Switchboard Operator

Shift Pattern:

• Week 1: Saturday & Sunday – 14:30 – 22:30

To provide a comprehensive, high-quality service to patients, staff, and members of the public on behalf of the George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust. To operate a telephone switchboard and associated communication systems as necessary. To observe and respond to monitors/alarms within an agreed scope of responsibility and carry out stringent procedures in the event of an emergency and to provide a courteous and professional reception service.

Main duties of the job

• To maintain a helpful and confident manner when dealing with patients, visitors, and staff at the main hospital reception desk or via the Switchboard, to assist the public with directions and enquiries and to promote the caring and professional image of the trust.
• To support patients and relatives who may be experiencing distress, feeling unwell, worried, emotional, or upset. To ensure that all patients, visitors, and relatives receive assistance with general advice in response to queries, information, and taxis.
• Liaising with porters and security.
• To deal with Parking queries at the main reception desk and help visitors, patients, and staff. To issue Blue Badge Disabled forms and frequent outpatient appointment forms and pass on to the team leader, dealing with cash and issuing refunds when needed, also taking card payments when needed.
• To deal with ad hoc incidents and report jobs via the Estates team.
• To provide excellent customer service to visitors, patient and staff and act as the first point of contact when visiting the Hospital.
• To maintain a helpful and confident manner when dealing with patients, visitors and staff in order to promote the caring and professional image of the Trust.
• To assist the general public with directions and enquiries at the reception window, which may include but not exclusive to PPE, patient transfers via porters, etc.

Job responsibilities

• To maintain a helpful and confident manner when dealing with patients, visitors, and staff at the main hospital reception desk or via the Switchboard, to assist the public with directions and enquiries and to promote the caring and professional image of the trust.
• To support patients and relatives who may be experiencing distress, feeling unwell, worried, emotional, or upset. To ensure that all patients, visitors, and relatives receive assistance with general advice in response to queries, information, and taxis.
• Liaising with porters and security.
• To deal with Parking queries at the main reception desk and help visitors, patients, and staff. To issue Blue Badge Disabled forms and frequent outpatient appointment forms and pass on to the team leader, dealing with cash and issuing refunds when needed, also taking card payments when needed.
• To deal with ad hoc incidents and report jobs via the Estates team.
• To provide excellent customer service to visitors, patient and staff and act as the first point of contact when visiting the Hospital.
• To maintain a helpful and confident manner when dealing with patients, visitors and staff in order to promote the caring and professional image of the Trust.
• To assist the general public with directions and enquiries at the reception window, which may include but not exclusive to PPE, patient transfers via porters, etc.
• To be responsible for the operation of a computerized busy 24-hour telephone switchboard in all its aspects (i.e., handling incoming and outgoing calls and the withdrawal of information as and when required).
• To operate the hospital pager system including daily testing, dealing with faults / transferring pagers, issuing batteries as required, dealing with doctors rotation and providing on-call lists and pager lists to relevant departments and wards.
• To use the Lorenzo system for locating patients in the hospital and A&E department.
• To maintain all appropriate records including on call Rotas, Safe care, Pager lists, Blue Badge Forms, Frequent Outpatient Forms. To pass on any changes or information to the team leader for updating the Switchboard phone book.
• Undertake clerical tasks within the department including emails, filing, typing, scanning, printing, photocopying and data input.
• To ensure that all important messages / information is communicated to the person(s) or area concerned as soon as received, to make sure the relevant documents get changed.

For a full comprehensive list of main responsibilities and duties, please kindly refer to job description and personal specification attached.

Experience and Knowledge

• Ability to liaise and communicate clearly with staff, visitors and contractors.
• Good organisational skills
• Experience in a switchboard environment
• Worked within a customer focused environment
• Ability to deal calmly with emergency or difficult situations using tact and diplomacy. Eg answering emergency telephone and respond accordingly directing staff via bleep to cardiac arrests, fire calls etc
• Confidence in using two way radio to speak with security and porters if required

Qualification(s) and Professional Training

• Basic Numeracy & Literacy Skills to Level 1 or equivalent
• NVQ Level 3 or 5 years equivalent experience as a switchboard operator
• Keyboard Skills RSA Level 1

Skills and Abilities

• Ability to work within a busy and demanding department
• Ability and experience to work for a large proportion of time autonomously, in accordance with operational plans and national guidelines.
• Ability to organise and to prioritise effectively

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.

£25,760 to £27,476 a year pro rata

Benefits

Benefits: On-site nursery, 27 days mandatory annual leave plus bank holidays, cycle to work scheme, flexible working, in house training and development, buying and selling of annual leave, subsidised restaurant, tranquillity garden and generous subsidised on-site parking.

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