Switchboard & Helpdesk Operative-Forth Valley Royal Hospital

Job Title: Switchboard & Helpdesk Co-ordinator
Location: Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Larbert
Hours: 37 hours per week across Monday to Sunday (24 hour service, hours to suit business needs therefore must be flexible)
Salary: Upto £30,230.00 per annum + Excellent Serco Benefits

The purpose of the Switchboard & Helpdesk Co-ordinator is to provide a helpful and professional Switchboard and Helpdesk service in line with NHS Forth Valley and Serco requirements in order to maintain a safe and helpful hospital environment.  The post holder will be required to receive, direct and inform callers projecting a professional, polite image at all times.

The Forth Valley Royal Hospital has 860 beds and covers a single site of approximately 95,000 square metres. The Switchboard and Helpdesk will operate 24 hours a day 7 days per week.  The post holder will be expected to cover the main hospital switchboard and helpdesk.  The area will deal with all incoming telephone calls to site and all helpdesk requests. This will generate in excess of 750,000 calls per year.  There are no resources or budgetary responsibility to the post.

Main Accountabilities:

• Patient Client Care

• • No direct contact with patients, however may deal with patient queries via the telephone.
  • Answering enquiries relating to single patient search through eWard System to allow transfer to appropriate department or provide caller with department information.

• Policy and Service

• • Operate the Switchboard/Helpdesk in an efficient, pleasant manner following all policies and procedures and ensuring at all times customers receive a helpful and informative service.
  • Call handling, answering enquiries forwarding requests to designated locations.
  • Responsible for paging systems, emergency and alarm calls, in line with the agreed policies and protocols but not limited to for Cardiac arrest, major haemorrhage or fire calls.
  • In the event of a breakdown of the system operate contingency plans and follow agreed policies with regard to major incidents or infrastructure.
  • Responsible for updating telephone records.
  • In the event of a breakdown of the system operate contingency plans
  • Maintain rosters and on call information on behalf of the Board
  • Logging and prioritising service requests in to CAFM system, providing the user with a unique work order reference, response and rectification time.
  • Record on CAFM system retrospective tasks in line with agreed processes for services as required.
  • Comply with associated policies and procedures.
  • Maintain all required records and paperwork in line with Health and Safety, Quality and Serco/Board policies and procedures. This includes on-call records for medical staff.
  • Undertake other ad hoc duties as prescribed by Team Leader/Manager and within scope of skill and capability.
  • Ensure all records are kept accurately and timeously
  • Report faults to Serco IT department or external parties for faults on systems
  • To report any Health and Safety hazards around the site as per procedures
  • Wear correct uniform and correct PPE.

• Finance and Physical Assets

• • Issuing of internal pagers to clinical staff, recording lost/stolen items and ensuring those that need maintenance are given to IT.

• Use of switchboard equipment,
• PC based systems
• Reporting procedures.
• IR1 / Assure Reporting system.
• Display Screen Equipment system (DSE)
• Major incident protocols
• Alarm systems
• Computer Aided Facilities Management system (CAFM)
• Automated Guided Vehicle systems (AGV)
• Paging systems
• Automated Guided Vehicle system (AGV)
• Voicemail
• Communication systems, Switchboard, hand held equipment
• Major incident alert
• PC equipment
• Headsets
• Alarm and information systems
• CAFM system
• AGV system
• Paying Paging systems
• Wifi Phones
• Printer
• Laminator

• Staff Management/Supervision, Human Resources, Leadership and/or Training
  • Support other departments with helpdesk queries to meet the key parameters for each service.  Monitor, prioritise and escalate jobs to the relevant staff/department that are close to breaching completion time parameters.
  • Participate as a full member of the team, through supporting and carrying out training, working flexibly as required to cover other members of the team including switchboard/helpdesk and provide operational support when required for Reception.

• Information Resources
  • Out of hours the Switchboard/Helpdesk operator will support departments with queries and where possible provide advice, where this cannot be resolved the relevant manager should be contacted.
  • Monitor PDA activity and ensure users have logged in and out during working shift.
  • Follow agreed procedure activate Helpdesk job processes.

