Job summary
This position is for a Switchboard Night Operator working Friday, Saturday & Sunday nights.
The role within the switchboard office is varied, our priority is answering the telephone calls, in March we answered 28,413 calls and in April 25,559, the calls come into the switchboard via different lines and are answered in the following order, The Emergency Calls, The Emergency Communication Calls, The GP Calls, the External Calls, The Internal Calls and each operator has their own internal extension,
We are responsible for all the emergency calls that are made to the switchboard, these are usually via a 2222 call, these include Maternity Emergencies, Paediatric Emergencies, Cardiac Arrests, Stroke Alerts, Stroke Thrombolysis , Massive Blood Loss , Traumas and RPIs. In April we took 395 Emergency Calls and in May 401 Emergency Calls. On many occasions these emergencies calls are not straight forward and we have to use our initiative to get a good outcome.
We have built up a good working relationship with consultants and hospital management over the years especially out of hours when communication changes, out of hours requires a different approach, we are the gate keeper, when we are contacting people through the night we have to ensure each call is managed correctly/homeworking for the trust as this gives staff a good work-life balance, stability & security of working for a big organisation
The switchboard office covers 24-hour period 7 days a week
Main duties of the job
We are responsible for all
calls to the Fire Brigade and Police.
We are responsible for
cascading the on- call Rotas for all departments within the trust, we check
these rotas on a daily basis and transfer this information onto our Doctors
Board and issue a daily on call list to various individuals across the trust.
We are responsible for the
booking of contract taxis, these can be to take a patient home, to take
patients medication or belongings home if they have been discharged without
them, to transfer pathology samples to
other hospitals, to transfer staff who are working at other trusts or
collecting staff who have gone an a transfer with a patient to another
hospital, we also book the contract taxis for the psychic liaison team for
patients who are being discharged from A & E
Out of hours we are
responsible for the Accommodation, we hold the keys for staff to collect who
have booked to stay and issue spare keys for any staff needing to stay in an
emergency. We also deal with any emergencies they have out of hours.
We are responsible for issuing
Trust Medic Bleep Mobile Phones and the Amcom Bleeps
We are responsible for issuing
Radios to the on- call teams in the event of switchboard or bleep system
failure
About us
#BeKnown
at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. By us. By our patients. By our community
Were
a busy, friendly, rural NHS Trust providing high-quality care and compassion to
more than a quarter of a million people across west Suffolk. We care for,
treat and support people in hospital, at home and in various community
settings.
The
West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds provides acute and secondary care
services (emergency department, maternity and neonatal services, day surgery
unit, eye treatment centre, Macmillan unit and childrens ward). It has 500+
beds and is a partner teaching hospital of the University of Cambridge.
Adult
and paediatric community services, provided in collaboration with West Suffolk
Alliance partners, include a range of nursing, therapy, specialist, and ongoing
temporary care and rehabilitation, some at our Newmarket Community Hospital.
We
do our utmost to achieve outstanding clinical outcomes for patients and our
values of fairness, inclusivity, respect, safety and team work guide how we
work and behave as a team.
With
nearly 5,000 staff, from all over the world, we strive to make our organisation
a great place to work. Whatever your role or ambition, we want to help you be
the best you can be.
We
promote a diverse and inclusive community where everyones voice counts and you
can #BeKnown for whoever you are.
Join
us. What will you #BeKnown for?
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see job description for full details.
Communication
and Team Working
Taking part in the telephonists rota to maintain continuous 24 hour
cover on the switchboard at the West Suffolk Hospital.
Act as the first point of contact for both West Suffolk NHS Foundation
Trust and Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (formerly Suffolk Mental
Health Partnership), for all day to day queries, and out of hours procedures.
To operate and route calls for Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
both at the West Suffolk Hospital site and at the Hospital Road site.
To operate and access computerised patient information system (HISS) to
ensure correct routing of calls to patient from friends/family members.
To have a close awareness of departments including their functions and
services so as to effectively route calls and communicate information. Includes awareness of medical phrases and
conditions, and of clinic times and staff availability.
Co-ordinate and participate in all on-site, and off-site on-call
procedures, including the updating of the Medical Staffing On-Call Rota board.
To notify personnel on receipt of incoming faxes and to assist in
(re)transmitting faxes when required
Planning and
Organising
To arrange signing for
keys.
Liaise with staff for
accommodation including signing of contracts, issue and receipt of room
keys. Provide basic induction regarding on
site services, hours of access to hospital, library, bus routes, and local
services such as banks, taxis, and laundry services.
Participate in the testing
and monitoring of staff response to call-out procedures e.g. Cardiac Bleep,
Major Incident and Area tests etc.
First point of contact for
any emergency, such as cardiac arrest, fire, panic alarms, boiler and medical
gas alarms, all building services alarms and MAJAX. Co-ordinate response teams and pass
information accurately and in a timely manner.
Follow all documented out
of hours procedures in response to all automated and staff generated requests.
To report faults in the telephone
and paging systems and alarms connected in the department.
To record and report
necessary changes in switchboard records for update by Team Leader.
To record private call
usage and requests for taxi services made through the hospital switchboard.
