SPA Call Handler / Administrator

Do you enjoy talking to and helping people?

Do you have an empathetic approach?

Do you have good Information Technology (IT) skills and excellent attention to detail?

The Single Point of Access (SPA) is a telephone triage service which provides a quick and easy way for members of the public, GPs, and other healthcare professionals to make referrals to community health services such as community nursing, community therapy, and other community services for people living in Oxfordshire aged 18 years and over.

As a SPA Administrator, you will be the first point of contact for a range of referrals in the community, enabling early intervention and avoiding admissions to hospital.

SPA service is spread over two bases, Abingdon and Banbury, operating 8am-8pm, 365 days a year on a shift pattern basis. This is communicated six weeks before the rota is due to start, which means you can plan things well in advance. Shift patterns are usually a mixture of 08:00-16:00hrs, 09:00-17:00, 10:30-18:30hrs, and 12:00-20:00hrs.

Full time hours are based on 37.5hrs per week. This vacancy is for the Banbury based office.

The main aspect of the role is to answer phone calls effectively and efficiently with a calm, kind, and caring voice . Calls into SPA are varied, with vulnerable or frail people calling in asking for assistance. You may need to be patient with callers and need to have good communication skills to identify the individual’s needs.

You will work as part of a close-knit team to ensure the patients receive the best possible service. The workload can be busy and changeable, so a can-do attitude and an adaptable approach is required.

SPA team is made up of experienced administrators and clinicians who work closely together and there is always someone at hand to ask for advice. When you start, you’ll have line manager and peer support as well as training and other resources to support you do your work effectively.

Benefits of working for Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust include:

• Excellent opportunities for career progression
• 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, with an increase to 33 days with continuous service
• NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers
• Staff accommodation
• Competitive pension scheme
• Lease car scheme
• Cycle to work scheme

What we need from you!

• Be self-motivated and able to work autonomously as well as showing initiative and promoting new ideas on how to improve the service.
• Be compassionate, caring and creative with excellent communication skills.
• Strong IT skills with experience of using Microsoft Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook

Please note:

• New starters have a 6 month probationary period. This, together with the induction process aims to create a positive supportive working environment allowing new employees to learn key elements of their role over a reasonable timescale.
• Candidates not currently employed by the Trust who attend an interview for non-qualified Band 1-5 posts are required to undertake numeracy and literacy assessments.
• Appointment to this post is subject to the trust receiving satisfactory references covering 3 years of employment or study. Please ask your referees to respond promptly to reference requests.
• Employees are expected to undertake mandatory and statutory training related to their role.
• We positively encourage applications from all areas of the community, regardless of gender, race, faith, disability, age or sexual orientation and we encourage applications from users of mental health services. This is part of our commitment to equality and reflecting the diversity of our population.
• Oxford Health is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Please refer to further details in the job description & person specification.