This Wednesday, 23rd April is National Administrative Professionals Day. The day aims to recognise the important role of secretaries, schedulers, assistants, receptionists and other departmental administrative support.

We're featuring some of our astounding administrative teams, shining a spotlight on what they do and how their roles support our patients.

Cardiology secretaries - pictured: Amanda Walton, Dawn Gregory and Jade Beardsley

The team support our cardiology consultants, specialist registrars and specialist nurses. They coordinate appointments for patients undergoing vital heart tests like ECGs, and echocardiograms. They also manage high volumes of referrals and ensure patients with potentially life-threatening symptoms are prioritised appropriately.

The team said: "We contribute to compassionate care for our patients by communicating effectively (getting responses to any queries), explaining in layman’s terms diagnoses and management strategies and offering reassurance and guidance where necessary."

Oncology and Haematology secretaries - pictured left to right: Paris Coldwell, Emma Smith, Mariyam Mahmood and Diane Thompson

The team are there to support with anything to do with Haematology and Oncology, providing support to nurses, consultants and patients. They help coordinate multidisciplinary meetings and ensure all test results and scans are ready to be reviewed.

The team said: "We contribute to compassionate care for our patients by ensuring that patients, staff, equipment, and information are in the right place at the right time. We deal with phone calls, letters, booking systems and more.

"We are the first point of contact for patients, whether it’s a crisis or for some support, we deal with this with empathy and understanding. These experiences can sometimes place a heavy practical burden on patients and carers, negatively affect their wellbeing, and have knock-on consequences for staff, to which we ensure that the one culture of care approach is given to all."

Administrator for District Nurse Team and Community Teams, Linda Mitchell

Linda said: "I provide comprehensive administrative support to the teams to ensure they have all the stock and equipment in place to enable them to focus on delivering compassionate care to patients."

The Trauma and Orthopaedic Medical Secretaries and admin support - pictured: Joanne Warren, Lynda Shaw, Judith Croft, Rebecca Bussey, Jean Ginley, Saima Anwar, Linda Beaumont-Peace, Lauren Duxbury and Jo Helliwell

The team support the daily operations of the orthopaedic surgeons by coordinating theatres, and ensure that everything runs seamlessly behind the scenes, handling communications and ensuring both parties have the information and resources they need.

They told us: "We contribute to compassionate care for our patients by managing the waiting lists ensuring surgeries and procedures are carried out without unnecessary wait times. We are proud to be part of the elective recovery programme. We ensure referrals are triaged in a timely manner, and book appointments as needed, supporting a smooth and efficient experience. We help enable our healthcare team to provide the highest quality of care."

Ophthalmology Failsafe and Medical Secretary Teams

They manage the service, doing more than managing clinics. As a 24/7 sight-saving Outpatient Team they oversee clinics, manage emergencies and pathways. They also ensure there is appropriate cover at all times.