Job summary
- Main area
- Administration
- Grade
- Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent: full time Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Monday to Friday 7.5 hours per day 09:00 - 17:00)
- Job ref
- 364-A-9438
- Employer
- Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- The Derwent Centre
- Town
- Harlow
- Salary
- £24,937 - £26,598 Per annum + HCA
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 26/10/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Administration Assistant/Receptionist, The Derwent Centre, Harlow
Band 3
Our Trust cares for more than 100,000 patients at any one time across our community health, mental health and learning disability services across Essex and parts of Bedfordshire and Suffolk.
We want you to be part of our journey of transformation, where our patients and their families are at the heart of everything we do and to achieve our vision to be the leading health and wellbeing service in the provision of mental health and community care.
You’ll be part of a Trust where you will be supported to be your authentic self and be the best you can be, where we will help you to grow, develop and thrive.
The Trust is recognised by the University of Essex and is a top provider of apprenticeships for people looking to be an assistant practitioner, senior health care support worker (CAP). Our trailblazing CAP apprenticeship won a national HSJ Award.
We are also recognised as a Veteran Aware Trust and holder of gold accreditation from the Ministry of Defence Employment Recognition Scheme. Our services are highlighted as an exemplar of good practice, producing the best care for more than 3.500 armed forces veterans in the past seven years.
We have been shortlisted and won national awards. We are an inclusive organisation and Level 3 Disability Confident Leader Trust.
We are constantly innovating and looking for new ways to deliver care, such as using technology to enhance patient care and working with partners to launch new services such as the Basildon Mental Health Urgent Care Department, virtual hospitals and falls response cars.
Join us and you’ll do the best work of your life – and make a difference to other people’s lives. What we do together, matters.
Job overview
Please note you must have right to work in the UK to apply for this position.
Due to current Home Office Guidelines, we are unable to sponsor this job role.
An exciting opportunity has arisen to recruit a Full Time Administration Assistant/Receptionist based at The Derwent Centre Harlow.
We are looking for someone with the ability and confidence to use their own initiative and prioritise tasks. The post holder must possess excellent communication skills and relevant administrative experience, must be flexible and have attention to detail.
The role will involve providing support to our clinical colleagues with administrative tasks by providing front line support, face to face and over the telephone. This role is Monday – Friday 9 am to 5 pm. We will offer you support, supervision, training and the opportunity for personal development.
You will also need to be computer literate with experience of Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook. You will be given full training on the various systems that we use.
We are looking for someone with a positive and compassionate approach to supporting patient care. The role will also include telephone calls and face to face contact with our patients and due to the nature of the services we carry out administrative support for, these can sometimes be distressing.
Successful candidates will be expected to provide services in a professional, efficient, friendly and polite manner.
Main duties of the job
COMMUNICATION
- You will be required to handle incoming and outgoing telephone calls to the multi-disciplinary clinical staff and managers in a polite and efficient manner. Receive and deal with telephone enquiries, responding appropriately to callers including high risk, abusive, threatening, depressed, suicidal and vulnerable clients and carers. Maintain strict confidentiality at all times.
- Record accurate messages and follow them up appropriately in accordance to department guidelines.
- To deal face to face with patients and families seeking further help/information and to be aware of the needs of the clients and to deal in an appropriate manner with clients who can be hostile, abusive or aggressive.
- To exchange confidential and/or sensitive information between staff, patients, and carers in person or on the telephone. The unpredictability of patients means that persuasive, reassuring, empathic, skills are required at all times.
- Deal with queries raised by patients, relatives, GP’s or other healthcare professionals both internally and externally to the trust. These are often of a non-routine nature and involving complex issues such as medication and other clinical treatments where there are barriers to understanding due to the nature of the client group.
Working for our organisation
Valuing you. Recognising your dedication. At EPUT, we look after you.
- Receive supervision and support to help you fulfil your potential.
- Join an inclusive EPUT community and connect with others through engagement events and equality or champion networks.
- If you need help, we provide mental health and wellbeing services, occupational health advice and counselling.
- We run recognition awards to recognise staff's hard work and dedication.
Benefits
- 27 days holiday, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days after 10 years’ service.
- Excellent pension of up to14.5% of your pensionable pay.
- Staff discounts include Blue Light Card, NHS discount offers, and staff benefits.
- £8K relocation package if you move to Essex to join us
- Season ticket loans are interest-free to cover the cost of travelling to and from work via tram, rail, or bus.
Work that wraps around your needs
- Work bank: You can use the opportunity to supplement your income and develop your skills by working bank shifts.
- Flexible working: available from day one for most roles.
- Job share: Applications for job shares are welcomed.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
ROLE SUMMARY
- To operate as a centralised department to provide a comprehensive administration & reception service and functions within the Trusts’ Localities.
- The service will ensure the timely and accurate recording of all activity across services using Trust information systems.
- The service will require a team approach to ensure cover for absence across all services / locations.
- Post holders, as appropriate, will be required to provide administration duties on behalf of these services.
- Due to the nature of the role a strong emphasis is placed on safeguarding confidentiality and this forms a pre-requisite for every Administration Assistant / Receptionist
- This is not an exhaustive list
Person specification
Essential
Essential criteria
- Good standard of education
Desirable criteria
- NHS experience
Essential
Essential criteria
- Microsoft Packages
Desirable criteria
- Level 3 NVQ or equivelant
Essential
Essential criteria
- Previous reception experience
Desirable criteria
- Previous administration experience
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Judith Sinfield
- Job title
- Admin Area Lead
- Email address
- [email protected]
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