Communications and administration Co-ordinator

Job description

Job responsibilities

Communications and Administration Co-ordinator

Hours: Either 5 days a week, 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday or reduced hours to suit but covering the core hours of 9am- 3pm, Monday to Friday.

Salary: FTE from £35,327 p/a

Location: CDS UK London Office

OVERVIEW

This is an exciting opportunity to join our small, friendly team and to use your skills to develop our administration and communications function which is central to the smooth running of the organisation as it continues to grow. You will be working with a committed group of people, including clinicians working in all areas of the country, and making a real difference to the lives of patients.

CDS UK (the Clinic for Dissociative Studies) is a specialist psychotherapy service established in 1998, offering assessment and long-term specialist outpatient treatment to people with dissociative disorders, in particular dissociative identity disorder (DID - formerly called multiple personality disorder). Our patients have often suffered the most extreme forms of abuse and represent one of the most vulnerable and complex client groups. Whilst many of the tasks involved in the role are straightforward, there can be some emotional impact from working in this difficult field, so resilience is important.

CDS UK is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and an Independent Provider to the NHS and is subcontracted by NHS commissioning organisations nationally on a discretionary per-patient basis, where local mental health services are unable to provide appropriate treatment.

JOB DESCRIPTION

To act as a first point of contact for CDS UK and to support the smooth running of the administrative function within the organisation. Your role will also focus on ensuring a high quality of communication with our associates, patients, existing and prospective commissioners. You will provide support ranging from answering patient enquiries sourcing rooms for patients, greeting visitors to the building and registering new referrals as well as taking simple minutes of our weekly clinical meeting. Additionally, you will be responsible for ensuring that our website is up to date, compiling internal communications such as our newsletter and building our external company profile by increasing our LinkedIn presence.

Key Duties

Enquiries

Acting as first point of contact when dealing with enquiries from potential patients and referrers and responding in an appropriate and timely manner using standard response templates where possible.

Distributing telephone and email messages as appropriate and using initiative to pass these promptly to the appropriate member of the team, using judgement on urgency.

Demonstrating an understanding and reassuring manner when dealing with patients and those related to their care.

Ensuring a good understanding of CDS UK confidentiality policies and maintain these in all interactions with patients, professionals and other external parties.

Referrals

Logging all new referrals onto CDS UKs filing system and completing associated administrative tasks - e.g. creating an electronic folder, patient information sheet and sending acknowledgement letters.

Ad hoc obtaining of additional medical records relating to referral patients (in liaison with Project, Office and Referrals Manager).

Assessments and Treatment

Ensuring timely sending of all outcome measures, logging when these are received, and forwarding on to research team.

Sourcing and confirming rooms needed for both one-off assessments and those needed for weekly therapy sessions.

Recruitment and Onboarding

Setting up interview panels: finding dates; confirming with attendees; providing copies of relevant documentation and filing confidential information appropriately.

Managing the onboarding process: ensuring new staff and associates have DBS checks; taking up and circulating references; administering new starter forms; ensuring contracts are in place.

Communication

To support the Business & Operations Director in the development of a communication and public relations strategy and assist with implementation.

External communication (Online presence)

Ensuring all content on the website, is accurate and up to date. Regularly spot checking to ensure that the website is functioning properly. Escalating appropriately to identify if changes need to be made.

Ensuring any new material to be sent externally is CDS branded and of a high standard.

To manage the CDS LinkedIn account and any future suitable other Social Media sites, to ensure that regular, relevant, high-quality content is posted to raise awareness of the work CDS does to both Commissioners, potential new Core Staff & Associates, other Health Care Professionals and people who may experience DID.

To manage the LinkedIn account followers, connecting with relevant professionals to increase our reach.

Internal Communication

To support the engagement of both core staff & associates by ensuring regular communication such as the newsletter is compiled and sent out in a timely fashion

To support with the planning of staff team building sessions and CDS organised team social events when asked to. Sourcing venues, inviting associates and ensuring that the planning does not exceed the stated budget.

_Agenda-setting and minute-taking_

Organising and circulating the agenda for weekly clinical meetings.

Taking concise and accurate minutes, circulating to colleagues and filing appropriately.

Electronic filing

Ensuring electronic files are correctly structured and up to date.

Undertaking a data cleansing role to ensure quality, consistency and accuracy of information in line with CDS UKs data retention policy.

General Administration

Warmly welcoming patients, professionals and visitors to the building, showing them the facilities and offering refreshments.

Sorting and distribution of all incoming post.

Typing and editing reports/letters for clinical staff.

Attending monthly internal business meetings and maintaining an action log.

Arranging refreshments for meetings as required.

Booking travel and accommodation where needed.

General office duties including filing and photocopying as required.

Projects

To support the Business & Administration team with projects as and when required during seasonally quieter periods.

Other Duties

Along with other admin staff, ensuring the building is clean, tidy and well-organised.

Covering for the Executive Assistant when they are absent.

Person Specification

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent numerical skills
• Attention to detail, even when working quickly
• Problem-solving skills, and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands
• Ability to work on own initiative and organise own workload without supervision, working to tight and often changing timescales
• Excellent inter-personal skills and the ability to communicate and work effectively with a wide range of people from different backgrounds at all levels of seniority
• Knowledge of general data protection requirements and good information governance practice, including handling confidential and sensitive information in accordance with key related legislation
• Understanding of and commitment to diversity and equality of opportunity and good working relationships

Desirable

• Experience with using patient records management software or database applications

Qualifications

Essential

• Strong academic results in written English
• Evidence of continuous professional and personal development

Desirable

• Relevant qualification that provides evidence of essential knowledge and skills

Experience

Essential

• At least 1 year's previous experience in a busy office environment
• Prior experience interacting with clients/patients who may be distressed.
• Evidence of interest and success in improving office/work systems
• Proven use of common computer applications, with intermediate or advanced use of Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel and Teams)
• Managing a variety of work areas and systems at any one time

Desirable

• Experience of working in healthcare
• Experience in managing and prioritising a busy workload
• Experience in minute-taking

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.

Employer details

Employer name

CDS UK (Clinic for Dissociative Studies)

Address

35 Tottenham Lane

London

N8 9BD

Employer's website

https://www.clinicds.co.uk (Opens in a new tab)