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Job summary

Main area
Administration
Grade
Band 3
Contract
Most roles are permanent; however, a small number of fixed-term positions may arise subject to service requirements
Hours
  • Full time
  • Part time
37.5 hours per week (Flexible full-time and part-time hours available)
Job ref
188-FTAC020426
Employer
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
University Hospital Southampton
Town
Southampton
Salary
£25,760 - £27,476 Per Annum, Pro Rata
Closing
30/04/2026 09:00

Employer heading

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust logo

Patient Administrator

Band 3

Job overview

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

Please see below for detailed job description of the role.

Main duties of the job

Do you thrive in a fast-paced environment? Are you passionate about delivering exceptional administrative support that enhances the patient experience and journey?

We are seeking a range of Patient Administrators, Patient Services Centre Administrators and Ward Secretaries to join our Trust. These roles are essential for the seamless operation of our services and significantly impacts our patients' experiences.

In collaboration with your team of consultants, you will provide comprehensive administrative support.

Your responsibilities will be diverse and will include direct communication with patients and healthcare professionals, coordinating appointment bookings, managing correspondence and actions from outpatient clinics, and ensuring the smooth flow of information among various clinicians and support services.

UHS offers outstanding training and development opportunities to help you achieve your career aspirations. Supporting the growth of our staff is fundamental to delivering high-quality, safe, and effective care. We provide a nurturing environment for professional development, and internal applicants looking to gain experience in different roles or areas of the hospital may be considered for secondment opportunities.

Positions are available at Southampton General Hospital, Royal South Hants Hospital, Princess Anne Hospital, and Lymington Hospital.

Working for our organisation

University Hospital Southampton is one of England's largest acute teaching Trusts, offering a wide range of learning and development opportunities to support your career aspirations.

Located on the south coast with an international airport and direct rail links to London, Southampton offers an ideal setting to live and work, with the New Forest, South Downs and Jurassic Coast.

We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalizing your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.

At UHS we’re committed to providing a flexible working environment where possible. Whether you are balancing family, study, or your wellbeing with your career, we want to support you so you can help our patients.

At UHS, we proudly champion individuality, recognizing that outstanding care is only possible with a diverse, inclusive team. We’re committed to creating an anti-racist, anti-discriminatory environment where everyone feels valued, safe, and empowered to make a meaningful impact in our communities. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences to join us in building a healthcare community where everyone can belong, thrive, and contribute.

Please click on the links to our social media platforms, to find out more:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1AkjBnieFo/           

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWHUZzVCEhE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7440698777214054400

 

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

There are several different Band 3 Administrator roles throughout the Trust that you may be allocated to. Below is a brief description of the main responsibilities of these roles.

Ward Secretary

This is an excellent opportunity for an organised individual with attention to detail and proficiency in Microsoft Office, who is eager to collaborate with various nursing professionals and the wider multidisciplinary team (MDT). Full-time and part-time positions are available.

Main Responsibilities:

  • Collaborate closely with ward leaders to provide administrative support in cancer care.
  • Prepare documentation, communicate with stakeholders, and use Microsoft 365 to organise and schedule meetings on behalf of the Line Manager.
  • Deliver exceptional customer service by providing a professional telephone service, taking accurate messages, and offering information and guidance as appropriate.

Patient Administrator

We are looking for highly motivated and proactive individuals to join our busy department as Patient Administrators. In this role, you will build strong relationships with consultants, administrative teams, nursing staff, and external providers, ensuring a smooth patient pathway through the department.

 Strong written and verbal communication skills, along with the ability to work both independently and as part of a team, are essential. You will also provide cross-cover for other administrators to maintain consistent and effective administration services.

Working closely with your team of consultants, your duties will vary but will include direct communication with patients and healthcare professionals, arranging appointments, managing correspondence from outpatient clinics, and facilitating the flow of information among clinicians and support services. Full-time and part-time positions are available.

Main Responsibilities:               

  • Confidently use Microsoft systems, working with minimal supervision and demonstrating a tactful, sensitive approach to challenging situations.
  • Exhibit empathy and excellent communication skills, acting as the first point of contact by handling telephone calls, emails, and visitors, by responding promptly and efficiently to queries, or redirecting them to the appropriate person/department.
  • Thrive under pressure and prioritise your workload effectively. Collaborate with a large team, demonstrating flexibility in multitasking and covering for colleagues as needed. Communicate effectively with ward teams, matrons, divisional nursing staff, consultants, ward administrators, and patients.
  • Familiarity with the Trust's electronic systems is advantageous but not essential, as training will be provided.

 Patient Services Administrator

We approach our conversations with patients with compassion and respect, recognising that this is a particularly challenging time for them. We seek candidates who are empathetic and capable of handling difficult conversations.

If you are resilient and proactive, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and respond to urgent requests from our stakeholders while meeting tight deadlines, we want to hear from you.

Effective communication with care groups is essential to inform them of any capacity issues or patients at risk of breaching, as well as attending weekly meetings and following the necessary escalation procedures.

This role requires close attention to detail and the ability to quickly assimilate information. Full-time and part-time positions are available.

Main Responsibilities:

The Outpatient Administrator Centre (OAC) staff are dedicated and hardworking, often serving as the first point of contact for patients. Their responsibilities include:

  • Handling approximately 20,000 calls each month from patients.
  • Booking over 650,000 outpatient appointments annually, across 50 specialties within the Trust.
  • Managing clinic schedules, rescheduling, and cancelling appointments, and filling new clinic slots.
  • Covering reception desks at all our locations, checking patients in, scheduling follow-up appointments, and addressing queries.
  • Preparing patient packs for outpatient clinics.

Our service operates from 7am to 6pm -  Monday to Friday and from 8am to 4:30pm on Saturdays.

You will be expected to work flexibly within these core hours.

There are roles across the Trust, including in care groups such as Surgery, Outpatient Administration Centre, Pharmacy, Cancer Care and more. Please indicate in your application if there is an area that you would be particularly interested in.

Person specification

Qualifications, knowledge and experience

Essential criteria
  • Good standard of secondary education with literacy and numeracy skills demonstrable to GCSE pass level or equivalent standard.
  • Either- Level 3 qualification in administration/ customer service or equivalent experience Or- Vocational Level 2 qualification in administration/customer service or an equivalent level of experience. And Experience as an administrator or secretary in an organisation with a customer focused environment And Able to use judgement to make decisions in order to solve problems/enquiries some of which are non-routine and not straight forward
  • Knowledge and experience of secretarial or administrative procedures
  • Experience as an administrator or secretary in an organisation with a customer focused environment
  • Experience as an administrator or secretary in an organisation with a customer focused environment
Desirable criteria
  • Knowledge of medical terminology
  • Courses / further study attended to demonstrate evidence of personal development
  • Vocational Level 3 qualification in administration/word processing/typing or an equivalent level of experience
  • Diploma level qualification or an equivalent level of experience
  • Experience as a medical or patient services secretary linked to a clinical service or customer focused environment
  • Proficient in the use of all hospital computerised patient systems
  • Experience in understanding and analysing patient pathways
  • Knowledge of both local and national targets relating to RTT and cancer pathways

Trust Values

Essential criteria
  • Patients First
  • Working Together
  • Always Improving

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoNo smoking policyArmed Forces Covenant (Silver Award)Care quality commission - GoodDisability confident employerInclusion UK

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

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Michelle Griffiths
Job title
Recruitment Coordinator
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
023 8120 6525
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