Job summary
- Main area
- Forensics
- Grade
- Band 4
- Contract
- This is a permanent post
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Mon - Fri 9-5)
- Job ref
- 277-7290300-FOR
- Employer
- Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Bracton Centre
- Town
- Dartford
- Salary
- £31,081 - £33,665 pa inc
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 14/08/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Forensic Medical Secretary
Band 4
Job overview
The Forensic and Prison Services Directorate is part of Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, specialising in mental health and learning disability services. The Bracton Centre is a central part of the directorate, providing medium secure services to the boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich and Lewisham. Forensic services offer mental health support to people who have been through the legal system. The Bracton Centre also provides a low secure challenging behaviour service based at Memorial Hospital.
In addition, the directorate provides mental health and primary healthcare services for a number of prisons throughout Kent including Sheppey cluster, Maidstone, Rochester, East Sutton Park and Blantyre House.
Referrals are accepted from: Courts; Prisons – remanded or sentenced prisoners; probation officers; sector psychiatrists/teams; social services; solicitors and special hospitals.
Main duties of the job
- To provide high quality ad hoc administrative support that is adaptive to the tasks and duties required by the service/team.
- To manage and maintain electronic data bases and office filing systems
- To handle complex and confidential information in a professional and effective manner,
- To have a sound knowledge, understanding and ability to use a full range of microsoft programmes including word, excel etc
- To produce and distribute reports, letters, emails
- To maintain effective administration systems and processes, as established in the team/service.
- To effectively use relevant IT systems, including Microsoft software, teleconferencing facilities, Groupwise and other electronic databases.
- To competently plan and organise your time with little or no supervision, seeking reference and advice from your supervisor as required.
- To maintain confidentiality at all times and abide by the Data Protection Act.
- To be familiar with the Trust's policies and procedures.
- To undertake any other administrative and clerical duties which may be reasonably expected as directed by your supervisor.
- To cover Cardea ordering.
- From time to time check ifox and report data for the team.
Working for our organisation
Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children’s centres, schools and people’s homes.
We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.
Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:
- We’re Kind
- We’re Fair
- We Listen
- We Care
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Key Task and Responsibilities
- Undertaking audio/copy typing support to the team for the provision of
- Reports for tribunals
- General correspondence
- Assessments
- MOJ paperwork including ASR (annual statutory reports) and leave requests for restricted patients
all of which may consist of distressing information.
- Acting as the first point of contact for telephone calls from Courts, probation service, Solicitors, patients, families of patients, tribunals, Ministry of Justice bearing in mind patient confidentiality, ensuring urgent matters are brought to the attention of the Consultant or MDT in a timely manner. Due to the nature of the client group, the postholder may need to deal with hostile and difficult telephone calls.
Person specification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Minimum of 2 years administration experience
Desirable criteria
- Experience of medical secretary work
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- show knowledge of using different computer packages and Microsoft applications
Desirable criteria
- give explanation of packages used and trained in
ability to multi task
Essential criteria
- Give experience of when able to multi task and prioritise work
- Ability to work within a team
Desirable criteria
- Demonstrate ability to support colleagues and service needs
- Ability of working wit a multi disciplinary team
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Application numbers
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Julie Dowdall
- Job title
- Admin manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01322 294300
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