Access Assessor

NHS; St. Austell; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading health service provider is seeking an Access Assessor in St. Austell, UK. As the first point of contact for adult social care, you will help individuals navigate their needs by providing clear advice and connecting them with services that promote wellbeing. Strong communication skills and proficiency in digital systems are essential, along with a supportive team environment and opportunities for professional growth. The role offers flexible working options and a competitive rewards package.

Benefits

Defined benefit pension scheme

Generous annual leave entitlement

National award-winning employee health and wellbeing programme

Employee benefits scheme with discounts

Qualifications

• Experience in customer care environments with a focus on care and support needs.
• Ability to gather information through appropriate questioning and communicate effectively.
• Self-motivated with the ability to prioritise tasks in a busy environment.

Responsibilities

• Act as first point of contact for adult social care enquiries.
• Listen and understand callers' needs, providing advice and signposting to services.
• Record accurate information in digital systems and respond to safeguarding concerns.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Active listening and empathy

Problem-solving and negotiation

Organisational skills

IT skills

Education

Good general education including English Language & Mathematics GCSE grade C or above

NVQ level 3 in Advice and Guidance or equivalent

Job description

Looking for a new role? We are recruiting an Access Assessor in the Mid Independence and Wellbeing Service.

The Service and Team

The Independence and Wellbeing Service is the first point of contact for Adult Social Care in Cornwall. Our Access Assessors help people over 18 get the right support by giving clear information, advice, and connecting them to services that promote independence and wellbeing.

Main duties of the job

About the RoleAs an Access Assessor, youll be the first point of contact for adult social care enquiries. This role is within a busy team and is predominantly phone and computer-based, requiring strong communication skills for telephone interactions and proficiency in using digital systems to manage information and complete tasks.

About us

What youll get in return:

Cornwall Councils ambition is to be an employer of choice, a high performing Council and a learning organisation. We commit to providing a reward and benefits package to attract, motivate and reward our employees. We offer a range of flexible working options to our staff. This helps provide our employees with a greater work/life balance. Whilst still ensuring that service needs are met.

Our core employee rewards and benefits include:

• a defined benefit pension scheme, based on your career average earnings. This includes the option for extra voluntary contributions
• a generous annual leave entitlement with the potential to purchase additional leave.
• A national award-winning employee health and wellbeing programme
• Employee benefits scheme giving employees access to a wide range of discounts to local and national goods and services.

Job responsibilities

The Service and Team

The Independence and Wellbeing Service is the first point of contact for Adult Social Care in Cornwall. Our Access Assessors help people over 18 get the right support by giving clear information, advice, and connecting them to services that promote independence and wellbeing.

About the RoleAs an Access Assessor, youll be the first point of contact for adult social care enquiries. This role is within a busy team and is predominantly phone and computer-based, requiring strong communication skills for telephone interactions and proficiency in using digital systems to manage information and complete tasks.

Your day will typically include:

• Answering calls and emails from people who need support, listening carefully to understand their situation.
• Recording accurate information in our digital systems.
• Giving advice and signposting people to the right services.
• Deciding next steps, which might include arranging reablement, recommending an assessment, or contacting partner agencies.
• Responding quickly and professionally to safeguarding concerns and escalating when needed.

In this rewarding role, every day is different and gives you the chance to help people in meaningful ways. Youll work in a supportive team with regular supervision and training and opportunities to develop your career.

What youll need to succeed

• Excellent communication skills confident on the phone and strong written ability.
• Active listening and empathy understanding peoples needs and responding sensitively.
• Problem-solving and negotiation finding practical solutions under pressure.
• Organisational skills prioritising tasks in a busy environment.
• IT skills comfortable using computer systems and digital tools.

Understanding of Adult Social Care experience working in or alongside adult social care services, or a clear understanding of how local authority social care supports people.

This is a public/customer-facing role, where the statutory English language requirement for public sector workers applies.

This position will be subject to a criminal record disclosure check.

Working Pattern:

Youll work 37 hours per week, Monday to Friday, from 8:45 am to 5:15 pm (finishing at 4:45 pm on Fridays). This is a hybrid role, with time split between home and the office in Mid Cornwall, so youll need to live within a reasonable commuting distance.

For an informal discussion, please contact Jo Hughes, Lead Access Assessor for Mid Cornwall, [e-mail].

Please read the role profile for the full details of this role attached below in this advert

Additional Information:

Cornwall Council is unable to offer visa sponsorship or transfer existing sponsorship for this role.

The full role profile is attached on this advert.

We recommend saving a copy of this to refer to if you are invited to an interview.

Person Specification

Experience

• Experience of working in a customer care environment, using a customer focused approach.
• Experience of working with people who have care and support needs, knowledge of the social care sector/provision and understanding of interagency working.
• Ability to gather information through appropriate questioning on the telephone and evaluate and assess information to make best next steps decisions. Ability to communicate well with both written and spoken English.
• Good telephone manner, excellent active listening, oral and written communication skills, and evidence of negotiation, empathy and diplomacy.
• Ability to research information, inform and advise people and to be able to accurately record that information reflecting a summary of the persons.
• Self-motivated with ability to prioritise, work under pressure and to stay professionally focussed within a busy and demanding

Qualifications

• Good general education, including literacy and numeracy e.g. English Language & Mathematics GCSE grade C or above.
• NVQ level 3 in Advice and Guidance or equivalent or capable of working towards this qualification.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Full-time,Flexible working,Home or remote working