a full time vacancy for a Medical Secretary Band 3. The position will be 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

The department handles around 21,000 diagnostic requests per year and performs a range of histological procedures. The department is critical to patient management by way of providing diagnosis for a range of different tissue samples. Turnaround times are excellent and well received by clinical teams.

The department uses Epic Beaker LIMS system.

The successful candidate will need to be dedicated, dynamic, work well as part of a small, friendly team and show sound organisational skills. The primary role will be audio typing of histology, cytology and post mortem reports but there will also be other duties such as outlined in the job description. Excellent typing and IT skills are therefore essential. A good knowledge of medical terminology is highly desirable.

 Torbay Hospital is situated within the English Riviera, in an area of outstanding natural beauty.  It is adjacent to some of the country’s best beaches and close to the Dartmoor National Park.  To arrange an informal visit or discuss this post further, contact Matt Beasant on 01803 655259 or email [email protected]

Please note that while the long‑term location of the service is under review, we want to reassure applicants that we are committed to supporting staff throughout any future changes and will communicate clearly as plans develop. We remain fully committed to providing a consistent, supportive experience for everyone who uses the service.