Agile Receptionist (MH Inpatient & Community cover)

Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust; Blackburn; On-site; GBP 25,000; Full time

Job summary

A UK healthcare trust is seeking an Agile Receptionist to join their Inpatient and Community Services. The successful candidate will possess excellent organisation, communication, and customer service skills to support the team's functions effectively. This full-time position offers a permanent contract and requires coordination with other reception team members across sites.

Qualifications

• Experience working in an office environment.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
• Excellent telephone manner.

Responsibilities

• First point of contact for the department.
• Answer telephones and take messages.
• Coordinate activities with other reception team members.

Skills

Communication skills

Customer service skills

Organizational skills

Keyboard skills

Education

Administrative qualification at NVQ Level 2/RSA 2 OCR Level 1 or 2

Tools

Microsoft Office

NHS data systems (desirable)

Job description

Overview

The Pennine Network is looking for an Agile Receptionist to join our Inpatient and Community Services on a full-time, permanent basis. We are inviting applications from individuals with excellent organisation skills, who possess the ability to work on your own or as a member of the wider admin team.

The Successful Candidate Will:

• Be able to communicate with staff, service users, visitors and carers in a professional manner.
• Be computer literate, able to use Microsoft Office packages and possess a good telephone manner.
• Have excellent customer service and administrative skills to support the smooth and efficient functioning of the services.
• Have knowledge of relevant customer service procedures applicable to this role.
• Be a strong team player with effective communication skills.

Please be advised this role cannot be sponsored.

Main duties

The post holder will provide a comprehensive administration and information reception service across the Pennine Mental Health Network, coordinating their activities with other reception team members to ensure an efficient and confidential service is provided. The post holder will work flexibly in response to the needs of the Locality Administration Services, providing cover to departments on various sites as directed by their line manager in liaison with Locality Admin Coordinator to ensure continuity of a quality service provision.

Please see the Job Description & Person Specification for the full list of duties for this role.

About Us

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health and forensic services including low and medium secure care. The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area.

Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust encourages flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, flexi-time and career breaks. We encourage applicants to state clearly on their application forms this request and discuss these options at interview.

Details

Date posted: 07 October 2025

Pay scheme: Agenda for change

Band: Band 2

Salary: £24,465 a year per annum

Contract: Permanent

Working pattern: Full-time

Reference number: 351-PEN1016-CS

Job locations: Daisyfield Mill (with travel to other sites as per the role requirements); Blackburn, BB1 3BL

Job Description

Job responsibilities

• Be the first point of contact for the department.
• Answer telephones, take and forward messages, ensuring that all telephone and personal callers receive a prompt, courteous, non-judgmental and well-informed response.
• Respond to queries, dealing with routine matters and passing more complex queries to the appropriate member of staff.
• Receive, allocate and dispatch departmental mail (internal and external).
• Attend and participate in team meetings and administrative service meetings as required as part of the smooth running of the service.
• Demonstrate the role to new or less experienced staff.
• Make decisions and judgements concerning information received.
• Assist in ensuring work area is kept presentable and well organised and confidential information cannot be seen or overheard by visitors.
• Plan and prioritise your own work to cope with variable demand and interruptions, ensuring quality and completions.
• Monitor and maintain stock supplies.
• Assist in the arrangements for meetings and events carrying out associated duties, including preparation of documents, booking and setting up of rooms, refreshments and equipment as required.
• Assist in site security duties where appropriate.

Person Specification

Qualifications (Essential)

• Administrative qualification at NVQ Level 2/RSA 2 OCR Level 1 or 2 or equivalent experience

Knowledge (Essential)

• Working with Microsoft Office applications
• Working with databases

Desirable

• Working with NHS data systems such as Rio

Experience (Essential)

• Working in an office environment
• Working with members of the public

Desirable

• Working in the NHS

Skills (Essential)

• Good grammar and numeracy skills
• Excellent keyboard skills
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and written

Personal (Essential)

• Excellent telephone manner and customer service skills
• Team player

Work Related (Essential)

• Ability to work flexibly and comply with all requirements of post
• Ability to travel around the organisational footprint to meet the essential requirements of the post

Other

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.