Switchboard Operator

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trusts is seeking a Switchboard Operator to handle high-volume hospital enquiries from the public and Trust staff. The role involves on-call duties, responding to emergency 2222 calls, and working across Queens Medical Centre and City Hospital as needed.

Training will be provided, with emphasis on IT proficiency and professional, empathetic communication. We value flexibility, teamwork, and a supportive approach to distressed callers, with duties including

Qualifications

• NVQ Level 2 in Customer Service and Call Handling required.
• Minimum 12 months experience in a call centre or customer-focused setting.
• Experience with healthcare environment desirable.

Responsibilities

• Answer up to 85–100 calls per hour, acting as first point of contact for hospital enquiries.
• Engage with callers to resolve queries in one call where possible.
• Answer email enquiries and 2222 calls promptly.
• Carry out daily lift testing and weekly fire alarm testing.
• Manage on-call rotas and work as part of the team.

Skills

Call handling

Customer service

IT skills

Education

NVQ Level 2 Customer Service

NVQ Level 2 Call Handling

Tools

Blick bleep system

Everbridge messaging system

Job description

Job summary

NB: Please be aware that the department is undergoing an Organizational Change process commencing in June 2026. Whilst this will not affect the number of positions or the role, it may impact working pattern and rota.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Estates and Facilities team as a Switchboard Operator.

This will be mainly based at the Queens Medical Centre however you will be required to work from the City hospital from time to time.

We are looking for someone who has a flexible approach to work and is motivated to help the public and staff with their day to day enquiries, ideally you will have previous Switchboard/call centre experience however all training will be provided.

Post holder must have proficiency in IT skills.

On-call - Following a on call rota, be the on-call manager for Switchboard & Facilities Operations for sickness and system failures. To be the point of call out of hours Monday - Friday 4pm - 8am and all weekend and Bank Holiday.

On completion of training the candidate will be required to do on call duties.

Main duties of the job

In addition to the below summary you need to familiarize yourself with full Job Description and Person Specification documents attached to this advert.

• To be responsible for being first point of contact for hospital enquires from the general public and Trust staff.
• To be professional and sympathetic to callers in need of support.
• To be responsible for putting out emergency crash calls to the 22 22 emergency teams within the Trust, via the Blick bleep system and the Everbridge messaging system.
• To be able to respond efficiently and action all on call rota's sent into the department.
• To adhere to all Trust and in house policies and procedures.
• You will need to be able to demonstrate excellent organisational skills as well as being a hard working team player who works well under pressure and has an approachable manner.

About us

With over 19,000 staff, we are one of the biggest employers in the city with a central role in supporting the health and wellbeing of our local population. We play a leading role in research, education and innovation.

Come and join our wonderful team at NUH. We are big believers in diversity and welcome new ideas to help develop our team in order to deliver world class healthcare to the vast patient populations we serve. With endless personal development opportunities available, at NUH we will endeavour to turn your job into a career!

We particularly welcome applications from people who identify as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, or Disabled, as we are striving to be better represented at NUH.

Our organisation is driven by our strategic objectives and organisational values and behaviours -We Build Trust,We Empower,We are Ambitious,We are Mindful,We are Nurturing,We are United,We are Honest

Working in the NHS and at NUH is challengingyet rewarding. That is why we do all we can to support staff with rewards and benefits wherever we can.

Job responsibilities

• To answer up to 85-100 calls per hour.
• Engage with all callers to help resolve their query in one call if possible.
• Answer all email enquires in the department inbox.
• Answer ALL 2222 calls within a timely manner
• Daily lift testing
• Weekly fire alarm testing calls
• Blick bleep pager daily testing
• Help with Doctor change over twice yearly
• Handle on call rotas sent into the department and deal with accordingly.
• Most importantly work as part of the team

Job responsibilities

• To answer up to 85-100 calls per hour.
• Engage with all callers to help resolve their query in one call if possible.
• Answer all email enquires in the department inbox.
• Answer ALL 2222 calls within a timely manner
• Daily lift testing
• Weekly fire alarm testing calls
• Blick bleep pager daily testing
• Help with Doctor change over twice yearly
• Handle on call rotas sent into the department and deal with accordingly.
• Most importantly work as part of the team

Person Specification

Training & Qualifications

Essential

• NVQ Level 2 Customer Service
• NVQ Level 2 Call Handling

Desirable

• Computer Literate

Experience

Essential

• Minimum of 12 months experience working in a call centre of customer focussed setting.

Desirable

• Experience of working within a healthcare environment

Communication and Relationships

Essential

• Demonstrate effective communication skills with callers/patients/relatives who may be very ill and/or distressed using a sympathetic and understanding approach.
• Able to calm angry callers, be empathetic and guide confused callers.
• Resolve caller problems using tact and diplomacy.
• Resolve caller problems using tact and diplomacy.

Person Specification

Training & Qualifications

Essential

• NVQ Level 2 Customer Service
• NVQ Level 2 Call Handling

Desirable

• Computer Literate

Experience

Essential

• Minimum of 12 months experience working in a call centre of customer focussed setting.

Desirable

• Experience of working within a healthcare environment

Communication and Relationships

Essential

• Demonstrate effective communication skills with callers/patients/relatives who may be very ill and/or distressed using a sympathetic and understanding approach.
• Able to calm angry callers, be empathetic and guide confused callers.
• Resolve caller problems using tact and diplomacy.
• Resolve caller problems using tact and diplomacy.

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trusts

Address

Queens Medical Centre

Derby Road

Nottingham

NG7 2UH

United Kingdom