Overview
The post holder will work as part of a team on the switchboard, performing the operations in an efficient and courteous manner with particular emphasis on customer care. The role acts as the first point of contact to Kettering General Hospital, providing general non‑clinical advice, information guidance or ancillary services directly to patients, clients, relatives or carers.
Shift work: 09:00 – 17:00 Monday to Friday, with flexibility to cover urgent shifts including evenings, nights and weekends to support a 24/7 365 service.
Responsibilities
* Operate the Group’s switchboard consoles efficiently, courteously and friendly, answering calls within agreed timescales.
* Answer incoming telephone calls and enquiries.
* Connect outgoing telephone calls made by users; monitor and log, if necessary, information concerning all personal calls made by staff for re‑charge purposes.
* Adapt communication style to the needs of others and ensure effective and compassionate communication, communicating in instances where there are difficulties due to language barriers, distress, emotion, hearing difficulties etc.
* Ensure the efficient operation of the Group’s paging systems for both emergency and non‑emergency calls; be fully aware of the Group’s Emergency process and the Switchboard’s responsibilities upon activation.
* Monitor alarm and notification panels/screens and alert the appropriate teams as quickly as possible.
* Prioritise emergency calls and take the appropriate actions as quickly as possible.
* Provide out‑of‑hours reception cover as required, dealing with general enquiries.
* Ensure relevant paperwork (receipts) are completed in line with departmental procedures.
* Contribute to regular reviews of the Switchboard directory for mobile phones, extensions and pagers, escalating any issues to the Switchboard Supervisor.
* Ensure staffing and on‑call rota changes reported to Switchboard are made available to all staff.
* Assist in the training of new team members.
* Cover at weekends and nights to maintain 24‑hour coverage within Switchboard.
Management and Leadership
* Contribute to the implementation of the Group Digital Strategy, in line with Group, National priorities and initiatives.
* Deputise for the Switchboard Supervisor as necessary and where appropriate.
Technical Service Delivery
* Have an awareness of the Group’s two‑way bleep system.
* Contribute to the management of the Switchboard team budgets and relevant project/capital budgets, ensuring excellent financial control and forward planning.
* Ensure routine maintenance and remedial work is appropriately scheduled and undertaken so that it does not adversely impact the availability of business‑critical systems.
Performance
* Contribute to the delivery of performance standards for the Switchboard team, including KPIs, maintain high-level awareness of achievement against these and contribute to improved ways of working where necessary to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of services delivered.
* Ensure systems are in place to routinely analyse and manage ICT resource utilisation in the Switchboard team to provide efficient and optimised digital services.
Advice, Guidance and Partnerships
* Provide technical and professional assistance regarding the Group’s Switchboard function.
Policies and Procedures
* Contribute to the Switchboard team's appropriate and up‑to‑date policies, guidelines, standard operating procedures and standards covering the use and management of all ICT services, resources and assets (physical and data). Contribute to the adherence of policy.
Professional and Personal Development
* Develop and maintain an awareness of developments and legislation relevant to the service area and contribute to efforts to ensure that each function reflects current professional guidance and standards.
* Take responsibility for personal professional development, identifying training and educational needs and agreeing ways of addressing these with the Switchboard Supervisor.
Role Requirements
* Support distributed and flexible working arrangements; may be required to travel between Kettering and Northampton Hospital sites and other sites across the Group.
* Frequent VDU use is required.
* Frequent, occasionally prolonged concentration required on a wide variety of complex issues throughout the day, with the ability to adapt to changing priorities and re‑focus work of self and others on new priority areas that may require urgent action.
* Participate in meetings requiring a good level of concentration on a wide range of topics, with a variety of audiences and mixtures of attendees.
* Exposure to unpleasant working conditions or hazards is rare for this role.
* Occasional requirement to travel between sites for support of projects, training, onboarding of new starters, team workshops, etc.
Equal Opportunities
We are an equal opportunities employer, which aims to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons from all backgrounds. We welcome applications from members of our black and minority ethnic (BME) communities, especially in relation to senior posts within at KGH. Applicants who have a disability and meet the essential criteria for the job will be interviewed if you indicate you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme. If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process please make the recruitment services team aware as soon as possible.
Appointments will be made on merit. In submitting an application form, you authorise Kettering General Hospital (KGH) NHS Foundation Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process, including factual reference, occupational health clearance and statutory and mandatory training record.
Safeguarding is everyone's business. KGH considers Safeguarding a priority among its citizen's and a key value for all employed to the service.
We want to recruit the best people to deliver our services across the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire and help to unleash everyone's full potential. As an organisation, we value how we communicate and promote our vacancies to all communities. The Hospital Group encourages applications from people who identify from all protected groups, especially those from BAME, Disabled and LGBTQ+ backgrounds as these are underrepresented in our hospitals. We understand that we need to work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and make sure the environment they work in is inclusive and collaborative. We have active networks that promote and support colleagues from all backgrounds. This ensures everyone feels supported and has a sense of belonging working for Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals.
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