Assisted Technology Emergency Response Officer

About the job

We're determined to make Islington fairer. To create a place where everyone, whatever their background, has the opportunity to reach their potential and enjoy a good quality of life. We also have an ambitious goal to be the best council in the country with every employee clear about the part they play and inspired, focused and supported to give their very best.

Our values and behaviours: Be Islington is about setting a clear challenge about what it means to be an Islington employee and sets the standard for every new recruit. We ask our employees to Be Islington playing their part in working together for a fairer borough and to always be collaborative, be ambitious, be resourceful, and be empowering (CARE).

Key responsibilities

• Our aspiration is to create a service which mainstreams Assistive Technology and encourages our practitioners to consider it as part of the first offer; supporting Islington residents to live more independent lives within their own homes.
• The core vision of the Assisted Technology Emergency Response Officers will be to deliver an early intervention and prevention offer which puts service users at the centre of every step of the journey, from referral through to installation, monitoring and response.
• The service model is a home-based assessment and installation in one visit (co-ordinated with social care, and where appropriate, health practitioners), in order to observe issues of concern in the home that may pose risks which were not identified as part of the original referral.
• The aim of the service is to maximise the choice and control for the service user and ensure that care practitioners remain responsible for their professional social care assessment of risk and specifying the desired outcome.
• The Assisted Technology Emergency Response Officers will administer referrals and carry out home assessments and installations ensuring residents are at the heart of everything we do.
• Build strong working relationships with colleagues, Adult Social Care, service referrers and health practitioners in order to gain their full involvement in all stages of service delivery using strong interpersonal skills in order to negotiate and influence priorities and also to resolve conflicts where necessary.
• Work in a consultative manner with multiple stakeholder groups, internal and external to the organisation.

Principal accountabilities

• Create and maintain a high performance culture with a focus on quality and strengths based approach conversations throughout the promotion of the Assisted Technology triage approach.
• Adhere to all appropriate corporate and local policies required while employed by Islington Council/Access Islington.
• Work productively and collaboratively with other Assisted Technology Team colleagues to ensure that performance is optimised and meets the needs of the local people, families and communities.
• Attend, fully partake and contribute to meetings relating to operational delivery of the Assisted Technology Team.
• Providing advice and guidance on the range of services and processes delivered by the Assisted Technology Team.
• Conduct personalised and holistic in the home Assistive Technology assessments and equipment installations as outlined in the service operating procedure.
• Ensure that Assistive Technology assessments are person-centred and based on the needs and desired outcomes of the resident.
• Use all available information on the needs of the person (referral form, environment, views of the user and family) to make informed, professional decisions about the most appropriate Assistive Technology solutions to achieve the desired outcomes.
• Work with social workers, occupational therapists and other relevant professionals to ensure that all relevant information is considered to ensure the most appropriate Assistive Technology solutions are installed.
• Record and report the outcomes of assessments through the appropriate systems.

Referrals

• Take responsibility for the day to day administration of the Assistive Technology Front-Desk, receiving referrals, assessing for appropriateness, reviewing and processing.
• Support referrers to make high quality referrals for Assistive Technology.
• Be responsible for receiving and rapidly resolving service queries from service users, Care Managers, other professionals and external agencies in an efficient and effective manner.
• Ensure that enquiries are dealt with efficiently and effectively in line with contract requirements ensuring more complex matters are discussed with the Team Manager.
• Maintain up to date within operational systems, ensuring all required data is added into the appropriate systems in an accurate and timely fashion.

