Unit Administrator

Unit Administrator – St Patrick’s Hospital Lucan, Co. Dublin

Initial assignment after hours Reception/Admissions. Part time vacancy.

St Patrick’s Mental Health Services is seeking applications from suitably qualified candidates to fill a part‑time vacancy based in St Patrick’s Lucan.

Applications in the form of covering letter and Curriculum Vitae should be uploaded as one document by Friday, 14th November 2025. Applications should NOT be made to the email address provided below.

For informal enquiries please contact: Natasha Oliveira, Administration Manager – Tel: 01 2493 625 – Email: noliveira@stpatricks.ie

Job Description

About the Organisation

St Patrick's Mental Health Services (SPMHS) is Ireland's largest independent, not-for-profit mental health service. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality mental healthcare, to promoting mental health awareness, and to advocating for the rights of those experiencing mental health difficulties. We employ over 700 staff and are committed to developing our staff.

The Role

Unit Administrator – initial assignment after hours Reception/Admissions in St Patrick’s Hospital Lucan. The successful candidates will report to the Administration Manager and will be responsible to the Referral & Assessment Programme Manager (or their designate) in providing the service in the R&A unit.

The standard working fortnight applies to each post: an annual average of 18 hours per week.

Benefits

- A competitive salary range: €36,408 – €54,306, pro rata

- 25 days annual leave, pro rata

- Pension scheme

- Ongoing training

- Paid study leave and funding for further education

- Support for career advancement and professional development

- Subsidised canteen and onsite gym

- Bike to Work and TaxSaver Commuter Ticket schemes

Location

This position is based at St Patrick’s Hospital Lucan, incorporating St Patrick’s Hospital, James’s Street, Dublin 8, and all SPMHS Dean Clinics.

Responsibilities

Admissions (Referral and Assessment) Administrator

Part‑time admissions administrator (after hours, Saturdays and bank holiday evenings). Duties include:

- Acting as first point of contact for service users at the hospital and providing a service user ID on admission

- Checking that the service user is booked for admission in a timely manner

- Effectively completing all duties required as part of the admission process, including the electronic health record

- Taking a photo of the service user for the medical record on admission

- Ensuring a new medical record is created accurately

- Following up on any admission forms/photos missed the previous day (e.g., due to an out‑of‑hour/late admission)

- Working with clinical staff to ensure that all service users are seen by a nurse/doctor in a timely manner

- Locating any old notes for service user readmissions

- Calling the relevant medical secretary when service users without appointments want to see their consultants, and dealing with the service user appropriately thereafter

- Dealing with all internal and external queries and directing people within the hospital and the surrounding area as required

- Entering data onto the Referral & Assessment Databases and electronic health record, including information regarding insurance clearance and payments/excesses

- Informing all service users due for admission of any payments/excesses that they may have to make prior to the admission date

- Receiving payments in person or over the phone for any service within SPMHS and recording appropriately

- Receiving phone calls from referrers including GPs, external psychiatrists, other hospitals & SPMHS Staff

- Receiving phone calls from service users and relatives and providing appropriate information regarding the referral and admission process

- Maintaining the admissions emails and acting as required

- Logging all calls in relevant systems including a ‘Phone Enquiry Log’ sheet and other relevant systems as defined by policy

- Faxing/communicating through approved medium relevant Assessment Unit Referral Forms to referrers to ensure relevant background clinical information is received before admission assessment is scheduled

- Liaising with the R & A clinical team to ensure service users are booked into appropriate wards, re‑allocating as directed to accommodate emergency admissions

Receptionist

- Providing cover on reception

- Meeting and greeting service users and visitors

- Admitting service users to the hospital, within remit of role

- Answering all incoming calls and forwarding as appropriate and/or dealing with general queries

- Facilitating all outbound call requests from staff

- Assuming responsibility for duties related to the fire alarm/emergency alarms, including calling emergency services, activation of emergency test messages, operating the backup emergency system, and the patient absconding alarm

- Dealing with visitors and service user queries

- Facilitating use of laptop to log on solicitors and consultants on an out‑of‑hours basis

- Maintaining the master copy of the consultants duty rota, amending as required

- Completing all requested/required taxi bookings

- Sending swabs for testing and maintaining a log of the same

- Logging escort forms

- Looking after all incoming post and deliveries ensuring correct allocation

- Ensuring reception is neat and tidy throughout the day

- Ensuring all data compliance requirements are complied with throughout the day

- Undertaking any other administrative duties which may be assigned on an ad‑hoc basis

This job description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties. The person appointed may be required to perform other duties as appropriate and may be assigned specific targets in terms of tasks and revenue.

Person Specification

Qualifications and/or Experience

- Experience in being the first point of contact in a healthcare environment, preferably a mental health care environment

- Experience in Microsoft Office applications including Word and Excel

- Switchboard experience

- Knowledge of RIO or internal health system is desirable

Competencies / Skills

- Excellent communication/interpersonal skills

- Proven ability to prioritise and organise workload

- Confidential and discrete at all times

- Excellent telephone skills

- Clear & focused thinking

- Ability to work alone and assume responsibility within defined parameters

- Excellent attention to detail

- Flexible

- Empathetic

Terms and Conditions

Tenure: Part‑time 18 hours per week, permanent contract, pensionable as below.

Working Week

Admissions (R & A) Weekend Administrator – Hours of work Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 16:00–19:30 and Saturday 9:00–13:00. You may be required to cover a shift from 8:00–16:00 (Monday to Friday) if required, with notice given. Bank holiday Monday evenings may be required.

Salary

Salary is based on the Clerical Grade IV 2025 pay scale (€36,408 – €54,306) pro rata and is commensurate with experience.

Annual Leave

25 days, pro rata.

Pension

All pensionable staff become members of the pension scheme upon commencement. The scheme is a defined contribution scheme with a 4% contribution deduction from the salary. For internal appointments, existing pension arrangements will continue.

Probation

The appointee will be appointed in a probationary capacity for the first six months, with ongoing performance review. Extensions or suspensions will be in line with the EU Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions 2022.

Health

The appointee must be fully competent and capable of undertaking the duties attached to the position and be in a state of health indicating a reasonable prospect of regular and efficient service.

Character

The appointee must be of good character.

Retirement Age

Normal retirement age for employees is 66 years.

Equal Opportunity

St Patrick's Mental Health Services is an equal opportunities employer.

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