Call Referral Operator

The Methodist Church in Britain; Lowestoft; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 26,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

NHS Pension scheme

Staff discounts

Job summary

East Coast Community Healthcare is seeking a Call Referral Operator for a 12-month fixed-term post in the East Coast area. You will be the first point of contact for patients and health professionals, handling referrals, enquiries, booking and waiting list administration.

The role operates 7am–8pm all year with rotational weekends and evenings, shifts of 5–10 hours, and around 3,000 calls weekly. Confidentiality and flexibility are essential.

Qualifications

• GCSE English, Maths and IT at grade C or above or equivalent.
• Keyboard skills equivalent to RSA II.
• Experience in a patient or customer-focused role.
• Experience working as part of a team.
• Good IT skills including Word, Outlook and email.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.

Responsibilities

• Receive referrals by telephone, email and post and process them to deadlines.
• Book, cancel and move appointments across clinical units and criteria.
• Add, move and remove patients on waiting lists.
• Handle urgent and same-day referrals with triage and other services.
• Complete referral documentation and gather information at referral.
• Advise patients and staff on waiting list times and appointment queries.
• Coordinate messages between clinical staff and teams.
• Answer enquiries by telephone, email and post.
• Work rotational weekends and evenings (5–10 hours).
• Demonstrate ECCH values and behaviours in all work.

Skills

Excellent communication

Telephone manner

Organisation

Multi-tasking

Teamwork

Confidentiality

Interpersonal skills

Education

GCSE English, Maths and IT

RSA II keyboard skills

Tools

Microsoft Word

Outlook

Email

Job description

Call Referral Operator on a 12-month fixed-term post in East Coast Community Access, the central referral and communication hub for East Coast Community Healthcare. The role is the first point of contact for patients and health professionals, handling referrals, general enquiries, appointment booking and waiting list administration. The service runs 7am to 8pm all year, with rotational weekends and evenings and shifts of 5 to 10 hours, and the team takes around 3000 calls a week. Confidentiality and flexibility over shifts decide fit.

What the job involves

• Receive referrals by telephone, email and post, then scan and process them to strict deadlines
• Check referrals for inaccurate or incomplete data and follow up where needed
• Book, cancel and move appointments across clinical units, referral routes and criteria
• Add, move and remove patients on clinical waiting lists
• Handle urgent and same-day referrals with the single point of triage and other services
• Complete referral documentation and gather information at the point of referral
• Advise patients and staff on waiting list times and general appointment queries
• Co-ordinate messages and instructions between clinical staff and teams
• Answer enquiries by telephone, email and post
• Work rotational weekend and evening shifts of 5 to 10 hours
• Demonstrate ECCH Values and Signature Behaviours in all work

Qualifications

• GCSE grade C or above in English, Maths and IT, or equivalent, or substantial experience in a similar role
• Keyboard skills equivalent to RSA II

Experience

• Experience in a patient or customer focused role
• Experience working as part of a team
• Good IT skills, including Microsoft Word, Outlook and email

Skills & knowledge

• Excellent written and verbal communication, and interpersonal skills at all levels
• Good telephone manner
• Good organisation, administration and ability to prioritise and multi-task
• Working under pressure in busy environments with frequent interruptions
• Diplomatic approach, good decision making and working with minimal supervision
• Liaising professionally with patients, clinicians and the public from all backgrounds

Other

• Flexible approach to rotational weekends, evenings and bank holidays
• Ability to travel independently to shifts, including bank holidays when public transport may not run
• Willingness to work across sites and travel across the community
• Embrace ECCH Culture, Values and Signature Behaviours
• Discreet, with understanding of confidentiality in a healthcare setting

Nice to have

• NVQ II in Customer care
• NHS or community healthcare experience
• Recent experience of a busy working environment
• Assertive
• Empathetic
• Resilience

What's offered

• Salary and sick pay in line with Agenda for Change
• Access to the NHS Pension scheme or a workplace pension
• Flexible working
• Discounts exclusive to NHS staff
• Health and wellbeing discounts
• Option to become a shareholder in a staff-owned organisation