Responsibilities

• Provide a wide range of services that supports the Out of Hours telephone service and the processing of emails and eforms that meet the needs of stakeholders and the diverse local community.
• Deal with complex enquiries and be sensitive to the needs of different resident groups, ensuring rapid and appropriate responses for residents who may be distressed, irate and aggressive, and including those with special needs.
• Make real time decisions in emergency situations that could affect the well-being of a resident.
• Multi-task in liaising with emergency services and internal parties in the event of any emergency whilst ensuring the services continues to run as normal.
• Safely drive a car to incidents, emergency response call outs and routine visits safely.
• Use the information and communication technology systems to provide high quality services and accurate advice and ensure all residents details are recorded accurately.
• Comply with the councils policies and procedures and ensure the confidentiality of customer information.
• Be an effective and productive team member contributing to meetings, team building and continuous improvement.
• Contribute to reviews of working practices and readily adopt new ways of working.
• Work shift patterns within designated operational hours including evening and weekends, public holidays and bank holiday working.
• Be readily identifiable as a council employee and comply at all times with the dress code and to wear the uniform provided.
• Encourage service users to use all the facilities provided in the service and assist them in accessing information and services.
• Ensure that service delays are effectively monitored and customer waiting times meet set performance standards.
• Support the Assisted Technology Team Leaders in the control and security of the key holding system for service users as well as that for communal keys, ensuring the issue and return of such keys is accurately recorded and that all keys are regularly audited.
• Keep up to date with changes to council and local policies affecting your role.
• Keep up to date with changes to processes, procedures or legislation affecting the services we deliver to customers and stakeholders.
• Keep up to date with current developments Locally and Nationally affecting the delivery of the service.
• Undertake other duties commensurate to the grade of the post.
• Deputise for the Assisted Technology Team Leader.

General

• Achieve agreed service outcomes and outputs, and personal appraisal targets, as agreed by the line manager.
• Undertake training and constructively take part in meetings, supervision, seminars and other events designed to improve communication and assist with the effective development of the post and post holder.
• Carry out duties and responsibilities in accordance with the councils commitment to customer service excellence and ensure compliance with the customer care standards.
• Be committed to the Councils core values of public service, quality, equality and empowerment and to demonstrate this commitment in the way duties are carried out.
• Ensure that duties are undertaken with due regard and compliance with the Data Protection Act and other legislation.
• Carry out duties and responsibilities in accordance with the Councils Health and Safety Policy and relevant Health and Safety legislation.
• At all times to carry out responsibilities/duties within the framework of the Council's Dignity for all Policy. (Equal Opportunities Policy).

Work style

• Office-Based and external visits to residents homes and service users establishments.
• Work shift patterns.
• Comply at all times with the dress code and to wear the uniform provided.

Person specification

• Experience and commitment to delivering high quality customer service in a complex organisation either face to face or over the telephone.
• Experience of working with a diverse community in a customer focused environment.
• Ability to make decisions, multi-task and act quickly, and calmly to address emergency situations impacting on residents and/or the service performance.
• Able and willing to be flexible and responsive in relation to working times, patterns and locations.
• Ability to communicate appropriately and effectively clarity both orally and in writing.
• To be able to work unsupervised and on own initiative with accuracy and attention to detail.
• Experience of dealing with more complex enquiries and work as a productive member of a team.
• Ability to deal with distressed, irate and aggressive members of the public in a sympathetic and tactful manner.
• Knowledge of the services systems as well as those of Adult Social Services, other partners and stakeholders.
• Ability to install and maintain Assisted Technology equipment in service users homes.
• Ability to adapt to new ways of working and pursue personal development opportunities.
• Ability to understand and apply the principles and requirements of the TSA code of practice.
• Ability to set and maintain high personal standards of performance and conduct.
• Demonstrates high levels of self-reliance and can build strong, productive and professional relationships with service users, colleagues and stakeholders.
• Ability to access, interpret and communicate complex information across a range of disciplines, including that received directly from Adult Social Services, RSLs and other key stakeholders.
• Update operational systems, ensuring all required data is added into the appropriate systems in an accurate and timely fashion.
• Ability to lead by example in setting and maintaining high personal standards of performance and conduct.
• Comfortable in the use of a wide range of IT systems and a positive attitude towards the use of new and emerging technology.
• Ability to deputise, as required, for Team Leader and associated duties.

Special Requirements:

• This post requires an enhanced level of Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) Disclosure.
• Clean driving licence. To be able safely drive a car to incidents, emergency response call outs and routine visits safely.