Administrative Supervisor/Secretary in Plymouth

Since 2018/19, the NHS has been implementing new mental health support teams (MHSTs) in schools and colleges across England. The 2025 Spending Review confirmed the government is expanding MHSTs to 100% of schools in England by 2029/30.

You will be an experienced administrator, with experience of Excel and PowerPoint, in particular. A polite and courteous telephone manner is a must, and you should be able to deal with queries efficiently, directing people to the appropriate practitioners or services, and providing the right information to them in a timely manner. You should be an excellent team player, able to deal with a variety of professionals.

Main duties of the job:

• To deliver an effective and competent level of administrative support and consistently deliver a client-focused service which promotes good customer service and effective working relationships.
• To be responsible for providing daily administrative support in the allocated service area ensuring business priorities are met, for example: maintaining records, minute-taking, data inputting, and reception duties.
• Typing of confidential reports/letters, which may be supplied via hard copy and/or dictation, as requested to meet service needs.
• Working proactively to support the team. Ability to work on your own and proactively as part of a team.
• To provide day-to-day supervision and line management of junior staff where appropriate.

The job description and person specification are an outline of the tasks, responsibilities, and outcomes required of the role. The job holder will need to be flexible to carry out any other duties as may be reasonably required by their line manager.

This role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route; please refer to the Direct Gov website for more information regarding eligibility.

Please note that Livewell may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline if a high number of applications are submitted. Therefore, we recommend you submit your application at the earliest opportunity. All staff are expected to be able and willing to work across a 7-day service.

About us:

Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning social enterprise delivering integrated health and social care services across Plymouth, South Hams, and West Devon, with specialist services in parts of Devon and Cornwall. Our teams work in community hospitals, GP practices, sports centres, and health hubs. As an organisation with a strong social conscience, we are guided by our values: kindness, respect, inclusivity, ambition, responsibility, and collaboration. We focus on transforming services to ensure sustainability while empowering staff and those we serve.

We involve the people we care for, along with their families and carers, in shaping the care they receive, striving to deliver the right care at the right time and place. Centreing our work on individual needs helps people lead healthy, independent lives. We prioritise employees' development, offering protected CPD time, training pathways, leadership programs, and funding for qualifications like the Care Certificate and Nurse Training Scholarships. Our induction and preceptorship programs ensure a smooth transition into our organisation.

Livewell Southwest values diversity and encourages applications from all sections of the community, including those with armed forces experience, lived experience of mental health, neuro-diverse conditions, and learning disabilities. If you need assistance or reasonable adjustments during the application process, contact the Recruiting Manager listed in the job advert.

Job responsibilities:

• Provide support to customer and visitor reception areas, acting as the first point of enquiry and signposting individuals to relevant information/service.
• Promote the image of the department, checking that notices and leaflets are up to date and well presented.
• Support the management team to ensure that internal and external communication systems are in place.
• Ensure that all complaints, compliments, concerns, comments, and suggestions are appropriately recorded, and where possible resolved within the level of role or escalated appropriately, supporting junior staff where necessary.
• Respond to telephone, email, and written queries on behalf of the service area including call handling where appropriate as agreed with the line manager.
• Arrange appointments, meetings, and events on behalf of the service, making bookings where necessary and ensuring all equipment and documentation is available, in conjunction with the line manager where required.
• To produce informal and formal minutes as an accurate record of meetings.

Person Specification:

• Educated to NVQ 3 in a relevant subject or equivalent level of qualifications or significant equivalent previous experience and knowledge.
• NVQ 3 in Business Administration or equivalent.
• Substantial experience of working in an administrative environment using computerised data systems.
• Experience of supervising other staff members.
• Experience of working in a health or social care office environment.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office including Word and Excel.
• Understanding of confidentiality & data protection act.
• Able to build effective working relationships with customers and colleagues/staff.
• Knowledge of SystmOne.
• Understanding of Data Protection legislation.
• Understanding of healthcare services and national requirements in inpatient and outpatient booking systems.
• Good writing, typing, data entry, and telephone skills ensuring accuracy.
• Ability to communicate verbally and in writing to a good level (face to face and over the telephone).
• Ability to prioritise own workload.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team.
• Ability to use initiative organising own workload to set deadlines within the scope of the role.
• Organised, efficient, and accurate.
• Flexible and adaptable, willing to learn new skills.
• Able to analyse problems and initiate appropriate solutions effectively.
• Able to apply tact and sensitivity to establish trust and support.

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.