Clerical Officer

NHS AfC: Band 2

Main area
Administration

Grade
NHS AfC: Band 2

Contract
Permanent

Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Shift pattern covers 7 days per week including nights, weekend and bank holidays)

Job ref
435-1LSC-ELHT-043-25-A

Site
Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital

Town
Blackburn

Salary
£24,465 per annum

Salary period
Yearly

Closing
23/10/2025 23:59

At East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust our vision is to be widely recognised for providing safe, personal and effective care. We currently provide high quality services and treat over 600,000 people across East Lancashire and the surrounding area. We employ over 9,500 staff, many of whom are internationally renowned and have won awards for their work.

One LSC is a new collaborative partnership shared service formed by the five NHS Trusts serving the Lancashire and South Cumbria population of 1.8 million people. We are a shared service run by the NHS, for the NHS and are hosted by East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust on behalf of the partner Trusts of the Lancashire and South Cumbria system.

One LSC stands for 'One Lancashire and South Cumbria' and reflects the Lancashire and South Cumbria System ambition to have one team serving Lancashire and South Cumbria in a joined-up way. It is jointly run by the five Trusts as a collaborative partnership.

The Trusts that make up One LSC are:

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

· East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust

· Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

· Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

· University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust

One LSC brings together the Digital, Data and Technology, Estates and Facilities, Finance, People Services and Procurement and Logistics services from each of the provider Trusts to create one central community of professionals. Under one leadership team, they will provide services for and on behalf of all Trusts.

The aim is to bring services more closely together so that we can deliver the best service possible to each of our partner organisations. At the core of One LSC delivery is eliminating duplication, removing unwarranted variation, realisation of the benefits of sharing common systems and processes and ensuring we deliver value for money for our partners, our system and, ultimately, for the communities we serve.

Job overview

The Telecoms facet of General Administration is based in a busy and fast paced environment where internal and external calls to East Lancashire Hospitals Trust are managed to ensure an effective service is given to all callers. As well as dealing with internal and external calls, the role includes calls to emergency teams based across the Trust and external emergency services. The work involves contacting out of hours or on-call staff with requests to attend patients or to deal with hospital related issues. Duties will include participating in other general administrative work streams within the General Administration Service.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for an enthusiastic, motivated person who is prepared to work to a shift pattern that includes bank holidays, evenings, nights and weekends. Lone working is an integral part of the job and at times will include working overnight from 9pm to 8am.

The ability to demonstrate flexibility is of high importance as the post-holder may be asked to change shift or provide cover at short notice to meet the needs of the department.

An ability to communicate effectively with other team members, service users, internal departments and outside agencies is essential to ensure that all enquiries and urgent matters are dealt with politely, efficiently and in accordance with the Data Protection Act.

Previous telephone experience is essential as is the ability to work both in a team and unsupervised. Knowledge of Windows based applications is essential for this post.

Working for our organisation

The team is made up of professional, conscientious, caring and reliable staff.

Weekend, bank holiday, unsociable and night allowances are extra to the basic salary.

The service prides itself on its high standard of customer service and full training in all aspects of the job will be given.

Please note, although this role is being advertised by East Lancashire Hospitals Trust, it will transfer to OneLSC a Corporate Collaboration hosted by East Lancashire Hospitals Trust on 1.11.24. There are no plans to change the location of the role.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will be responsible for providing confidential, accurate and efficient clerical and administrative support under the supervision of the Assistant to the Deputy General Administration Manager.