• Research and Development
• Receive calls to helpdesk and follow agreed procedures for recording, initiating action and response to customer.  Raise work orders for tasks, compliments or complaints with respect to services provided by Serco through the email account.

Skills

• Communication

• Helpdesk/Switchboard Operators will have access to confidential information relating to patients and must understand the information in the context of the patient, Board Trust and maintain confidentiality of information at all times.
• The job requires extensive communication with patients, visitors, Board Trust staff and Serco staff of routine information, e.g. giving directions, receiving instructions
• Develop and maintain good working relationships with internal and external parties, providing a link between customer and service delivery.

• Analytical

• The Post Holder is assigned work on a daily basis. The post holder will respond to challenging/traumatic incidences and be subject to conflicting priorities.
• Advice and support are readily available from the Team Leader when on shift, however the post holder will be expected to work on his or her own initiative when the team leader is not available.
• Will need to deal with customer complaints in the first instance.

• Planning and Organising

• • Participate as a full member of the team, through supporting and carrying out training, working flexibly as required to cover other members of the team including reception duties.

• Physical Skills

• Be multi skilled in a variety of tasks and use of equipment
• Occasional manual handling
• Computer and keyboard skills obtained through experience and practice
• Occasional risk of dealing with dissatisfied or distressed staff, patients and visitors

Effort and Environment

• Physical

• Mainly office based with some movement around the building.
• The job holder will be required to spend considerable time in an office environment monitoring of switchboard and helpdesk systems using a computer
• Frequent requirement to sit in a restricted position for the majority of working time
• Input data for a significant time each day.
• Manual dexterity for operating equipment.

• Mental

• Will provide first line of response in event of a major incident.
• Maintain level of general awareness during the shift.
• Responding to sensitive situations.
• Dealing with distressed people.
• Require to deal with conflicting priorities as situation arise and call traffic volume

• Emotional

• • Responding to sensitive situations.

• Working Conditions

• Occasional exposure to unpleasant working environment.
• Frequent / occasional exposure to verbal abuse.

5.      FREEDOM TO ACT WITHIN THE JOB

• Will deal with customer enquiries in the first instance
• Advice and support are available from Team Leader and General Manager.

6. KNOWLEDGE, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED TO DO THE JOB

• Knowledge of site lay out and local area
• Requires a professional and sympathetic approach to people
• Use of Switchboard and Helpdesk communication and recording systems
• Use of monitoring systems
• Completion of mandatory training as specified within training plan
• Risk Management
• Health and Safety
• Competent in dealing with emergency and other high pressured situation in a calm and rationale manner.
• Contractual understanding of NHS Processes

What we offer:

• Salary: Competitive salaries with annual reviews.
• Pension: Up to 6% contributory pension scheme.
• Holidays: 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays (Agenda For Change) 
• Training and development: We offer a wide range of learning opportunities with over 1,100 internal courses available, funding for qualifications and apprenticeships, mentoring opportunities, and a focus on internal progression.
• Wellbeing: 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme, BUPA Anytime HealthLine, wellbeing app, Simplyhealth cash plans to claim back money towards healthcare costs, 30% off at Serco-managed leisure centres.
• Discounts: Save across around 1,000 retailers, from food and clothing to days out, entertainment and travel.
• ShareSave scheme: Helps you save regularly with the choice to buy Serco shares at a discount at the end of your savings period.
• Employee networks: Dedicated networks where colleagues can come together to find support, share challenges, discuss ideas, network and be part of a community.
• Charity: Support a charity or organisation with a paid volunteering day each year. You can also choose to donate to your favourite charity tax-free, through our Payroll Giving Scheme.

All Serco employees must ensure that their current line manager is aware of their application.  For confidential enquiries please contact MyHR. Serco are Disability Confident Leader employers and are committed to employing and retaining people with disabilities.  Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview. For help with your application please contact 0345 010 4000.