Job overview
PREVIOUS APPLICANTS NEED NOT APPLY
To work as part of a team which provides comprehensive, high quality switchboard/call handling service to Oxford University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. As a major trauma centre (MTC) the hospital is responsible for care of the most severely injured patients involved in a major trauma for a wide variaety of specialist clinical services. The Switchboard Service has a key function for supporting such emergency responses.
Switchboard Operators are the first point of contact by telephone with the Trust, and can answer general queries regarding the organisation and/or direct callers to the correct department. The Team boasts a breadth of knowledge around key contacts and functions across the Trust and all its sites which supports this.
Working as part of team, the post-holder will acquire the skill of receiving emergency calls and coordinating alert to emergency response staff for the Trust’s 4 acute hospital sites. In case of clinical emergency or major incident, the actions of the Switchboard Operator contribute to ensuring that all relevant clinical and operational expertise is alerted promptly. In this way, the functions of the post-holder may contribute directly to health outcomes and/or safe management of incidents.
Main duties of the job
Call Handling
Answer calls to switchboard in a polite & correct manner
Understand fully how to use the switchboard console
Respond quickly & calmly to all alarms and initiate emergency procedures
Ensures card activated doors are open in emergency conditions.
Log all emergency call details and monitor the alarms implement the appropriate procedure.
Call security for inbound helicopters.
Be responsive to varying levels of switchboard traffic
Understanding technical information on screen
Report faults to the appropriate service provider out of hours.
Provide general information to members of the public
Provide information for colleagues on incoming shift
Operate University Clinical Trials computers, inputting data, changing appointments, recording any problems & where necessary contacting on call staff
Bleep management
- Operation of multitone bleep system including various types of bleeps
- Divert bleeps as requested
- Keep up to date bleep information
- Provide batteries
- Testing Speech/Team bleeps on a daily basis
Radio Pagers
- Understand different types of pager & how to access them
- Provide batteries
- Follow Trust policy and procedures relating to: Responding to calls Dealing with emergency calls Major incident procedure Cardiac and fire procedures Follow data protection act Health & Safety Exchange bleep and radio pager batteries
- Responding to calls
- Dealing with emergency calls
- Major incident procedure
- Cardiac and fire procedures
- Follow data protection act
- Health & Safety
- Exchange bleep and radio pager batteries
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For a Detailed job description and main responsibilities please refer to the Job Description document attached.
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Switchboard Operator with Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Oxford, South East, England. It is listed as a Band 3 Administrative and IT role. The advertised salary is £25,760 - £27,476 per annum pro rata. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 16 Jun 2026.
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