Administration Assistant/ Receptionist – MH Urgent Care Dept

Allscreens Nationwide Ltd; Basildon; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 24,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days holiday + bank holidays rising

Excellent pension up to 14.5%

Relocation package £8K

Season ticket loans

Job summary

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust invites applications for a part-time receptionist in the Mental Health Urgent Care Department at Basildon University Hospital. The role involves welcoming and registering patients, handling calls, and ensuring smooth communications with clinical teams.

A rostered shift pattern includes long days/nights, weekends, and bank holidays. The post supports urgent mental health assessments and care planning for adults 18+.

Qualifications

• Reception duties within the urgent care department waiting area, greeting and registering patients.
• Clear and timely communication to clinical teams about changes needing clinical awareness.
• Handling high volume telephone enquiries politely and efficiently, including high risk cases.

Responsibilities

• Ensure 24/7 presence in the reception area of the departments.
• Record accurate messages and follow department guidelines.
• Liaise with other services to ensure a joined-up approach to patient care.

Job description

A Vacancy at Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust.

Part Time 34.5hrs per week (This service is a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week service delivery based on a rostered shift pattern) - you will be expected to work, either Long Days, Long Nights, some weekends and some Bank Holidays

The Mental Health Urgent Care Department, is a facility where adults, aged 18 years and above, who are experiencing a mental health crisis can receive an urgent biopsychosocial assessment with immediate care planning. It is a purpose built department based at the Basildon Mental Health Unit on the Basildon university Hospital site.

The department will offer a calm and therapeutic mental health setting to see the majority of urgent/emergency mental health presentations and represent an improvement on the service previously offered in busy emergency departments.

The core responsibilities of this role will include:

• Reception duties within the urgent department waiting area, ensuring all patients that present to the urgent care department are greeted and registered to the department.
• Ensure 24/7 presence in the reception area of the departments
• Ensure clear and timely communication to clinical teams of any changes within the patient waiting area which require clinical awareness and intervention
• Carrying out assigned duties from the service Lead or Coordinator
• Handling incoming and outgoing telephone calls in a polite and efficient manner. Receive and deal with telephone enquiries, responding appropriately to callers including high risk and challenging client and carers in line with mental health crisis
• Maintaining strict confidentiality at all times.
• Liaising with other services and collecting information to ensure a joined up approach to patient care.

Valuing you. Recognising your dedication. At EPUT, we look after you.

• Receive supervision and support to help you fulfil your potential.
• Join an inclusive EPUT community and connect with others through engagement events and equality or champion networks.
• If you need help, we provide mental health and wellbeing services, occupational health advice and counselling.
• We run recognition awards to recognise staff's hard work and dedication.
• 27 days holiday, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days after 10 years’ service.
• Excellent pension of up to14.5% of your pensionable pay.
• Staff discounts include Blue Light Card, NHS discount offers, and staff benefits.
• £8K relocation package if you move to Essex to join us
• Season ticket loans are interest-free to cover the cost of travelling to and from work via tram, rail, or bus.

Work that wraps around your needs

• Flexible working: available from day one for most roles.
• Job share: Applications for job shares are welcomed.
• Undertake administrative duties within own level of competence as requested by professionally registered staff
• Record accurate messages and follow them up appropriately in accordance to department guidelines
• Communicate face to face with clients seeking further help/information as required being aware of the needs of the clients and act in an appropriate manner particularly with clients who can be verbally challenging
• Contribute to and support services to provide a high-quality service that takes account of individual needs. To exchange confidential, sensitive information with staff, clients, and carers in person or or on the telephone. The unpredictability of clients means that persuasive, reassuring, empathic, skills are required at all times
• Deal with queries raised by patients, carers and other healthcare professionals both internally and externally to the Trust. These are often of a non-routine nature and involving complex issues such as medication and other clinical treatments where there are barriers to understanding due to the nature of the client group.

COMMUNICATION AND WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

• Excellent communication skills with patients, carers and other healthcare colleagues (across a range of disciplines) on day-to-day aspects
• The post holder will have the ability to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients according to their age, understanding, language and ability
• Responsible for ensuring all correspondence is accurately and appropriately presented using Trust and departmental procedures and medical terminology used by