Switchboard Operator

This is an outstanding opportunity to join our fast growing, forward thinking Customer Services Switchboard Operators team who provide a high quality of service dealing with varied queries and especially urgent/emergency calls. As a Customer Services Operator(Switchboard) you would be expected to ensure that our patient/visitors' experience follows the Trust values, supporting and respecting our patients/visitors/staff at all times. Applicants will be expected to be excellent communicators, responsive, effective, calm and provide a courteous service in any circumstance during their shift. The ideal candidate should be able to demonstrate high standards of customer care to build caller confidence whilst ensuring an efficient call handling service, balancing performance with excellent customer service delivery. There may be shifts that require lone working once the post-holder is fully competent following extensive training and experience.

To be considered you should ideally have previous experience operating a telephone system switchboard console preferably within the NHS or a critical service environment. Reception experience or work within the NHS but other experience may be taken into account. Applicants must have a strong telephone manner. You will need to possess excellent literacy and good numeric skills, be confident and able to work under pressure whilst remaining polite and courteous at all times, as these are essential requirements for the role.

Working for our organisation With a workforce of approximately 15,000 staff, we can now do more and go further in delivering health services to our local communities. Our ambition is to deliver excellent local and specialist services, to improve the health and wellbeing of our patients, and provide a vibrant place for staff to develop, innovate and build careers. Patients will experience improved care as well as fewer delays and cancellations. We are able to provide more once-in-a-lifetime specialist care region-wide. With our new trust size will come more opportunities for development, research, networking and innovation. We aim to make the most of our skills and experiences so we can become the best we can be. As one organisation we will recruit the finest and retain more specialist staff due to more employment opportunities across our Trust.

Band 3 Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is now one of the largest trusts in the country, serving a population of 1.2 million people comprising acute hospital sites at Broomfield in Chelmsford, Basildon and Southend. We are a well-led, high-performing and innovative organisation determined to provide the best health care services for our local population and working in the best interests of the people we serve., The Switchboard is a 24/7 service; candidates must be flexible and able to commit to a varied shift pattern. This can include weekends, unsocial hours and public holidays including Christmas. A rolling 8 week rota pattern which includes the following shift times:

• Early 06.00am to 14.00pm Late 14.00pm - 22.00pm, Night 22.00pm - 06.00am.
• This is subject to change as due to staff sickness or vacancies.