Band 3 Administrator Assistant – IPS Employment Services
The IPS Administrative Assistant plays a vital role in supporting the smooth and efficient running of the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Employment Service across Bedfordshire and Luton. Working closely with the Service Manager, Team Leads and wider IPS team, the postholder will provide high-quality administrative, data and coordination support to ensure accurate reporting, compliance and timely communication.
Key responsibilities include maintaining and validating service data for monthly and quarterly submissions, preparing reports and meeting packs, managing correspondence and documentation in line with governance standards, and providing admin cover during staff absence to maintain continuity. The role is essential in supporting service performance, quality assurance and audit‑readiness, enabling the team to meet national IPS targets and deliver a consistent, well‑organised service for staff and service users alike.
Main duties of the job
* Ensure that all incoming post is date‑stamped and distributed to the appropriate persons and that outgoing mail is sorted according to internal and external departments and relevant agencies.
* Receive all incoming calls to the service/team and deal appropriately in a courteous and helpful manner.
* Deal with a range of queries from the public and other agencies in a polite and helpful manner, also by telephone and face‑to‑face encounters, seeking advice and guidance from the IPS Employment Service Manager.
* Take and promptly pass on accurate notes and information, exercising independent judgement and discretion when handling, monitoring and filtering calls within data protection, customer care and confidentiality guidelines.
* Ensure that calls from anxious and distressed patients and carers are dealt with appropriately and referred to the correct system internally.
Job responsibilities
1. Ensure that all incoming post is date‑stamped and distributed to the appropriate persons, and that outgoing mail is sorted according to internal, external departments and relevant agencies.
2. Receive all incoming calls to the service/team and deal appropriately in a courteous and helpful manner.
3. Deal with a range of queries from the public and other agencies in a polite and helpful manner, also by telephone and face‑to‑face encounters, seeking advice and guidance from the IPS Employment Service Manager.
4. Take and promptly pass on accurate notes and information, exercising independent judgement and discretion when handling, monitoring and filtering calls within data protection, customer care and confidentiality guidelines.
5. Ensure that calls from anxious and distressed patients and carers are dealt with appropriately and referred to the correct system internally.
6. Manage the diary and appointments system, clinic lists and inform clinicians of their appointment arrivals.
7. Ensure that staff have updated the appointment system.
8. Co‑ordinate and oversee room bookings and report any problems as appropriate.
9. Type correspondence such as letters, reports using digital dictation when required.
10. Book interpreters and translators for clients appointments and monitor confirmation of bookings and action as appropriate.
11. Ensure that there is an adequate supply of all forms and adequate stationery supplies, letterheads, information leaflets, appointment cards etc available for colleagues and service users.
12. Receive and manage referrals into the service, and discharges.
13. Update patient information on IT database systems, including RiO, ensuring data quality is monitored and any concerns raised.
14. Undertake general office duties including: photocopying, collating and binding of documents, laminating, etc. as required.
15. Provide administrative support to service/team for presentations including setting up of equipment, providing handouts and refreshments as appropriate.
16. Ensure that office equipment is maintained and reported for repair as necessary and that the office, reception area and waiting room is kept clean and tidy at all times.
17. Receive regular one‑to‑one and team supervision from the IPS Employment Service Manager.
18. Work flexibly to cover essential priority tasks.
19. Use information technology for a range of purposes.
20. Report to the IPS Employment Service Manager any issues that are of concern relating to health and safety of the building.
21. Have excellent verbal, written and communication skills.
22. Remain calm and sensitive in difficult and stressful situations.
23. Undertake professional and personal development as agreed with line manager and participate in regular supervision and appraisal.
24. Attend appropriate IT and administrative training courses.
25. Attend staff, administration and team meetings.
26. Adopt and implement agreed service developments in line with the Directorate and Trust objectives.
27. Be responsible for own personal development.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
The duties and responsibilities outlined in this job description although comprehensive are not definitive and you may be required to perform other duties at the request of your manager.
This job description is designed to reflect duties currently incorporated in this post. These may change in the light of changes in the service provided by the Trust. Any such changes will be fully discussed with the post holder.
Post holder will be expected to be flexible and mobile in terms of their specific responsibilities and the location of their role in unforeseen circumstances and the needs of the service.
Person Specification
Education / Qualification / Training
* English GCSE or equivalent
* RSA 2 Word processing or equivalent
Experience
* Previous experience of working within an administrative team/function.
* Basic Office Experience and protocols
* Experience of working in a mental health organisational environment
* Working in a Multi-disciplinary Team
Knowledge and Skills
* Computer Literacy
* Familiarity with operating busy switchboard systems
* IT Administration
* Security guidelines and procedures
* Confidentiality
* An understanding of office procedures
Other
* Professional Accountability
* Flexibility
* Ability to communicate effectively
* Polite and Friendly
* Ability to work on own initiative
* Ability to travel to sites within Luton and Bedfordshire
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.
£24,937 to £26,598 a year pro rata
#J-18808-Ljbffr