Switchboard Operator

Job Overview

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 the hospital is responsible for the care of the most severely injured patients involved in a major trauma for a wide variety 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. Working as part of the team, the post-holder will acquire the skill of receiving emergency calls and coordinating alerts to emergency response staff for the Trust’s four 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 and may directly influence health outcomes and safe incident management.

• Answer calls to the switchboard in a polite and correct manner.
• Use the switchboard console correctly and respond quickly and calmly to all alarms.
• Initiate emergency procedures and ensure card‑activated doors are open in emergency conditions.
• Log all emergency call details, monitor alarms, and implement the appropriate procedures.
• Call security for inbound helicopters.
• Respond to varying levels of switchboard traffic.
• Report faults to the appropriate service provider out of hours.
• Provide general information to members of the public and to colleagues on the incoming shift.
• Operate University Clinical Trials computers: inputting data, changing appointments, recording any problems, and, if necessary, contacting on‑call staff.
• Bleep management: operate multitone bleep system, divert bleeps as requested, keep bleep information up to date, replace batteries, and test speech/ team bleeps daily.
• Radio pager management: understand different types of pagers, access them, replace batteries, and follow Trust policy and procedures relating to calls, emergency calls, major incident procedure, cardiac and fire procedures, data protection, health and safety, and battery exchange.

• GCSE or equivalent.
• Knowledge of Excel, Word and Outlook.
• Disclosure and Barring Service background check (as required by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974).
• Familiarity with emergency and major incident procedures, data protection and health & safety.
• Experience with multitone bleep and radio pager systems.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to remain calm under pressure.

• Previous Switchboard experience.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research. The Trust consists of four hospitals – the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and Horton General Hospital in Banbury.

The Trust’s values, standards and behaviours are encapsulated in ‘Delivering Compassionate Excellence’ and focus on compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence. Find out more at