Telephonist
Job summary
Telephonist - Band 2
ICT - Unified Communications Team University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (KGH & NGH)
Please note this is 24 hours, this role includes enhancements for unsocial hours
Tuesday & Wednesday Nightshift 22.00 - 08.00
Friday 17.00 - 22.00
Are you calm under pressure, great with people, and confident using technology We are looking for an enthusiastic Telephonist to join our busy, friendly Switchboard team - a vital part of our 24/7 hospital service.
This is an exciting time to join us as we work towards our ambitious Group Digital Strategy, aiming to become the most digital hospital group in England. You'll play a key role in supporting seamless communication across both Kettering General Hospital and Northampton General Hospital.
Main duties of the job
As a Telephonist, you'll be at the heart of our communication systems, acting as the first point of contact for patients, staff, visitors and partner organisations. Every call you handle helps ensure safe, efficient, and compassionate care.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Professionally operating our Group switchboard consoles and responding to calls courteously and efficiently
- Handling enquiries and connecting outgoing calls
- Managing emergency and non-emergency paging systems
- Monitoring key alarm systems such as fire alarms, medical gas alarms, pharmacy fridge alarms and other critical alerts
- Ensuring emergency teams are directed quickly and accurately to the right locations
- Providing Out-of-Hours reception support when required
- Liaising with clinical and non-clinical teams across both hospitals
- Updating and maintaining on-call rotas and key directory information
- Booking taxis for staff, patients or equipment when needed
- Supporting CCTV monitoring within the switchboard area when requested
- Assisting with training new team members
- Working flexibly across day, evening and night shifts, including weekends, to support our essential 24/7 service
About us
Please submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close adverts once we have received sufficient applications
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is on an exciting journey with all of our divisions committed to doing things better, with more efficiency as we update, modernise, and advance. We have also entered a Group Model with neighbouring Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust and become University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN). As part of this collaborative approach, there may be a requirement for you to work across both the Kettering and Northampton hospital sites, depending on the needs of the service.
Our Excellence Values
- Compassion
- Accountability
- Respect
- Integrity
- Courage
We want to recruit the best people to deliver our services across UHN and help to unleash everyone's full potential.
UHN encourages applications from people who identify from all protected groups. 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 recognise the valuable contribution that the Armed Forces community make to our organisation. We have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and achieved Silver Award under the Armed Forces Employer Recognition Scheme.
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 UHN.
Job description
Job responsibilities
We're seeking someone who is:
- Confident communicating with a wide range of people, including during distressing or challenging situations
- Able to adapt communication styles to individual needs
- Calm, polite and helpful under pressure
- Skilled in multitasking, prioritising and working accurately
- Comfortable with telephony systems, switchboard tools and keyboard input
- Motivated, resilient and aligned with our Group values:Compassion, Accountability, Respect, Integrity and Courage
Experience within a switchboard or publicsector communications role is desirable, but not essential we will provide full training.
Please see attached JD documents for full description of the job.
Person Specification
Knowledge and Experience
- Evidence of continuing professional development
- Knowledge of Switchboard directories / telephony systems
- Experience of delivering a switchboard function preferably in the public sector
- Knowledge of Avaya telephony
- Knowledge of pager solutions and the management of pager devices
Qualifications
- Educated to Vocational Level 2 education or equivalent level or equivalent experience delivering Digital services
- Knowledge of working within a health care setting
Skills
- Good verbal and written communication and presentation skills, suitable for a range of audiences.
- Ability to adapt communication style to understand the needs of others, ensure effective and compassionate communication.
- Ability to communicate in instances, where communication is difficult due to language barriers, distress, emotion and hearing difficulties.
- Advanced telephone and keyboard skills
- Occasional working in isolation
- Able to clearly manage priorities for self, staff and teams in order to meet targets.
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
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Kettering General Hospital
Rothwell Road
Kettering
NN16 8UZ
Employer's website
https://www.kgh.nhs.uk/working-for-us