NHS medical secretary: supporting information that gets shortlisted (with example)

Updated · By the Tick the Spec team

NHS medical secretary posts are often advertised at Band 3 or Band 4, depending on the trust and the level of responsibility. The person specification usually asks for fast, accurate typing (often audio typing from dictation), knowledge of medical terminology, diary and clinic management, confidentiality, and the ability to deal tactfully with patients and clinicians. Your supporting information should evidence each of these with a short, specific example, showing volume, accuracy and judgement, rather than just listing the systems you have used.

What the person specification usually asks for

  • Qualifications: good general education (often GCSE English at grade 4/C or equivalent), a typing or word processing qualification or equivalent experience, and sometimes a medical terminology or medical secretary qualification (such as those offered by AMSPAR) as essential or desirable.
  • Experience: secretarial or administrative work, audio typing, diary management; NHS or healthcare experience is often desirable rather than essential.
  • Knowledge: medical terminology, confidentiality and data protection, NHS patient pathways such as referral to treatment (RTT) times at more senior posts.
  • Skills: typing speed and accuracy, Microsoft Office, electronic patient record and dictation systems, prioritising, communication on the phone and in writing.
  • Personal qualities: discretion, calm under pressure, team working, flexibility.

At Band 4 you may also see criteria about supervising junior staff, managing waiting lists, or acting as the main contact for a consultant's team. At Band 3 the emphasis is usually on accurate production of correspondence and good organisation. See our guides to Band 3 admin roles and Band 4 roles for how expectations differ.

Step by step

  1. Give numbers for typing. If you have a tested speed, give it. Otherwise describe volume and turnaround: letters per week, target times you meet.
  2. Show accuracy habits. How you check terminology, names, NHS numbers and dates; how you handle unclear dictation.
  3. Show diary judgement. A time you had to rearrange a clinic or theatre list, and how you prioritised urgent patients.
  4. Show confidentiality in practice. A specific habit or a situation where you protected information.
  5. Show communication with patients. Patients often call medical secretaries when worried about results or appointments. Show tact and knowing when to escalate.
  6. Name systems without relying on them. Listing systems is fine, but say what you did with them.

Worked example (fictional)

This is invented. The applicant, employers and figures are fictional, and no patient details are used.

Applicant: Grace, a legal secretary for six years, applying for a Band 4 medical secretary post in a dermatology department.

Audio typing and accuracy. For six years I have typed legal correspondence and court documents from digital dictation for three solicitors, producing around 50 documents a week with a typing speed of 65 words per minute. Accuracy is essential because errors in names, dates or figures can delay cases. I check every document against the file before it goes for signature, and query anything unclear with the author rather than guessing. I have completed an online medical terminology course and I keep a personal glossary of dermatology terms as I learn them.

Diary and workload management. I manage the diaries of two partners, including client meetings, court dates and deadlines. When a hearing was moved at short notice, I rearranged eight appointments in a day, contacting each client personally, and made sure the partner had the papers she needed for the new date. I use colour-coded priorities and a daily task list so urgent work is never missed.

Confidentiality. I handle highly confidential client information every day. I follow the firm's clear desk policy, use only secure email for documents, and verify a caller's identity before discussing any matter. I understand that patient information is protected in the same way and would follow the trust's information governance training.

Communicating with patients. I am often the first person anxious clients speak to. I listen, explain what will happen next and when, and pass urgent concerns to the solicitor the same day. I would apply the same approach with patients waiting for appointments or results, and I know that clinical questions must be referred to the clinical team.

Grace has no NHS experience, but every essential criterion has a specific example, and she is honest about her terminology knowledge.

Common mistakes

  • "Excellent typing skills" without speed, volume or turnaround.
  • Listing systems (EPR, dictation software, Office) with no examples.
  • Overstating terminology knowledge. Be specific about what you know and how you are learning.
  • Giving clinical opinions in examples. Secretaries pass clinical questions to clinicians.
  • Ignoring the specialty. A line about why this department interests you helps.

Pay

In England, from 1 April 2026, Agenda for Change Band 3 is £25,760 to £27,476 and Band 4 is £28,392 to £31,157 a year for full-time staff, before any high cost area supplement. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own scales.

If you are moving from another sector, Tick the Spec's free shortlisting sheet shows which medical secretary criteria your CV already evidences and which need a clearer example. For general structure, read how to write NHS supporting information.

Sources

All guides