Assessment Officer

Job description

Job responsibilities

In this role, you are accountable for

1. Assess means tested applications, analyse, and interpret information provided by the customer to determine the level of award due. This will involve using the telephone and writing to the customer, using IT systems and internet resources.

2. Calculate the customer entitlement following guidelines and procedures, this will involve both manual and system calculations

3. Calculate/recalculate changes to a customer award and authorise payments/underpayments/overpayments through the appropriate system, some cases of debt may need raising with the finance team.

4. Assess the entitlement of in-year changes where a manual pro rata calculation maybe required.

5. Quality check all work streams across the service in line with monthly sampling guidance. This will also involve responding to queries raised by colleagues/managers and updating the quality database.

6. Telephone contact may be required with customers, stakeholders and third parties via telephone or email in a professional and courteous manner. Resolving queries promptly and efficiently, ensuring complete customer satisfaction.

7. Perform a series of prepayment checks prior to customer funds being issued, taking necessary action where anomalies have been identified.

8. Use own discretion to make decisions using procedures/technical instructions and use own initiative to answer queries and where appropriate, refer more complex casework/queries to the appropriate team.

9. Investigate and respond to customer first line appeal.

10.Telephone/email contact may be required with customers, stakeholders, and 3rd parties. A professional and courteous manner, resolving queries promptly and efficiently, ensuring complete customer satisfaction.

11. Ensure customer records are updated accordingly and accurately on the relevant systems.

12. Manage own workload and operate all services in line with service level agreements, internal agreements/policies, technical instructions/procedures and within agreed time scales.

13. Adhere to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and work in accordance with quality standards. Ensure all personal copies of manuals are always up to date.

14. Adhere to health and safety procedures and has knowledge of equality and diversity issues.

15. Deal with queries from both internal and external customers.

16. When required, may be requested to train, coach, and mentor new staff in the duties of the role.

17. Assisting with the day to day flow of call referrals and ensuring a good customer service is given in a timely manner within the service level agreement.

18. Supporting colleagues with referred casework if required.

19. Use initiative to perform duties in a responsible manner.

20. Undertake such other duties as may be required commensurate with pay and experience.

21. Ability to treat people with respect under all circumstances, upholding and demonstrating the values and behaviours of the NHSBSA.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Three GCSE passes grade C or above, including Maths and English or equivalent qualification or work-based experience.

Desirable

• A broad range of GCSE qualifications.
• An NVQ Level II Administration

Experience

Essential

• Experience of understanding and following detailed instructions.
• Experience of working to targets in a pressurised environment.
• Experience of working in a customer service focused environment or a clerical environment.
• Experience of drafting written communications to customers.
• Experience of dealing with customers on the telephone.

Desirable

• Previous application handling experience.
• Experience of data entry

Personal Qualities, Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Ability to understand information, working quickly and accurately with an eye for detail.
• Ability to deliver excellent customer service whilst meeting deadlines and targets.
• Ability to handle concurrent tasks/systems and cope with distractions.
• Adaptable, with proven ability to respond to and switch between a wide variety of tasks effectively and with limited notice.
• Flexible with a proven willingness to take on extra duties.
• Neat handwriting, good grammar, and spelling.
• Ability to handle telephone queries effectively.
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal.
• Proven time and self-management skills.
• Ability to make quick decisions with sometimes limited information.
• Can concentrate for long periods of time.
• Basic PC skills.

Desirable

• Ability to deal with dissatisfied or difficult customers
• Evidence of ability to work using own initiative.
• Ability to use Excel.
• Knowledge of Microsoft outlook and work packages.
• An understanding of the applicable service schemes.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Employer name

NHS Business Services Authority

Address

NHS Business Services Authority

Hesketh House, Broadway

Fleetwood

FY7 8LG

Employer's website

https://careers.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)