Team Leader Assistant

To provide administrative support to the Team Leader in all aspects of their work, liaising with other members of the Medical Directorate Team together with outside Agencies., 1. To become an effective member of the Medical Management Team, developing productive working relationships with other members of the team and developing and demonstrating a sound understanding of the aims and business activities of the Trust. To ensure that all dealings are conducted in a manner that reflects the professional reputation of the Secretariat. To support the Team Leader in the line management of the secretariat.
2. To work flexibly to provide efficient, high quality secretarial, administrative and support services to the Team Leader and their medical colleagues as required and to maintain office cover.
3. To produce documents such as clinic letters, admission and discharge summaries, A&E assessments, domiciliary assessments, ward assessments, Mental Health Act reports, memoranda, general correspondence, minutes and presentations, etc., using audio, shorthand or copy typing skills as required. This element of the job requires sustained concentration as it involves understanding the diverse accent and use of English of the doctor and the transcription of dictations which use medical terminologies, medications, abbreviations and local practices. There will be frequent interruptions requiring urgent/immediate response.
4. To manage and prioritise own workload appropriately, frequently under pressure, without supervision.
5. To react quickly to urgent situations in order to coordinate an excellent service to patients/their carers, health professionals and other professional bodies.
6. Excellent communication skills are vital: good relationships need to be established and maintained with other medical/professional staff (other doctors, CPNs, Social Workers, ward staff) involved in both inpatient and outpatient care in order to ensure that these personnel engage in taking action where there is an urgent situation requiring their input.
7. Excellent telephone skills are required to communicate with patients with acute mental health problems, including dementia, psychosis, drug and alcohol problems. Extreme patience, understanding and sensitivity is required in such situations: they can be time consuming and the patient needs to be reassured that their situation will be attended to and a response given at the earliest opportunity.
8. To pass on to the Team Leader and Consultant Psychiatrist, information received from patients/carers regarding their mental state, medication, problems they are experiencing, etc. and to ensure that this is done in an accurate and timely manner. This role is essential in the smooth running of patients' care.
9. To relay advice of a clinical nature to patients, carers, GPs and members of the Community Mental Health Teams, acting on the instructions of the Team Leader and Consultant Psychiatrist, ensuring that this is done accurately and comprehensively.
10. To be able to arrange meetings on behalf of the Team Leader and where appropriate the Consultant Psychiatrist on their behalf, including the handling of associated administration such as room bookings, hospitality, the preparation and circulation of agendas and related papers as required and act as a point of contact for co-ordinating and ensuring that necessary details are made available to the Team Leader and Consultant Psychiatrist.
11. To act as a point of contact in the first instance for the Team.
12. To act as a point of contact when arranging meetings for the Team Leader and Consultant Psychiatrist with external agencies.
13. To participate, as required, in the arrangements for training programmes/conferences, ensuring that the relevant documentation is processed and that all necessary practical arrangements are in place for events to run smoothly.
14. To provide effective support to the Team Leader in order to provide a smooth and professional service in line with Trust policies.
15. To attend and minute meetings/case conferences/working groups etc. when required, and to ensure that appropriate administrative follow-up action is taken.
16. To arrange investigation appointments for patients at the request of the ~Team Leader and Consultant (e.g. bloods, EEGs, ECGs, CT Scans, MRI Scans) and, where appropriate, ensure all results are brought to the attention of the Team Leader and Consultant so that appropriate action can be taken.
17. To coordinate actions for patients requiring admission, including liaison with the necessary professionals and the ward.
18. To establish links with other Mental Health staff members within the Trust and external agencies such as the Courts, Prisons, Probation Service, Solicitors, Police, Secure Units, other commissioned services, third sector voluntary organisations etc. to ensure the smooth flow of information.
19. To maintain a good understanding of clinical risk and in the absence of the Team Leader and Consultant, take the initiative to sign post the patient in crisis to the appropriate services such as crisis teams/helplines and alert the relevant professionals of the situation. .
20. To have a good working knowledge of the electronic patient records system used in the team. To participate in the process of updating these records with relevant information such as clinical information, personal data, email, telephone and paper based communications etc. in a timely fashion.
21. To provide secretarial cover to other secretarial teams as necessary for colleagues on sick/annual leave and to work flexibly as a team member to ensure smooth and efficient flow of work through the service.
22. To process applications for annual leave/study leave, within the team ensuring that all relevant team members are aware of forthcoming absences and are advised of the cover arrangements in place.
23. To ensure that post/email/telephone enquiries are promptly sorted, recorded and actioned as appropriate, filtering them in an efficient manner in order to organise and assist with the workflow of the Team Leader. To exercise initiative where appropriate in responding to incoming mail by drafting responses.
24. To co-operate with others towards maintaining efficient filing, records and bring-forward systems, properly indexed and cross referenced, to ensure that location of all documents and files are properly recorded and that they are readily accessible.
25. To be able to access and use the NHS and the Trust information systems, e.g. to retrieve patient care related information.
26. To maintain and order stocks of stationery.
27. To take responsibility for the care and maintenance of the office equipment supplied to secretaries and the Consultants. To notify the IT Department of any problems with the computers and the other relevant repair services for equipment used.
28. To assist with the collection and collation of data and information, including statistical information relevant to the consultant's scope of work to assist them to carry out their work efficiently
29. To provide day to day support and assistance to new and temporary members of staff within the team as part of induction and good team working.
30. To assist the Team Leader in the induction of trainee doctors new to the Consultant's team on a regular rotational basis. Provide them with a package of template letters, including the admission and discharge summaries to help them formulate their correspondence. Provide them with a timetable of activities, clinics, ward rounds etc. Provide directions where appropriate and help organise transport.
31. To maintain a system to ensure that the doctors, during the induction, are provided with the available personal safety alarms, Dictaphone, bleeps, and keys. An up-to-date log of these to be maintained to facilitate the retrieval and re-allocation as the doctors in the team changeover.
32. To have awareness of and be compliant with performance indicators including patient choice, waiting times, DNA etc. to meet government/star rating targets.
33. To adhere to the principles and processes defined within the equal opportunities provision.
34. To report any health & safety issues or fire hazards to the Manager and take immediate action to minimise any risk or hazard.
35. To fully comply with the GDPR and related policies.
36. To recognise the sensitivity of business undertaken and to ensure strict confidentiality
Please note - staff who are formally at risk within the organisation will be given priority in securing alternative employment. Should it come to light that a post being advertised by the Trust is considered 'suitable alternative employment' to an individual who is at risk, the recruiting manager will be advised and the post will be withdrawn from NHS Jobs.
Important Professional References
Make sure that as a part of your application you have professional references with business contract information covering your last three year employment history. We are unable to accept personal or character references.
As a newly appointed employee you are responsible for incurring the cost of your initial DBS check relevant to your post, the amount will be deducted from your first salary with the Trust.
Applications for Job Share are positively welcomed.

