Customer Service Operator

www.healthjobsuk.com - jobboard; Basildon; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 29,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS Trust in Basildon is seeking a Customer Service Operator to join their busy department. The role involves handling emergency and GP referral calls, ensuring a high level of patient service within a vital health service environment. The successful candidate will work shifts, including weekends and holidays, and must demonstrate excellent communication skills and professionalism.

Qualifications

• Experience in a team environment.
• NHS experience required.
• Knowledge of medical terminology is an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Act as the first point of contact for emergency and GP referral calls.
• Handle calls in a calm and clear manner, activating emergency teams as necessary.
• Provide excellent customer service while remaining polite and courteous.

Skills

Communication

Ability to work under pressure

Numeracy skills

Education

GCSE English and Maths (grade D or above)

Job description

Main area Band 3 Grade Band 3 Contract Permanent: 24/7 Shift pattern Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Shift pattern,over 7 days 24/7) Job ref 390-EFM-BA-0825

Employer Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Basildon Town Basildon Salary £24,937 Per Annum (Pro Rata for Part Time) Salary period Yearly Closing 11/07/2025 23:59

Customer Service Operator

Band 3

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is the onlyacute hospital provider in the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System (ICS), which is a system of health and care partners working together for our local population.

Within Mid and South Essex there are 149 GP practices, operating from over 200 sites, forming 27 Primary Care Networks and one Ambulance Trust. There are also three main community and mental health service providers who work together through a community collaborative.

We collaborate with other valuable partners, including three Healthwatch organisations, nine voluntary and community sector organisations and three top tier local authorities, with seven district, borough and city councils, as well as our local universities.

Job overview

We are looking for an enthusiastic team player to join our friendly, professional and extremely busy Customer Services Department.

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 a very varied queries and urgent/emergency calls.

As a Customer Services Operator you would be expected to ensure that our patient experience follows the Trust values, supporting and respecting our patients/staff at all times. Applicants will be expected to be excellent communicators, responsive, effective, calm and provide a courteous service in all circumstances during their shift.

Working in autonomy and supported by the MSE Head of Customer Services and and the Senior Supervisor, the Customer Services Operator will provide an excellent level of service within a department that operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The successful candidate will work a varied shift pattern within these hours including weekends, public holidays and Christmas.

A shift pattern will be supplied after a successful training period

Main duties of the job

Providing a responsive service while acting as the first point of contact for the Trust telephone calls in respect of emergency, GP referrals, external and internal calls.

To answer the internal emergency phones in a prompt, calm and clear manner, relaying the message and activating the appropriate emergency team in accordance with set operational departmental procedures, repeating the exact message received in a calm and precise manner.

This vacancy will be for the Basildon Site, however there may be exceptional circumstances that you may have to cover another site.

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. Punctuality and adherence to the department code of conduct are essential but most importantly be willing to learn all roles with flexibility to cover our departments for sickness or annual leave.

Working for our organisation

We work together, and in conjunction with MSE Health and Care Partnership, to deliver excellent local and specialist services, to improve the health and wellbeing of our patients in a compassionate way, and provide a respectful, but vibrant place for staff to develop, innovate and build careers.

From facilities through to consultant specialists we want to be the best, to achieve this we need to recruit not just those who are the finest in their field but also those who have the potential to be. Yes, experience is important but so is outlook – if you are dynamic, forward-thinking and enthusiastic we want you to join us.

We not only offer you a good working environment with flexible working opportunities, but also the opportunity to develop your career with access to appropriate training for your job and the support to succeed and progress.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For more details on this varied and rewarding role, please see the attached job description. We look forward to your application!

Person specification

Experience & Knowledge

• Experience in a team environment
• NHS experience

Qualifications

• Good level of general education incl. English and Maths GCSE (grade D or above)
• Have some knowledge of medical terminology

Communications

• Ability to communicate with all disciplines of staff and public in a professional and helpful manner
• Ability to communicate with distressed or angry people in a professional and appropriate manner

Please be aware as per the new Immigration guidelines we cannot sponsor candidates with a salary (full time or pro Rata) under the current minimum threshold.

Please note, the selection processes at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust are in place to ensure we recruit candidates with the right skills and values, please be advised that the use of AI in applications are monitored. We remain vigilant against candidates who misuse these tools to generate an application that doesn’t accurately reflect their skills, and you will be required to declare on your application if AI has been used before submitting your application

Employer certification / accreditation badges

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.