Job requirements
Essential
15 listedRequirements the employer expects applicants to meet.
- Experience
Experience of working within a customer service role/environment.
- Qualifications
GCSE at A-C (or equivalent) qualifications
- Qualifications
Basic skills in literacy and numeracy.
- Skills/Knowledge
Good communication skills with the ability to develop effective working relationships throughout the organisation
- Skills/Knowledge
Good organisational skills and the ability to address and develop solutions to problems
- Skills/Knowledge
Ability to work on own initiative and as part of team.
- Skills/Knowledge
Evidence of good written and verbal communication skills.
- Skills/Knowledge
Able to follow written instructions and procedures
- Skills/Knowledge
Good attention to detail.
- Personal Qualities
Ability to work alone, unsupervised, whilst remaining able to prioritise conflicting demands.
- Personal Qualities
Ability to cope with demanding and pressured situations.
- Personal Qualities
Flexible approach to working hours and duties.
- Personal Qualities
Dedication and commitment to the team.
- Personal Qualities
Customer focused with a excellent telephone manner.
- Personal Qualities
Approachable and tactful.
Desirable
3 listedAdditional qualities the employer would prefer.
- Experience
Experience of working in a switchboard environment.
- Experience
Experience of working in an acute hospital environment.
- Qualifications
NVQ in Customer Services, or willing to work towards.
Job overview
The job role within the switchboard office is varied, our priority is answering the telephone calls, we receive on average 28,500 a month, the calls come into the switchboard via different lines and are answered in the following order, The Emergency Calls, The Emergency Communication Calls, The GP Calls, the External Calls, The Internal Calls and each operator has their own internal extension.
The high priority call to answer is the Emergency line, we receive on average 500 Emergency Calls each month. On many occasions these emergency’s calls are not straight forward and we have to use our initiative to get a good outcome.
The shift patterns that someone could expect for a role in switchboard are
06.00-14.00
14.00-22.00
22.00-06.00
Main duties of the job
Some of the responsibilities you will have are:
- Emergency calls that are made to the switchboard, these are usually via a 2222 call, these include Maternity Emergencies, Paediatric Emergencies, Cardiac Arrests, Stroke Alerts, Stroke Thrombolysis, Massive Blood Loss, Traumas and RPI’s. These groups are tested on a daily basis to ensure all emergency bleeps are working correctly, following an emergency call we are responsible for getting the on-call teams to the right place, procedures vary slightly in hours and out of hours.
- External Emergency calls to the Fire Brigade and Police.
- On- call Rotas for all departments within the trust, we check these rotas on a daily basis and transfer this information onto our Doctors Board and issue a daily on call list to various individuals across the trust.
- The booking of contract taxis, these can be to take a patient home, to take patients medication or belongings home, arrange the transfer of pathology samples to other hospitals, to transfer staff who are working at other trusts or collecting staff who have gone on a transfer with a patient to another hospital, we also book the contract taxis for the psychic liaison team for patients who are being discharged from A & E.
- Issuing of Loan Alertive devices
- Assisting Site Manager for issuing Radios to the on- call teams in the event of switchboard or bleep system failure.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the full job description and person specification attached for more details on the job role.
WhatsApp job alerts
Get instant WhatsApp alerts for Band 3 Switchboard operator roles in Bury St Edmunds
Create your Job Clerk account first. We'll collect your alert preferences during onboarding and help you turn on WhatsApp notifications for matching healthcare roles.
Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Switchboard Operator with West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust in Bury St Edmunds, England. It is listed as a Band 3 Switchboard operator role. The advertised salary is £25,760 - £27,476 per annum pro rata. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 28 Oct 2026.
Before you apply, compare the job description with the person specification and mirror the employer's essential criteria in your supporting information. Use the vacancy title, employer, location, salary, contract type, closing date and posted date (14 Oct 2026) to decide whether this role fits your current NHSjob search. If the employer can close applications early, prepare the application before the stated deadline rather than waiting for the final day.
For more context, review related Job Clerk pages for the same profession, band or location where they exist, then use the application-support guides to tailor your statement and prepare for interview.