Urgent Mental Health Helpline Call Handler

Job overview

We are Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT), providing mental health, learning disability and specialist services, serving 1.8 million people across the county.

Are you looking for a new and exciting opportunity? Are you an exceptional candidate who wants to be part of an innovative and evolving service?

The Kent & Medway Urgent Mental Health Helpline is expanding and it’s an exciting time to join us.

The service is a helpline offering urgent mental health help and support over the phone to members of the public. It also provides a referral management function for professionals.

This is a critical role within the organisation as the first point of contact for those contacting secondary mental health care.

The helpline operates 24/7 and staff are required to work across a full roster period including early, late and night shifts. We are able to offer roles on both a full and part-time basis.

The team is based at the Eastern and Coastal Area Offices on the St Martins Hospital site in Canterbury.

Main duties of the job

As a call handler within our service, you will be the first person that callers speak to when seeking support for their mental health, excellent communication and customer service skills are essential.

You will be responsible for undertaking initial screening of callers, using defined processes, to offer advice, reassurance, or signposting.

You will be supported by a qualified mental health clinician.

As a contact centre-based service, we utilise an online telephony system, so applicants must be confident computer users.

You will also be required to enter the caller's details into our clinical systems accurately and in a timely manner.

All staff receive a comprehensive induction when they join the service, supporting you to develop skills appropriate to your new role.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Answering telephone calls in an efficient, courteous, professional and non-judgmental manner.

Acting as a point of contact for incoming referrals, communicating with all relevant personnel in the process.

Demonstrating the skills to professionally communicate information to service users and carers regarding personal, bio-psycho-social problems in an empathic and supportive way.

Ensuring all callers receive the correct response by following the appropriate service procedures.

Effectively managing callers’ expectations whilst providing correct and accurate information at all times.

Recording all data accurately and updating the electronic patient record accordingly, ensuring consistency with Trust policy.

Working as part of a team to provide the service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which will involve working unsocial hours and public holidays.

Identifying and developing skills, knowledge, information and accessing appropriate agreed training.

Please see the attached job description for full details.