Two new positions have recently been created to join the Medical Management Team. You will provide a smooth and efficient, high quality secretarial and administrative support function to the Team Leaders. This is an excellent opportunity to further development. Competent of Office packages is preferred but training will be given.
You will be asked to travel to various locations from time to time and must be prepared to travel therefore a full driving licence and access to a vehicle is essential., The ability to use Office packages such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint and also from time to time be able to use Audio. It is essential to have a good typing speed.

EPUT provides community health, mental health and learning disability services to support more than 3.2 million people living across Bedfordshire, Essex and Suffolk. Also:
+ We are among the largest employers in the in the East of England region, with more than 10,000 staff working across more than 200 sites.
+ We run the COVID-19 vaccination programme across mid and south Essex and Suffolk and north east Essex.
EPUT was formed on 1 April 2017 following the merger of North Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (NEP) and South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (SEPT). A new leadership team was established at the Trust in 2020.

Our vision and values
Our Vision
"To be the leading health and wellbeing service in the provision of mental health and community care".
Our Purpose
"We care for people every day. What we do together, matters".
Our Values
+ We Care
+ We Learn
+ We Empower
Our strategic objectives
+ We will deliver safe, high quality integrated care services.
+ We will enable each other to be the best that we can.
+ We will work together with our partners to make our services better.
+ We will help our communities to thrive.
Our services
+ Mental Health Services
+ Community Health Services
+ Learning Disabilities Services
+ Social Care
Find out more about the services we offer in our service directory., The Trust has the right to expire vacancies prior to the closing date if they so wish. The Trust makes every attempt to contact all applicants and we strongly advise that you check the email account which is registered with NHS Jobs regularly, we would advise however due to the high number of applications we receive that if you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expect all staff to undertake this commitment. Applicants will be subject to robust safer recruitment processes.
Covid Vaccination
Although Covid vaccinations are no longer a mandatory requirement within the NHS we continue to encourage and support the vaccination uptake as this remains the best line of defence against Covid19. The safety of our staff and patients is a top priority for us at EPUT.
If you would like to book a Covid vaccination or would like more information please contact us by emailing [email protected].

EPUT are looking for motivated staff who shares our Trust values of Care, Learn and Empower. In return, EPUT can offer you a range of benefits and development including;
+ Season Ticket Loans
+ NHS discounts for staff
+ Excellent Training facilities and opportunities
+ Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
+ The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
+ Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
+ Day One Flexible Employer
The Trust supports and actively encourages flexible working for all employees. We offer many options and you are encouraged to ask the recruiting manager what is possible for this role. If appointed, you will have the opportunity to apply for a flexible working request from the first day of your employment
Join our Staff bank
What is Staff Bank?
Our EPUT NHS staff bank is an entity managed by the trust that hires clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals to take on shifts at our trust hospitals and community settings. Here at EPUT we maintain our own bank of specialist staff to ensure that we are able offer safe and effective care at all times.
All our permanent staff are automatically enrolled onto the staff bank however this does not mean you have to work any additional shifts, but the option is there for you if you wish.
If you are joining our Trust in a fixed term role, please indicate on your New Starter Paperwork that you wish to join our staff bank.