Switchboard Agent

Job summary

We are looking for two enthusiastic and well motivated people to join our switchboard team at Ipswich Hospital.

You must demonstrate the ability to work as part of a close-knit team, show a commitment to providing the highest standard of service and possess excellent communication skills.

Working within a 24hr, 7 day a week department, you will be required to work both flexible and varied shifts over the 7 day period. This will involve out of hours working, lone working, night duties and Bank Holidays so flexibility is paramount. There is no set shift pattern. In the coming months there will be the opportunity for home working.

T o fulfil this post you will undertake 5 weeks 'on the job' training.

Main duties of the job

To provide an efficient and courteous first line support service to patients, public and staff as a member of the Trust's Switchboard, which operates 24 hours every day by participating in the shift rota. To receive and direct telephone calls both internally and externally. To act as the first point of contact for emergency calls of all types (cardiac arrest, fire and emergency lines) and monitor and respond appropriately to all the Trust's emergency systems. To provide a 24 hr service to the Trust for the following services: Fire Alarms, Intruder Alarms, Plant/Gas Alarms, Bone Bank Alarms, Cook Chill Alarm & Lift Alarms. Administrators will action appropriate procedures when these alarms are activated. To monitor the trust CCTV system. To provide support for Trust IT systems and applications, managing and escalating incidents in accordance with Service Level Agreements in conjunction with Trust support staff and third party support organisations.

About us

We are ESNEFT and we provide hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics and in patients' own homes.

We are one of the largest NHS organisations in England, employing more than 12,000 staff.

We pride ourselves on supporting our staff. We offer a wide range of training and development opportunities, as well as flexible working options.

Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.

Our philosophy is thatTime Mattersto everyone. Across the Trust, we concentrate on improving the things we do and removing those which cause time delays for our staff and patients.

We are investing in our commitment to Time Matters with a partnership with leading electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic. This digital transformation will bring what's widely regarded as the world's best EPR system to ESNEFT, transforming life in hospital for staff and patients.

If you are passionate about patient care and want to develop your skills and knowledge, then we want to hear from you.

Find out about living and working here

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key Responsibilities:

Develop an understanding of the Trusts telecommunication systems and procedures to be able to respond appropriately to calls from staff, patients, the pubic and the media. Develop an understanding of the Trusts IT applications in order to be able to advise users on any problems encountered, including understanding the functions of the communications infrastructure used by the Trust. Develop an understanding of the Trusts Facilities support. To monitor and respond to the Personal Mobile Radio system and Pearson Road help only). Maintain a record of emergency incidents. To operate the bleep system and investigate faults To manage and advise the escalation routes for emergency procedures liaising with emergency services as necessary eg missing persons, Majax call outs, security incidents etc. Manage storage of recorded media, monitoring, viewing and logging incidents that are observed. Monitor CCTV and instigate appropriate action. There may be a requirement to attend court to give evidence of authentication of CCTV recordings. (This is only required at the IHT Site) Maintain up to date technical knowledge of major operating systems and applications. Maintain awareness of commercial developments in communications, applications software, hardware and architecture, in order to contribute to ongoing technical improvements. To process service requests from user. To undertake general administration duties Carry out any other related and relevant duties requested by the Switchboard Manager.

For full details of the responsibilities and duties of this role please see the attached job description.

Person Specification

Education & Qualifications

Essential

Minimum GCSE or equivalent, including Maths & English

Skills & Abilities

Essential

Excellent Communication Skills & Interpersonal Manner Good written skills Attention to detail

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

Good knowledge of Microsoft Office systems and IT Previous telephone experience Proven Customer Support

Desirable

NHS/Hospital experience Some knowledge of medical terminology

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