Customer Service Assistant

Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; Newmarket; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS foundation trust in Newmarket is looking for a Customer Service Assistant to join their Contact Centre Team. The role involves providing essential customer support to Pathology service users and patients, handling queries via phone, and assisting with appointment bookings. Full training is provided, and candidates require good communication skills and a professional telephone manner. This full-time position requires flexibility in working hours, and it's ideal for those committed to delivering excellent service in a healthcare environment.

Benefits

Development opportunities

On-site leisure facilities

Subsidised parking

Qualifications

• Experience in a busy office or reception area.
• Experience of customer service and dealing with the public.
• Experience working in a NHS setting.

Responsibilities

• Provide a responsive telephony service to callers.
• Assist patients with Outpatient queries.
• Liaise with Outpatient Clinics for appointment bookings.

Skills

Customer service

Telephone communication

Data entry

Teamwork

Organizational skills

Education

GCSEs in English and Maths Grade C or above

Typing/ICT qualification

Tools

Microsoft Office

Electronic patient records

Job description

Go back Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Customer Service Assistant

The closing date is 28 December 2025

Are you looking to join a high-performing Contact Centre Team which provides an essential Customer Service to Pathology Service users and patients?

The Service Desk is employing reliable team members with a professional telephone manner, excellent keyboard skills and a sharp eye for accuracy to deliver a wide range of Pathology services to healthcare professionals, and assist patients with Outpatient queries.

Full training will be provided and experience in Customer Service, as well as being a competent touch typist, with good knowledge of using computer systems is required for this role. You will need to demonstrate an empathetic approach when communicating with patients and relatives.

This is a full-time role which requires flexible working to cover shift patterns between the opening hours of 08:00 and 18:00 Monday to Friday. The Service Desk is closed on weekends and Bank Holidays.

This is an office-based role in Newmarket, Suffolk with free on-site parking.

If invited to attend an interview , you will be required to complete a 15-minute MS Word test.

Main duties of the job

We provide a professional and responsive telephony service to callers at the Pathology Service Desk and Outpatient Helpdesk.

Our highly-trained, customer-focused Team provides first-level access to information for Pathology service users and patients.

We provide a pathology service to GPs, Community Nurses / Midwives and charitable healthcare organisations across the region, as well as consultants, hospital staff (NHS and private) and lab staff nationwide.

Our Team responds to telephone queries from patients and we liaise with Outpatient Clinics to assist with appointment bookings and other Outpatient enquiries.

About us

Our Trust

Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) NHS Foundation Trust comprises Addenbrooke's Hospital and the Rosie Hospital in Cambridge. With over 13,000 staff and over 1100 beds the priorities of the Trust focus on a quality service which is all about people - patients, staff and partners. Recognised as providing 'outstanding' care to our patients and rated 'Good' overall by the Care Quality Commissioner, is testament to the skill and dedication of the people who work here. CUH's values - Together - Safe, Kind, Excellent - are at the heart of patient care, defining the way all staff work and behave. The Trust provides accessible high-quality healthcare for the local people of Cambridge, together with specialist services, dealing with rare or complex conditions for a regional, national and international population.

CUH is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community - a place where we can all be ourselves. We value our differences and fully advocate and support an inclusive working environment where every individual can fulfil their potential. We want to ensure our people are truly representative of all the communities that we serve. We welcome applications for all positions in the organisation irrespective of people's age, disability, ethnicity, race, nationality, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity status or social economic background.

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached Applicant Information Pack (combined Job Description and Person Specification) for key duties and responsibilities.

Due to Home Office immigration rules, a full time permanent vacancy cannot be filled by individuals on a Student visa. Therefore, please be advised that if you are a Student visa holder, we will not be able to offer you a full time permanent contract unless you have:

• applied for a Graduate visa
• or you will have successfully completed your course and have applied for a Graduate visa before the anticipated start date of your employment

As per Home Office guidelines, please be aware that, unfortunately, the Trust is unable to offer sponsorship for this particular position.

The advert will close at midnight on 28 December 2025.

Interviews are due to be held on 6 January 2026.

Benefits to you

At Cambridge University Hospitals, we want to do all we can to support good working days. We offer development opportunities and a wide range of benefits, including on-site leisure facilities, shopping concourse and day nurseries. Our good work programme currently includes providing reduced cost Stagecoach bus travel to and from Cambridge University Hospital site. Park and Ride bus journeys between Babraham Road and Trumpington sites are free, as is the route to and from Cambridge train station and our hospitals. We also subsidise the cost of parking on site for eligible staff.

On CUH campus, hot food is available 24/7 and at a reduced cost for colleagues. Recently we launched the first of our staff pod break spaces. Located in the Deakin Centre, we have a purpose-created colleague-only caf, with free tea and coffee, a break space and private outside area for colleagues to rest, refuel and recharge. Just one of the ways we are working hard to support good working days at CUH.

CUH is committed to assisting employees in achieving a good work-life balance irrespective of role or personal circumstances. Flexible arrangements may include, but are not limited to, part-time working, job-share, term-time working and flexible start and finish times.

Please note if you would like to discuss the required hours of this role further, you should approach the contact given. In some cases, alternative working hours will be considered.

We welcome applications from the Armed Forces.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Educated to GCSE level (or equivalent) with English and Maths Grade C or above
• Typing/ICT qualification, eg, ECDL advanced level qualified or equivalent experience

Experience

• Experience working in a busy office or reception area
• Experience of customer service and dealing with the public
• Experience of using IT packages including Microsoft office and emails
• Experience working in a NHS setting
• Experience working with electronic or paper patient records
• Experience of call handling or working on a helpdesk

Knowledge

• Understanding of confidentiality and data protection
• Good knowledge of office procedures
• Understanding of customer service values
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications
• Knowledge of Medical Terminology

Skills

• Ability to work efficiently as part of a team
• Good communication skills including telephone, email and face to face
• Ability to touch type quickly with accurate data entry
• Ability to organise and manage own time with good organisational skills
• Ability to prioritise tasks and meet performance targets
• Ability to work under pressure
• Ability to follow processes and procedures and work within guidelines
• Ability to learn and undertake new skills/knowledge
• Ability to adapt to change and be flexible

Additional Requirements

• The ability to understand and behave at all times, towards patients, visitors and colleagues according to the Trust values of safe, kind, excellent
• Act as a good ambassador of the team, demonstrating reliability and team work.

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.

Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust