Senior Call Handler

Senior Call Handler

Band 4

Main area

Call Handler

Grade

Band 4

Contract

Permanent

Hours

• Full time
• Part time

37.5 hours per week

Job ref

246-CEN8223838

Site

County Hall

Town

Norwich

Salary

£28,392 - £31,157 gross per annum (pro rata)

Salary period

Yearly

Closing

30/08/2026 23:59

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust provides child and adult mental health services, learning disability, wellbeing, older people's and eating disorder services across Norfolk and Suffolk.

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and want to reflect the diversity of our local communities within our teams. We welcome applications from all talented individuals with the relevant qualifications, skills, knowledge and experience.

Please note due to the nature of our roles and patient demographic, you will be required to undertake physical intervention training and remain trained, as required by your role.

Job overview

Are you passionate about making a difference to people experiencing mental health distress? The Initial Response Service (IRS) is seeking experienced and compassionate Senior call handlers to join our team.

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role within a developing service, acting as an experienced first point of contact for people accessing mental health support across Norfolk and Suffolk.

As a Senior Call Handler, you will manage complex and sensitive enquiries, support safe and timely access to services, and provide day-to-day guidance and support to colleagues, helping to maintain high standards of care and customer service.

You will join a supportive team environment that values compassion, learning, and professional development, with opportunities to help shape and influence the future of the Initial Response Service.

This role is ideally suited to individuals with strong communication skills, experience of handling complex situations, and a commitment to delivering high-quality, person-centred services for patients, carers, and partner organisations.

Main duties of the job

• Receive, assess and manage complex, sensitive and high-risk enquiries and referrals received through the Initial Response Service.
• Act as the first point of contact for Band 3 Call Handlers, providing advice, guidance and support in managing challenging situations.
• Ensure referrals are accurately recorded, prioritised and routed in line with agreed pathways and service standards.
• Support the coordination and scheduling of appointments and onward referrals across mental health services.
• Provide information and signposting to service users, carers and professionals regarding local statutory and voluntary sector services.
• Supervise, support and help develop Band 3 Call Handlers through coaching, induction support and sharing best practice.
• Maintain effective communication with multi-disciplinary teams, partner agencies and external professionals to support safe and timely care.
• Contribute to service quality improvement, audits, performance monitoring and the ongoing development of the Initial Response Service.
• Promote a positive, supportive and inclusive team culture, ensuring Trust values are embedded in everyday practice.

Working for our organisation

At Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, inclusion is at the heart of how we work. We are committed to creating a fair, transparent and accessible recruitment process where every candidate has the opportunity to succeed.

We actively encourage applications from people from all backgrounds, particularly those currently underrepresented in our workforce, including those from the global majority. We recognise that not everyone has equal access to opportunities and are working to address this.

We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process and ensuring all candidates receive a positive and equitable experience.

Here at NSFT we pride ourselves on being a welcoming, talented, friendly and supportive team who like nothing better than sharing experiences and learning from each other. In addition to ongoing training and development opportunities, we are committed to providing an environment in which you can thrive.

Why work for us? We have challenges as a Trust, but we have ambitious aspirations, are pushing ahead with exciting transformation work and we need dedicated individuals to support us on our journey. We have strong, established professional networks coupled with an exceptional leadership team who will ensure you are truly cared for and cared about.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Some of the benefits you can expect:

• NHS pension
• a comprehensive in house & external training programmes
• career progression
• starting annual leave of 27 days per annum increasing to 33 days pa based on length of service (plus paid bank holidays)
• staff physio service
• NHS discounts and many more.

Please visit our Facebook and Twitter page @NSFTjobs

Interviews are yet to be confirmed, and candidates may only be given a minimum of 3 days’ notice. You will be contacted via email and invited to book a time. These emails may go to your SPAM, so please keep checking all your emails if applying.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• NVQ Level 4 in Business Administration, Customer Service or Leadership or equivalent experience
• Demonstrable commitment to continuous personal development

Experience

Essential criteria

• Demonstrable success of achieving performance targets both individually and as part of a team

Desirable criteria

• Experience in a mental health or healthcare call handling environment
• Experience supporting staff development or training
• Experience of supervising or mentoring staff

Skills

Essential criteria

• Ability to handle sensitive, complex and distressing conversations
• Ability to act as a first-line escalation point
• Strong analytical and decision-making skills

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of NHS systems and referral pathways

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Knowledge and understanding of leadership skills
• Knowledge of a range of administrative procedures and practice underpinned by relevant theory

Please be aware that, due to the high number of applications for certain roles, this vacancy may close earlier than the advertised closing date. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible.

YOUR APPLICATION

We can provide all our job application materials in alternative formats so that these are accessible to everyone. Should you require any documents within this job pack in an alternative format, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

PLEASE NOTE: If you use a hotmail, msn or yahoo e-mail account, you will need to check your "junk" mail regularly as these email providers will divert any communication from this Trust/NHS JOBS straight into your " junk" inbox.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES Apart from its legal duties in relation to equality and diversity, the Trust recognises and actively promotes the benefits of a diverse workforce and is committed to treating all employees with dignity and respect regardless of race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief.

As a part of the Disability Confident Employer Guaranteed Interview Scheme we interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job vacancy (outlined in the Person Specification).. We encourage you to indicate your eligibility through TRAC jobs when applying.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post may be 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.

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Further details / informal visits contact

Name

Susie Moore

Job title

Clinical Team Leader

Email address

[email protected]