Job Description

The JD & PS are currently under AfC review and are subject to change.
The principal role will be to work within a team to provide an efficient telephone operator service to the Trust and users of its telephone service from a wide range of backgrounds. The work is wide ranging from the handling of general business calls to the implementation of the Trust emergency procedures.
The shift patterns vary and can cover evenings, weekends and nights and operate 24hrs - 365 days a year.
The interview date for this position will be Tuesday 13th January 2026.
Main duties of the job
To provide an efficient front line telecommunications service for patients, business callers and staff at Mersey and West Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust. The role is wide ranging from the handling of general business calls to the implementation of Trust emergency procedures.
The post holder will work closely with other teams to develop a wide knowledge of the activities and working arrangements of all wards and departments, promoting effective communication to ensure the achievement of Trust objectives.
The post requires the use of several computerised systems and manual systems for the implementation and administration of departmental and Trust Procedures.
Out of hours' the post holder is required to work unsupervised and at times will be a lone worker. The post holder will also work with the support of the Trust's on call management team for escalation purposes.
About us
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.
We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.
Our Services:
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.
Achievements:
o Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
o Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
o National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
Details
Date posted
11 December 2025
Pay scheme
Agenda for change
Band
Band 2
Salary
24,465 a year per annum, pro rata
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Part-time
Reference number
409-7603989
Job locations
Southport Hospital
Town Lane
Southport
PR8 6PN
Job description
Job responsibilities
KEY DUTIES

• To operate the operator terminal to process incoming and outgoing telephone calls; ensuring that calls are delivered efficiently ensuring that callers are kept always informed of progress
• Receive and relay oral and written messages internally, making amendments to rosters, and recording special instructions as required
• To provide help and advice to clients and employees of the Trust requiring direction and assistance
• Implement the Major Incident/ Emergency Response Procedure following the action card
• To operate the Trusts internal paging system including Group Alerts for cardiac arrest and the Bleep/ Radio system
• To provide an out of hours on call systems for Departments within the Trust, recording all requests for non-clinical and clinical staff as directed
• To maintain effective department communication with managers and team members within both the day and night services
• Liaison with relevant suppliers of communication equipment for maintenance purposes
• To ensure that any difficulties in implementing emergency and Operational Policies and Procedures are reported immediately at an appropriate level
• To respond to a range of alarms instigating relevant call out procedures and relaying information as directed.

Job description
Job responsibilities
KEY DUTIES

• To operate the operator terminal to process incoming and outgoing telephone calls; ensuring that calls are delivered efficiently ensuring that callers are kept always informed of progress
• Receive and relay oral and written messages internally, making amendments to rosters, and recording special instructions as required
• To provide help and advice to clients and employees of the Trust requiring direction and assistance
• Implement the Major Incident/ Emergency Response Procedure following the action card
• To operate the Trusts internal paging system including Group Alerts for cardiac arrest and the Bleep/ Radio system
• To provide an out of hours on call systems for Departments within the Trust, recording all requests for non-clinical and clinical staff as directed
• To maintain effective department communication with managers and team members within both the day and night services
• Liaison with relevant suppliers of communication equipment for maintenance purposes
• To ensure that any difficulties in implementing emergency and Operational Policies and Procedures are reported immediately at an appropriate level
• To respond to a range of alarms instigating relevant call out procedures and relaying information as directed.

Person Specification
Other
Desirable

• Willing to travel to various sites via own car/assisted driver

Skills
Essential

• Proficient user of Microsoft Office
• Excellent communication skills, written and oral

Knowledge & Experience
Essential

• Experience of working with telephone as a main function of the job
• Experience producing work in a windows environment, producing basic documents and database entry / searches

Desirable

• Experience of working in an acute trust switchboard
• Experience in handling large volume telephony in multi-line environment

Qualifications
Essential

• Educated to GCSE standard

Desirable

• CLAIT or IBT 2 & 3 or ECDL qualifications
• Customer Service/ Administration / Call Centre Qualification of equivalent experience

Person Specification
Other
Desirable

• Willing to travel to various sites via own car/assisted driver

Skills
Essential

• Proficient user of Microsoft Office
• Excellent communication skills, written and oral

Knowledge & Experience
Essential

• Experience of working with telephone as a main function of the job
• Experience producing work in a windows environment, producing basic documents and database entry / searches

Desirable

• Experience of working in an acute trust switchboard
• Experience in handling large volume telephony in multi-line environment

Qualifications
Essential

• Educated to GCSE standard

Desirable

• CLAIT or IBT 2 & 3 or ECDL qualifications
• Customer Service/ Administration / Call Centre Qualification of equivalent experience

Skills Required