Secretary - Community Mental Health Team
We are looking for a dedicated, organised and enthusiastic Secretary (Band 3) to join our Community Mental Health Team.
This fulltime role is perfect for someone who is passionate about supporting high‑quality patient care and helping a busy, friendly clinical team deliver safe and effective services.
As an essential part of our administrative team, you will provide comprehensive secretarial and reception support to clinicians, allied health professionals, and service users. You will work closely alongside an experienced secretary, making teamwork, collaboration, and mutual support key aspects of the role.
If you are proactive, compassionate, and eager to contribute to the smooth running of our service, we would love to hear from you.
Main duties of the job
* Provide the first point of contact for telephone calls and enquiries, ensuring callers feel supported and listened to.
* Deliver accurate and timely secretarial support, including typing letters, reports, minutes and forms.
* Manage incoming and outgoing communication, including emails and post, ensuring efficient distribution.
* Maintain and organise administrative and client records, always upholding confidentiality.
* Manage diary and room bookings for clinicians and other team members.
* Support meetings by preparing papers, refreshments and taking notes/minutes as required.
* Assist with data entry for appointments, referrals, admissions and discharges.
* Maintain office systems such as filing, stock control, petty cash, ordering supplies and equipment maintenance requests.
* Work collaboratively with colleagues to provide cross‑cover during periods of leave or sickness.
* Welcome and support new staff during their induction.
* Uphold Trust policies on safeguarding, confidentiality, equality, diversity, sustainability and health & safety.
About us
At Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, we’re committed to supporting our employees with a range of benefits designed to enhance your professional and personal life. We offer:
* Flexible working options to help you balance work and life
* NHS pension scheme for long‑term financial security
* Generous annual leave allowance to recharge and relax
* A strong focus on career development to help you grow and achieve your potential
Additionally, you’ll gain access to our Blue Light Card, unlocking exclusive discounts on shopping, dining and leisure activities, as well as NHS‑specific perks to support you both inside and outside of work.
We are proud to foster a diverse, skilled and inclusive workforce, and we encourage applications from all backgrounds.
Job responsibilities
As a Band 3 Secretary within the Community Mental Health Team, you will play a central role in supporting the smooth running of the service. You will provide high‑quality administrative support across a range of duties, including:
Communication & Reception
* Act as the first line of contact for service users, carers, staff and external agencies, ensuring communication is handled respectfully and efficiently.
* Deal sensitively with calls or visits from individuals who may be distressed, showing patience, compassion and professionalism.
* Liaise with operational managers, team managers, clinicians, secretarial teams across the Trust and external organisations as needed.
Secretarial & Administrative Support
* Produce accurate and well‑presented typed correspondence, reports, minutes and documents.
* Arrange meetings, appointments and multidisciplinary discussions, including room bookings.
* Support the preparation and circulation of meeting documentation and take minutes where required.
* Maintain administrative systems such as filing, referrals, attendance and discharge records.
* Ensure all data is handled in line with GDPR, confidentiality policies and Trust procedures.
Office Management & Systems
* Maintain stock levels for stationery and office supplies, raising orders as required.
* Support petty cash transactions and comply with Standing Financial Instructions.
* Assist with arranging building or equipment repairs when required.
* Use Microsoft Office, electronic patient record systems and the Trust’s computer network to carry out daily tasks.
Team Support & Service Delivery
* Provide secretarial cover for colleagues during absence to ensure continuity of service.
* Help induct new staff and those working temporarily in the service.
* Prioritise workload effectively, using initiative to meet deadlines and support the needs of the team.
* Contribute to a positive, inclusive and supportive team culture, aligned with the Trust values of Kindness, Respect and Teamwork.
Governance, Safety & Trust Responsibilities
* Adhere to policies relating to safeguarding, child protection, confidentiality, health and safety, infection control, records management and sustainability.
* Participate in mandatory training and engage in personal development activities.
* Support the Trust’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion by treating everyone with fairness and respect.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Level III Word Processing or Typing qualification.
* NVQ Level 3 Business Administration or willing to work towards Audio Typing.
Experience
* Previous administrative experience. Experience of setting up and maintaining office systems and procedures that support the smooth running of the department. Knowledge and experience of Microsoft Office Packages.
* Experience of contact with users of mental health services.
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.
£25,760 to £27,476 a year
Monday to Friday, 9.00 am – 5.00 pm
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