• Support all services allied to Telecommunication requirements
• Maintain the confidentiality of the working environment
• Maintain systems that assist and support service users in the performance of their duties
• Ability to work flexibly with other admin colleagues to ensure that workload pressures and absences due to annual leave and sickness are dealt with appropriately by using available resources
• Assist in the implementation of any database in use including inputting and extracting data in line with departmental/Trust/national procedures
• Maintain filing systems as agreed with the line manager and in line with Trust policies
• Assist in providing full clerical/secretarial support including typing of letters, memos, note taking and other routine correspondence, which involves working to tight timescales and deadlines. Taking and making telephone calls, dealing with enquiries, photocopying and filing
• The post holder will be guided by the Assistant to the Deputy General Administration Manager but is expected to have a degree of autonomy working to SOPs and LOPs and agreed good practice
• Updating training records
• Deal with routine correspondence from both internal and external sources
• Receive and action tasks from the administration mailbox
• Any other duties which may be required by the manager appropriate to the band
• Working with colleagues in the team on the development of current and new services and other initiatives
• To meet the needs of the organisation you may also be required to provide cover in other areas following appropriate discussion
• Communicate effectively with other team members and service users
• Liaise with internal departments, outside agencies, ensuring that all enquiries are dealt with effectively
• Communicate and liaise with other internal Trust departments and individuals through a range of interpersonal and IT media
• Participate in regular team updates e.g. team brief, team engagement sessions and regular 121 meetings
• Provide cover for colleagues during their absence.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• GCSE English and Maths, grade C or above or grade 9-4 or equivalent qualification in English and Maths.
• NVQ 2 or equivalent qualification/experience

Desirable criteria

• ECDL or equivalent qualification

Experience

Essential criteria

• Customer care experience
• Significant administration experience
• Basic computer experience

Desirable criteria

• Previous NHS admin/office experience
• Significant experience in note-taking
• Experience in dealing with confidential information

Knowledge and Skills

Essential criteria

• Experience of Microsoft Office packages
• Good typing skills
• Communication skills
• Liaison skills
• Organisational skills
• Prioritise work loads

Personal Attributes

Essential criteria

• Flexible
• Team worker
• Adapt to change
• Clear verbal communications
• Professional approach to work, in attitude, work ethic and dress code
• Self disciplined and motivated

Dear Potential Applicant,

It is important you are made aware of the following as regards your application to East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust

• Please note that the salary advertised is for full time hours. If this post is less than 37.5 hours per week, the salary will be pro-rata. For posts on Agenda for Change pay-scales, new entrants to the NHS will normally commence on the first pay point of the relevant band.
• This vacancy may close before the closing date if the recruiting manager deems sufficient applications have been received. Therefore it is advised to complete your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.**
• Please ensure you check the email account from which you apply regularly as we will use this to contact you regarding your application.
  *Please note that shortlisting is completed anonymously with candidates being assessed against the essential criteria for the post.Therefore only applicants, who can clearly demonstrate how they meet our person specification criteria in their application, will be short-listed.

Disclosure and Barring Scheme (DBS)

If the role you are applying for is identified as either controlled or regulated activity as defined in in the Safeguarding vulnerable Groups Act (2006) any offer of employment is provisional upon a satisfactory DBS check being obtained.

The healthcare sector is exempted from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

In line with other NHS organisations in the North West Region, the Trust is now passing the charge for undertaking a DBS check on to candidates in the event they are successfully appointed into the post for which they have applied. Candidates can choose whether to pay this over 1-3 months as a deduction from the monthly salary. However, if you are applying for a post as a BANK worker, the payment must be made in full at the time of employment checks. By applying for this vacancy you are agreeing to this undertaking in the event you are successfully appointed.

The cost of an Enhanced Disclosure will be £55.38 and for a Standard Disclosure will be £27.38.

This cost is not applicable for a Volunteer post

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The Trust is an equal opportunities employer, committed to improving the working lives of our staff and operates a 'Zero Tolerance' policy to aggression, violence, bullying and harassment. In addition, our aim is to help protect children and vulnerable adults by providing a first-class service to the recruitment of people into positions of trust.

We aim to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve.

We welcome applications from everyone irrespective of ethnic origin, gender, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, disability or social background.

We especially welcome applications from members of our black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, as we have identified that ELHT has an under-representation of BAME employees. Appointments will be made on merit.

Applicants who have a disability and meet the essential criteria for the job will be interviewed if you indicate you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme.

