Switch Board Supervisor

The Christie is an international leader in cancer research and development and the largest cancer treatment centre of its kind in Europe.
The Facilities division has a vacancy for a band 3 Switch Board Supervisor role within the Switchboard department. All work will be supported by risk assessments.
The Switch Board Supervisor will provide supervision and guidance to switch board team and be responsible for the standards of the Switchboard department ensuring that engagement and communication with all staff is a priority. The successful applicant will work with management to review current practice and develop services as required.
Applicants should be Enthusiastic, Smart, Flexible, Reliable, decisive, show initiative in all situations and have excellent Customer Service skills
Job Purpose
To be responsible for the day today operation of the switchboard service. To ensure that competent trained staff are on duty at all times as agreed with the rota covering 7 days per week
Responsibilities and Duties
1. Communication and Relationship Skills
To allocate duties to all available staff on a daily basis following an assessment of competence.
To liaise with trust staff regarding on call details to ensure that the correct staff are contacted as required during core hours and out of hours.
To communicate with and work closely with the other facilities managers and to attend supervisory and 1 to 1 meetings with management.
To communicate effectively to all users of the switchboard both external and internal and act professionally in relation to all trust business.
2. Knowledge Training and Experience
Must have thorough knowledge of all work procedures, practises and equipment for the switchboard operation. Must have thorough knowledge of service acquired through training and experience.
Must be able to handle emergency call process for Cardiac Arrest, and any call requiring immediate action and assistance.
To identify the training needs of the switchboard staff based on their daily duties and customer service requirements to continually enhance their skills. Responsible for the induction and training programme for all new staff with switchboard responsibilities (switchboard and security teams)
To carry out annual Personal Development Reviews with staff and provide development opportunities after consultation with line manager where appropriate.
3. Analytical and Judgemental Skills
To ensure that all on call and other contact numbers are kept up to date as per medical staff rosters and communicate all details to switchboard and security staff across the 24 hour service.
To deal with emergency calls in a timely and efficient manner that is consistent with trust policies and procedures.
4. Planning and Organisational Skills
To plan and carry out daily checks of crash teams contact details and log information to ensure that all staff are responding to process and accountable.
Ensure that the switchboard rota is known to all team members, escalate any staff shortages in a timely manner.
5. Physical Skills
Have good keyboard skills and manual dexterity associated with Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel
6. Responsibility for Patients/Client Care
To ensure that GDPR regulations are maintained at all times so that no personally identifiable information is given out
If requests for patient details are made post holder should liaise with duty management to respond as appropriate.
To ensure that are enquiries from the press or in relation to major initiatives are forwarded to the Communication and Marketing Teams.
7. Responsibility for Policy/Service Development
To ensure that Switchboard Standard Operating Procedure and associated actions are accurate and maintained in up to date format.
8. Responsibility for Financial and Physical Resources
To ensure that switchboard equipment is kept up to date and serviceable ie Headsets, Bleeps and emergency radios.
9. Responsibility for Human Resources
To manage all the switchboard staff, cover holidays, sickness etc and allocate overtime as required.
To provide training for security staff in all aspects of switchboard duties and to sign off all staff when competent to use the switchboards.
To complete entry of staff hours on e-pay and to update ESR with absence details.
To carry out Return to Work interviews with staff and highlight any capability issues to line manager as appropriate.
10. Responsibility for Information Resources
To be fully compliant with the use of the Trust internet system HIVE. To ensure that switchboard team can accurately locate staff members on request, identify medical secretaries etc. and be fully conversant with health record appointment systems so that patients can be put through to the correct departments.
11. Responsibility for Research and Development
To liaise with management to continuously develop and improve the switchboard service.
12. Freedom to Act
To take overall responsibility for the switchboard in the absence of the management and out of hours. Work is managed. Work within agreed policies and procedures.
13. Physical Effort
Whilst working in the switchboard role there will be a frequent requirement to sit in a restricted position for most of the shift.
14. Mental Effort
Switchboard staff must be able ring of duty staff to come in, in the event of an emergency as instructed by senior management.
Must respond to immediate problems.
Supervising a number of staff, responding to telephone requests etc. Concentration required when trying to identify who the caller wishes to speak to, to decide if they require clinical assistance.
15. Emotional Effort
To be regularly exposed to upsetting and emotional telephone conversations with patients and their relatives, particularly out of hours when they are requesting medical advice and support or simply need someone to talk to.
16. Working Conditions
Closed room with no natural light where intense concentration is required throughout the shift.
NB. This job description is not exhaustive. It may be necessary to alter or add work to run the switchboard efficiently.
This could mean working in another area of the department but this will only be done after discussion with the employee