To convey any complaints
arising regarding the telephone service to the appropriate source as necessary.
Maintain a clean working
environment, including cleaning of equipment.
Managing
People and Resources
Issue long range pagers, bleeps and batteries, and reprogram bleeps.
Provide instruction on the use of pager and bleep equipment.
Accept deliveries of any and all items 24 hours a day, and arrange their
delivery onward within the organisation.
Training and Teaching
Training of new switchboard staff on hospital and departmental
procedures.
Training staff in use of internal bleeps, long range pagers, telephone
features (diverts, camp and conference calls) etc.
Undertake all mandatory and other appropriate training and development
courses as identified, in order to provide a high quality service.
To participate in appraisal and personal development scheme.
To comply with all Trust policies and procedures.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see job description for full details.
Communication
and Team Working
Taking part in the telephonists rota to maintain continuous 24 hour
cover on the switchboard at the West Suffolk Hospital.
Act as the first point of contact for both West Suffolk NHS Foundation
Trust and Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (formerly Suffolk Mental
Health Partnership), for all day to day queries, and out of hours procedures.
To operate and route calls for Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
both at the West Suffolk Hospital site and at the Hospital Road site.
To operate and access computerised patient information system (HISS) to
ensure correct routing of calls to patient from friends/family members.
To have a close awareness of departments including their functions and
services so as to effectively route calls and communicate information. Includes awareness of medical phrases and
conditions, and of clinic times and staff availability.
Co-ordinate and participate in all on-site, and off-site on-call
procedures, including the updating of the Medical Staffing On-Call Rota board.
To notify personnel on receipt of incoming faxes and to assist in
(re)transmitting faxes when required
Planning and
Organising
To arrange signing for
keys.
Liaise with staff for
accommodation including signing of contracts, issue and receipt of room
keys. Provide basic induction regarding on
site services, hours of access to hospital, library, bus routes, and local
services such as banks, taxis, and laundry services.
Participate in the testing
and monitoring of staff response to call-out procedures e.g. Cardiac Bleep,
Major Incident and Area tests etc.
First point of contact for
any emergency, such as cardiac arrest, fire, panic alarms, boiler and medical
gas alarms, all building services alarms and MAJAX. Co-ordinate response teams and pass
information accurately and in a timely manner.
Follow all documented out
of hours procedures in response to all automated and staff generated requests.
To report faults in the telephone
and paging systems and alarms connected in the department.
To record and report
necessary changes in switchboard records for update by Team Leader.
To record private call
usage and requests for taxi services made through the hospital switchboard.
To convey any complaints
arising regarding the telephone service to the appropriate source as necessary.
Maintain a clean working
environment, including cleaning of equipment.
Managing
People and Resources
Issue long range pagers, bleeps and batteries, and reprogram bleeps.
Provide instruction on the use of pager and bleep equipment.
Accept deliveries of any and all items 24 hours a day, and arrange their
delivery onward within the organisation.
Training and Teaching
Training of new switchboard staff on hospital and departmental
procedures.
Training staff in use of internal bleeps, long range pagers, telephone
features (diverts, camp and conference calls) etc.
Undertake all mandatory and other appropriate training and development
courses as identified, in order to provide a high quality service.
To participate in appraisal and personal development scheme.
To comply with all Trust policies and procedures.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- GCSE at A-C (or equivalent) qualifications
- Basic skills in literacy and numeracy.
- NVQ in Customer Services, or willing to work towards.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working within a customer service role/environment.
Desirable
- Experience of working in a switchboard environment.
- Experience of working in an acute hospital environment.
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Good communication skills with the ability to develop effective working relationships throughout the organisation
- Good organisational skills and the ability to address and develop solutions to problems
- Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team.
- Evidence of good written and verbal communication skills.
- Able to follow written instructions and procedures
- Good attention to detail.
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Ability to work alone, unsupervised, whilst remaining able to prioritise conflicting demands.
- Ability to cope with demanding and pressured situations.
- Flexible approach to working hours and duties
- Dedication and commitment to the team.
- Customer focused with a pleasant telephone manner.
- Approachable and tactful.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- GCSE at A-C (or equivalent) qualifications
- Basic skills in literacy and numeracy.
- NVQ in Customer Services, or willing to work towards.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working within a customer service role/environment.
Desirable
- Experience of working in a switchboard environment.
- Experience of working in an acute hospital environment.
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Good communication skills with the ability to develop effective working relationships throughout the organisation
- Good organisational skills and the ability to address and develop solutions to problems
- Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team.
- Evidence of good written and verbal communication skills.
- Able to follow written instructions and procedures
- Good attention to detail.
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Ability to work alone, unsupervised, whilst remaining able to prioritise conflicting demands.
- Ability to cope with demanding and pressured situations.
- Flexible approach to working hours and duties
- Dedication and commitment to the team.
- Customer focused with a pleasant telephone manner.
- Approachable and tactful.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.
Employer details
Employer name
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
Address
West Suffolk Hospitals Nhs Trust
Hardwick Lane
Bury St. Edmunds
Suffolk
IP332QZ
Employer's website
https://www.wsh.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)
