Job vacancy: Telecommunications Operator, Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Southport

Job summary

Main area: Facilities
Grade: NHS AfC: Band 2
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Part time - 20 hours per week
Job ref: 409-6994108

Employer: Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: Southport Hospital
Town: Southport
Salary: £23,615 per annum, pro rata
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 10/03/2025 23:59
Interview date: 21/03/2025

Telecommunications Operator

NHS AfC: Band 2

After applying via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into our preferred Third-party recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs. You will not be able to track the progress of your application or receive messages through the NHS Jobs website, and furthermore, as an employer, we will not be able to respond to any e-mails sent to us via the NHS Jobs website. By applying for this post you are agreeing to "name of trust" transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are appointed to a post information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

KEY DUTIES

· Answer all external and internal calls to the switchboard speedily, courteously and in an efficient manner.

· Transfer callers quickly and accurately to their required destination

· Operate both the internal Ascom/ RF and external paging systems

· Operate a two-way radio communication system

· Work effectively as part of the Facilities Management team.

· Ensure effective communications within the team including handover at the beginning and end of shift

CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

· Maintain a high standard of personal hygiene.

· Maintain and improve all aspects of the service.

· Participate in staff involvement groups for all aspects of the Trust Quality Strategy 2016/19

· Ensure good customer relations with patients, visitors and staff

ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

· Respond to Major Incidents following Trust Procedures

· Respond to any General Alarms activated following Trust and departmental procedures to alert Trust staff

· Respond to fire alarm activation following Trust and departmental procedures, liaising with alarm companies and the fire service controller.

· Respond to requests for Emergency teams using the Ascom system following Trust and departmental procedures.

· Report equipment faults (consoles, Ascom system, alarms etc) in line with departmental procedures over 24 hours.

· Respond as a help point for visitors using the Trust Car Parks liaising with the Car Park Attendants/Porters

· Check to ensure on-call information is correct at the beginning of the shift and provide wards and departments on request.

· Ensure switchboard database is updated, and any changes noted

· Completion of admin work as seen fit by the Line Manager

· Issuing of residential accommodation keys

TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSIBILITIES

· Staff will be trained in all aspects of switchboard duties; Standard Operating Procedures are there to assist.

· All trained staff are expected to display a flexible and supportive attitude to their work and colleagues, providing guidance and assistance to new or existing members of staff.

· Participate in the staff appraisal system and attend training in accordance with your personal development plan

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

· Ensure economic use of all material

· Ensure good practice to minimise waste

· Ensure payment is received for rents in relation to the residential accommodation, as indicated, and receipts issued

Person specification

Knowledge & Experience

Desirable criteria

Previous switchboard or call centre
NHS experience

Qualifications

Essential criteria

GCSE level C (level 4-9) or equivalent in English and Maths
Basic Computer Skills

Desirable criteria

ECDL

Skills

Essential criteria

Customer Care Skills
Good Telephone Skills
Ability to organise and prioritise
Adaptable/ use of initiative
Ability to instruct less qualified staff

Other

Essential criteria

Varied shifts covering 24-hour period
Weekend and Bank Holiday (including Christmas Day) working
High level of concentration
Varied workload with varying demands
Responding to emergency situations calmly and as instructed
Office based
Lone working

Thank you for considering an application to work for Mersey West Lancashire NHS Trust. MWL is an exciting and forward-thinking NHS Trust who are one of the best places to work for in England.

Given sometimes we receive a high volume of applications to work for us, please be aware, that we may close a vacancy earlier than stated should a sufficient number of applications be received from which a shortlist can be confirmed. Therefore, you are advised to apply at your earliest convenience.

The Trust may contact you during the recruitment process for your feedback on your experience. We always aim for continuous improvement in our practice.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

We actively cultivate a professional environment of fairness, equality, dignity, and respect for all individuals. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds and value the unique skills, perspective and experience you bring. We are grounded in the belief that diversity enhances our collective strength, fostering innovation and excellence within our workforce. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we commit to offering an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.

If you are having difficulty completing an online application, or require any disability reasonable adjustments, to the application process, please contact [email protected]

We also commit to offering an interview to all armed forces veterans who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.

The Trust operates anonymous shortlisting where no personal information about you, including your name or personal details are shared with the recruiting manager. No equality information is shared at any time during the recruitment process with the recruiting manager or other people involved in the decision-making process.

The equality monitoring information you provide is used in the following situations: to review our recruitment practices; where a job is limited to a specific person to verify their eligibility to apply; and to offer disability reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Following the recent update on UK immigration policy for those on a Health and Care Visa or Skilled Worker Visa, please click here to check your eligibility before applying for this post as we may be unable to provide sponsorship.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

If this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 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.

Please note if applicable, applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment.

If you have not already done so, you are therefore encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service to which a small annual fee of £13 per year applies.

Flexible Working

We actively support flexible working patterns throughout MWL. Changes made to the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook mean that:

· All employees have the right to request flexible working from day one of employment.

· There is no limit on the number of requests they can make.

· Employees have the right to make requests, have them considered, regardless of the reason.

At Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, we will consider requests for flexible working. We would also encourage you to also discuss flexible working options at interview stage.

Working for Team MWL

Staff recognition is especially important to us; as well as performance reviews and appraisals, we recognise staff through Employee of the month. Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.

The Trust is a non-smoking across all our sites. Failure to follow this rule could lead to disciplinary action. For more information, see the Smoke Free NHS website

You must ensure that your application, including personal statements and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

The Trust will not accept applications which are found to be AI generated.

Additional Information

Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trusts Values and Behaviours which are We are KIND, We are OPEN, We are INCLUSIVE, which can be found here.

An applicant guide to help and support you with your application and what to expect during your recruitment journey can be accessed in the supporting documents.

Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team MWL very soon.