Urgent Mental Health Helpline Call Handler

Integrated Care System; Canterbury; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 26,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health organization seeks an Urgent Mental Health Helpline Call Handler. This critical role requires excellent communication and customer service skills, providing the first point of contact for those in need of urgent mental health support. Candidates should possess relevant qualifications and be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment across various shifts.

Qualifications

• GCSEs x 5 (Grade A-C) or equivalent required.
• Level 3 Qualification (NVQ 3 or equivalent) necessary.
• ECDL competency preferred.

Responsibilities

• Answering telephone calls in an efficient, courteous manner.
• Undertaking initial screening of callers for mental health support.
• Recording all data accurately and updating electronic records.

Skills

Customer Care

Communication

Computer Literate

Education

GCSEs x 5 (Grade A-C) or equivalent

Level 3 Qualification (NVQ 3 or equivalent)

ECDL

Job description

Go back Kent & Medway NHS & Social Care Partnership Trust

Urgent Mental Health Helpline Call Handler

The closing date is 21 July 2025

We are Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT), providing mental health, learning disability and specialist services, serving 1.8 million people across the county.

Are you looking for a new and exciting opportunity? Are you an exceptional candidate who wants to be part of an innovative and evolving service?

The Kent & Medway Urgent Mental Health Helpline is expanding and it's an exciting time to join us.

The service is a helpline offering urgent mental health help and support over the phone to members of the public. It also provides a referral management function for professionals.

This is a critical role within the organisation as the first point of contact for those contacting secondary mental health care.

The helpline operates 24/7 and staff are required to work across a full roster period including early, late and night shifts. We are able to offer roles on both a full and part-time basis.

The team is based at the Eastern and Coastal Area Offices on the St Martins Hospital site in Canterbury.

Main duties of the job

As a call handler within our service, you will be the first person that callers speak to when seeking support for their mental health, excellent communication and customer service skills are essential.

You will be responsible for undertaking initial screening of callers, using defined processes, to offer advice, reassurance, or signposting.

You will be supported by a qualified mental health clinician.

As a contact centre-based service, we utilise an online telephony system, so applicants must be confident computer users.

You will also be required to enter the caller's details into our clinical systems accurately and in a timely manner.

All staff receive a comprehensive induction when they join the service, supporting you to develop skills appropriate to your new role.

About us

Come and work with us in the Garden of England where we combine exceptional professional development opportunities with a tremendous quality of life.

We are Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT), providing mental health, learning disability and specialist services, serving 1.8 million people in Kent and Medway, as well as specialist services for adults in Sussex and Surrey. We arerated Good overall by the CQC.

Each year we care for over 2,000 people in our hospitals and 54,000 people in the community.

We are proud to employ over 3,800 people from 66 nationalities, and to serve an increasingly diverse range of communities across rural and urban areas.

You will be joining friendly, passionate colleagues, rich in their diversity, who are committed to providing excellent care to our service users and their loved ones.

The nature of our work attracts kindness and compassion as standard and everyone from our cleaners and porters to the chief executive and chairman are recognised as playing a vital role in providing an exemplary service.

Our strategyOur mission is what we set out to do every dayWe deliver brilliant care through brilliant people

Our vision is where we want to be in the futureTo provide outstanding care and to work in partnership to deliver this in the right place, for every service user, every time.

Check out our recruitment videos Recruitment - YouTube

Job responsibilities

Answering telephone calls in an efficient, courteous, professional and non-judgmental manner.

Acting as a point of contact for incoming referrals, communicating with all relevant personnel in the process.

Demonstrating the skills to professionally communicate information to service users and carers regarding personal, bio-psycho-social problems in an empathic and supportive way.

Ensuring all callers receive the correct response by following the appropriate service procedures.

Effectively managing callers expectations whilst providing correct and accurate information at all times.

Recording all data accurately and updating the electronic patient record accordingly, ensuring consistency with Trust policy.

Working as part of a team to provide the service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which will involve working unsocial hours and public holidays.

Identifying and developing skills, knowledge, information and accessing appropriate agreed training.

Please see the attached job description for full details.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• GCSEs x 5 (Grade A-C) or equivalent
• Level 3 Qualification (NVQ 3 or equivalent)
• ECDL

Skills

• Computer Literate
• Customer Care
• Communication

Experience

• Mental Health experience
• NHS experience
• Work with electronic systems
• Contact / call centre experience

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.

Employer name

Kent & Medway NHS & Social Care Partnership Trust

Address

£24,625 to £25,674 a yearper annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time,Part-time

Reference number

380-WK0294

Job locations