Switchboard Operator - Peterborough

Have you considered applying your people skills to build a career in customer service?

Our switchboard team is offering you a major opportunity to join the team and build a career as a Switchboard Operator based at Peterborough City Hospital.

You will be a valuable members of a friendly and supportive well-established team of telephonists providing services to the Trust members and the general public 365 days, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Together with your team, you will provide an essential service to the Trust in ensuring the smooth running of the operation of our hospitals by providing an efficient call handling service, answering emergency calls, monitoring and responding to various alarm systems.

We are offering enhanced rates for unsociable hours cover.

You will have customer service experience, excellent communication skills and telephone manner. Current or recent experience of working in a busy switchboard is desirable, but it is essential that you are able to deal with calls in a tactful, diplomatic and courteous manner at all times, demonstrating good interpersonal and organisational skills, even when working under pressure.

We believe in personal and professional development. Therefore, we are offering a comprehensive 6 weeks training programme for you to acquire the right knowledge and skills to perform at the best of your abilities.

Join the team at North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust to help improve our services!

You will join a rotational shift pattern covering 24-hours/day and 365 days/annum including nights, weekends and public holidays.

You will be required to work independently when covering the night shift. Flexibility is essential as you may be required to change duties or work at short notice to cover for absences and holidays.

You will operate the screen based consoles associated with the telephone system and peripheral equipment such as internal pagers and associated paging terminals, emergency telephones and emergency alarms.

You will answer Emergency and Resuscitation Calls immediately and respond appropriately, as well as acknowledge all alarm systems located in the Switchboard room and respond appropriately including informing the necessary individuals/departments.

You will record all unusual occurrences, complaints or equipment failure in the Occurrence Log.

We are committed to ensure a work-life balance to all our staff by offering full time and part time roles, flexible working hours on a shift pattern to fit around your family life.
We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We particularly encourage applications from disabled, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) and candidates form our local communities.
Benefits to you

• 27 days annual leave for new starters, rising to 29 days after five years of service and 33 days after 10 years of service, plus 8 Bank Holidays (pro-rata for part time staff);
• NHS Pension Scheme:
• Flexible working opportunities;
• Increased hourly rates for unsociable hours e.g. night shifts, weekends, bank holidays;
• Career development and training;
• Wellbeing support and activities;
• In-house physiotherapy Service;
• On-site canteens with subsidised meals;
• Subsidised staff parking (currently free).
• Free Stagecoach Bus Travel to and from work within Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
• To conduct themselves in the manner befitting the important and responsible task of a Switchboard telephonist and carry out all duties in an efficient and polite manner, ensuring that the Telephone Service is maintained at levels satisfactory for staff and members of the public.
• To be aware of and to keep up to date with the latest telecommunications upgrades and procedures as defined by the Trust, this will be achieved by ongoing use and training on the system.
• To program pagers on the internal paging system, including user moves and changes. This includes all internal pagers at Peterborough and Stamford.
• To be aware of the various departments’ on-call rotas.
• To be aware of the internal pager numbers allocated to staff.
• To complete daily the doctors’ on-call rota.
• To respond to requests for directory assistance.
• Out of normal hours and occasionally during normal hours, provide switchboard and emergency assistance to external organisations which are connected to the Trust’s telephone system such as but not limited to the City Care Centre and Cavell Centre.
• To assist the Switchboard Supervisor in the upkeep of policies and procedures.
• To assist the Switchboard Supervisor and Telecommunications Manager in the upkeep of the Internal Telephone Directory.
• To provide administrative support duties in the absence of the Switchboard Supervisor.
• To ensure the security of the switchboard area; that the entrance is kept locked at all times and that only authorised personnel are admitted access.
• In the event of the Duty Telephonist or the on-coming Telephonist being taken ill, to inform the Switchboard Supervisor.
• To be responsible for general tidiness and cleanliness of the switchboard area, although full cleaning is carried out by contract cleaners.
• To carry out other reasonable duties as detailed by your line manager or any other IT manager which may arise from time-to-time