Operator

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board; Leeds; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is looking for an enthusiastic Switchboard Operator to join the Patient Centred team at Leeds General Infirmary. You will be the first point of contact for patient and NHS employee calls, handling a 24/7 switchboard with weekend and bank holiday shifts.

The role emphasizes patient-facing customer service, good IT skills, and effective communication. Training will be provided to follow standard scripts and ensure accurate call handling across Trust sites.

Qualifications

• Clear spoken and written communication.
• Professional telephone manner.
• Experience in customer-facing roles.
• Ability to follow scripted procedures.

Responsibilities

• Answering and routing patient and staff calls in a busy switchboard.
• Providing accurate information and logging calls.
• Liaising with hospital departments during emergencies.
• Maintaining confidentiality and data accuracy.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

IT skills

Customer service

Telephone handling

Shift work

Education

GCSE English and Maths (C)

Tools

PC/IT literacy

Job description

We are looking for an enthusiastic Operator to come and join our Patient Centred team in the Switchboard Department based at The Leeds General Infirmary The successful candidate will contribute to the provision of a comprehensive patient administration functionalities within the Outpatient Clinic Service Unit. These vacancies are will be predominantly telephone based and will be primarily your key role. The post holder will be the first point of contact for the Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust receiving telephones calls from patients and NHS employees. Switchboard is a crucial part of the service is supporting the emergency procedures for the Leeds Teaching Hospitals which include:

• Crash Calls - delivering the appropriate message to the crash team to help save patients life.
• Fire Calls - fire alarms activated within the hospital are monitored by Switchboard are the post holder will be responsible for calling the fire brigade and liaising with appropriate emergency teams to make sure the fire is dealt with in a timely and efficient manner.
• Medical Gas Alarms - Liaising with the appropriate teams when alarms are activated in a timely and efficient manner.
• Major Incidents, if a major incident is declared within Leeds and surrounding areas and Leeds Teaching Hospital is needed the Switchboard implement the Major Incident procedure pulling a specialist team to support the incident.
  The post holder will provide a high standard of customer service. They will possess excellent communication skills, IT skills and will have a flexible approach to work. Standardised scripts are followed and calls are monitored and recorded.

The post holder will be required to maintain and provide a patient focused confidential, efficient and accurate service in line with the procedures set out in the Trust's Patient Access policies. You will need to be able to liaise with staff throughout the Trust and patients dealing effectively and efficiently with their enquiries. The post holder must have a good standard of basic education, including written and spoken English. Good Customer Service telephone manner. Good computer literacy and a willingness to further their PC skills. Experience of working in a customer service role and experience of working in a predominately operational telephone environment e.g., switchboard/call centre. This post is based at Leeds General Infirmary and receives calls for all the Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust sites, these are Leeds General Infirmary, St James University Hospital, Seacroft Hospital and Chapel Allerton Hospital. The Switchboard Service is a 24/7 service and is this role is a 12 hour shift role This based on a shift pattern including weekends and all bank holidays. The post holder will be flexible and available to work days, evening and night shifts.

What you will bring to the role

• GCSE (or equivalent experience) English Language and Mathematics grade C and above
• Good Basic Standard Education demonstrating excellent communication skills and numeracy
• A Willingness to undergo training to carry out the job
• Experience in operating a switchboard
• Experience coordinating/Supervising a team of staff
• Experience of dealing with sickness, recruitment, and disciplinary issues. Experience at supervisory/senior level in a healthcare environment
• A well developed understand and knowledge of office based procedures/systems gained over a significant period of time to enable implementation and appropriate training of the communications team.
• Interpretation and analysis of reports, databases and spreadsheet information
• Working in a customer focussed environment
• Well developed knowledge and experience of using a variety of IT applications and a Windows based environment

About Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust

The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is committed to delivering the highest quality and safest treatment and care to every patient, every time. Our vision is to provide the highest quality specialist and integrated care. We will do this through delivery of our multi-year goals and strategic priorities, which you can read about on this page. Central to it all is The Leeds Way our values and behaviours that are at the heart of everything we do.

Our values are part of what make us different from other trusts, so we see this as a strength, as well as a responsibility. They have been developed by our staff and set out what they see as important to how we work. Our five values are: Patient-centred Collaborative Fair Accountable Empowered All our actions and endeavours will be guided and evaluated through these values. We're committed to recruiting exceptional people to deliver outstanding services across Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and helping every colleague reach their full potential. We're looking for a compassionate, inclusive, and collaborative leader who shares our values and can build strong partnerships. We warmly invite applications from people from a variety of backgrounds and sectors, and are especially keen to hear from individuals from a minority ethnic background. We're dedicated to creating a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued, supported, and has a true sense of belonging, as we work together to deliver the best in healthcare to the people of Leeds and beyond.

Sponsorship Eligibility

To comply with UK Government regulations on Skilled Worker sponsorship, Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust is unable to provide sponsorship to applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria or the salary threshold concessions set out under the Skilled Worker visa route. Please take this into consideration before submitting your application. Full guidance on these concessions, including details of who may qualify, can be found here.