Personal Assistant

Working as a partnership, both Isle of Wight NHS Trust and Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust have a shared vision for excellence in care for our patients and communities; with a set of strategic aims underpinning how we will achieve this. 

The single corporate service is delivered across both organisations. You may be based at either IWT or PHU and individuals may be required to undertake business travel between sites. For leaders managing staff across multi-site locations, you will need to be visible and provide in person leadership. The arrangements and frequency will be agreed locally.

Internal Secondment Opportunity: – Personal Assistant - 12 months

Band 5 | Executive Office | Isle of Wight NHS Trust

We are pleased to offer an internal secondment opportunity for an experienced, highly motivated efficient and personable colleague to provide personal assistant support to the Senior Leadership Team at Isle of Wight NHS Trust for a period of 12 months.

This secondment offers a valuable development opportunity for someone who is keen to broaden their experience within the Executive Office, working at the heart of senior leadership support.      

You will be a trusted point of coordination and support, helping to manage priorities, maintain effective communication and ensure commitments are delivered. Acting with professionalism, initiative and discretion, you will build strong relationships across the organisation and provide seamless support in a busy and confidential environment, enabling colleagues to focus on delivering high-quality care and services for patients, staff and our communities.

Main duties of the role

• To provide high quality, comprehensive and effective administrative and business support to the Senior Leadership Team.
• Manage communications, correspondence and diaries.
• Support effective meetings by arranging pre-meets for agenda setting, preparing and distributing papers, taking/transcribing minutes and updating action logs within tight deadlines.
• Liaise confidently with staff and colleagues and a range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Maintain effective office systems and support continuous improvement.
• Work in liaison with other Divisional PAs and Business Support Offers to provide comprehensive and efficient support to the Senior Leadership team.

About you

The successful candidate will have previous secretarial/ or PA experience working at a senior level, experience of servicing meetings, be able to demonstrate an ability to work well as part of a team and remain calm when working under pressure.

Essential key skills for the role include high-speed accurate typing with relevant qualifications and experience, a pro-active nature and the ability to demonstrate organisational and interpersonal skills with excellent attention to detail. Colleagues interested in applying should discuss the opportunity with their line manager before submitting an expression of interest.

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or significant level of experience
• Accurate keyboard skills to RSA III or equivalent
• Qualification in Microsoft Office or equivalent

Experience

• Significant experience of working at PA/EA level in fast paced administration environment
• Experience of dealing with complex diary management involving multiple stakeholders from multiple sources
• Experience of taking minutes and supporting meetings
• Experience of working at PA/EA level in a healthcare setting and knowledge of hospital electronic systems and databases
• Experience of managing a director's inbox and prioritising accordingly
• Experience of planning, managing and supporting large events

Skills

• High level organisational and administrative skills
• Demonstrable communications skills, both verbal and written to a range of stakeholders
• Ability to draft meeting notes and minutes, capturing appropriate actions
• Ability to prioritise and respond to workload and deal with conflicting demands and pressures.
• Audio typing

Knowledge

• Demonstrable knowledge of NHS administration
• Knowledge of regulatory requirements
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office applications

You will join a professional, friendly and collaborative Executive Office team where your contribution will be valued. The secondment will provide an opportunity to gain insight into senior leadership, strengthen senior support skills and contribute to effective administration and the delivery of excellent care for the communities we serve.

If you are an adaptable and motivated professional who enjoys making a difference behind the scenes, providing trusted support and helping others succeed, we would be delighted to hear from you.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact the recruiting manager Laura Wilkes at [email protected]

We welcome the unique contributions that you can bring in terms of your education, opinions, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, colour, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and beliefs. 

For more information, please see our People and OD Strategy 2026