If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process please make the recruitment services team aware as soon as possible. By telephone 01254 732075 or email or write to Employment Services, Parkview Offices, Haslingden Road, Blackburn, BB2 3HH

Thanks for taking the time to view this advert; we look forward to receiving your application.

Please be aware that this vacancy may close earlier than the published date if sufficient applications are received. It is, therefore, recommended that you apply as soon as you can.

We will contact you by e-mail to update you on the progress of your application, so please check the e-mail account that you applied from regularly (including spam/junk).

The Trust is an equal opportunities employer, is committed to improving the working lives of its colleagues and operates a 'Zero Tolerance' policy on aggression, violence, bullying and harassment.

As a recruitment service, our aim is to help protect children and vulnerable adults by providing a first-class service in recruiting people into positions of trust.

It is important to us that we employ a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone - irrespective of ethnic origin, gender, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, disability or social background.

We especially welcome applications from members of our black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, as we have identified that as an employer we are under-representation of BAME employees. Appointments will be made on merit.

We recognise that the recruitment process may present barriers for some and you may need personal adjustments to enable you to participate in our recruitment process. Please make contact with the recruitment team at the earliest opportunity to ensure that measures can be put in place to enable you to apply for this post.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when writing job applications

If you choose to use AI or other tools to assist in writing your application, it's essential to personalise this information, particularly your supporting information section. While AI can help streamline the writing process, these tools cannot fully grasp the context or requirements of the job you're applying for. There is also a risk that it can generate false or misleading information.

AI-generated job applications can often be generic, impersonal and may not accurately reflect your qualifications, knowledge, skills, and experiences. It is crucial that you personalise your supporting statement by articulating these in your unique voice. Relying solely on AI to write your application or supporting information section is not advocated by East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust and could negatively impact on your chances of success in the application process.

We have added a disclaimer to our application process advising that the use of AI is monitored and if applicants have used it then they are required to declare this.

Supporting Information

The supporting information section is an opportunity for you to showcase how your qualifications, knowledge, skills and experience align with the requirements and criteria outlined in the job description and person specification.

Recruiting managers score applications based on the criteria listed in the person specification. They will be looking for evidence of how you meet these criteria. To increase your chances of securing an interview, please provide examples of how you have applied your skills and knowledge in real-life situations. Share work-related successes and challenges you have navigated that align with the criteria. These could be from various aspects of your life, including work, education, and personal experiences.

Consider structuring your supporting information section with clear headings or bullet points. This approach will help both you and the recruiting manager navigate through your application more effectively.

Young People

Please note: a young person must be in part-time education or training until they're 18. If you are under 18 we are unable to employ you on a full time basis, unless it is in an apprenticeship role.

Disclosure and Barring Service checks

If the role you've applied for requires a Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) check we will administer this on your behalf and the cost will be recovered from your salary, either as a one-off payment, or over 3 months. The level of check required depends on the role that you have been offered. Currently the charges are - Basic DBS check £26.40, Standard DBS check £26.40, Enhanced DBS check £54.40 and Enhanced DBS check with Barred List(s) £54.40. You should be aware that if you are successful in obtaining a position that requires a DBS check but later withdraw your application, you may be required to reimburse the cost of the DBS check. DBS checks remain free of charge for volunteer positions. The DBS Code of Practice can be accessed here.

In line with guidance from United Kingdom Health Security Agency, all staff and volunteers are required to comply with Trust Infection Prevention and Control processes in relation to safe working.

NO UNSOLICITED ADVERTISING COMPANY APPROACHES

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Documents to download

• Job Description and Person Specification (PDF, 400.4KB)
• Privacy Notice (PDF, 305.1KB)
• Benefits of working at ELHT (PDF, 1.2MB)
• Additional Candidate information 2024 (PDF, 408.6KB)

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Lee Lomax

Job title
Assistant Deputy General Administration Manager

Email address

Telephone number
01254 733062