A Vacancy at South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.

Your NHS needs YOU!

Why apply for this role?

Our 999 Emergency Call Handlers (Emergency Medical Advisors) are people just like you: people who have come to us from all walks of life, from different backgrounds and age groups, people who all have the same things in common.

You are the first person our patients speak to when they call 999 in an emergency.

Progression Opportunities

We offer excellent training and career development opportunities for ambitious employees both within the call centres and opportunities to explore different roles within the wider Trust such as Human Resources and Administration and operational front-line roles.

What makes a great 999 Emergency Call Handler (Emergency Medical
Advisor)?
• Our 999 Emergency Call Handlers are all caring and empathetic
• They all have great communication skills
• They’re all happy and able to work flexibly
• They all enjoy making a difference to people’s lives

As we are a 24/7 service, this role will involve working a varied shift pattern including earlies, lates and weekends on a rota pattern but due to our flexible working, we will work with you to create a rota that gives you a great work/life balance whilst meeting the needs of the trust.

Full time – 37.5 hours per week.

For a detailed insight in the Call Handler role, please watch our Webinar using the below link:

Please note that it is a requirement to work 2 out of 4 weekends per month.

Why Work At South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
(SECAMB)?

What we can offer you:
• Competitive salary of £21,730 – £23,177 with the earning potential of up to £28,000 per annum.
• Unsocial hours enhancements – For all hours that you work between 8pm and 6am Monday – Friday and all-day Saturday you will earn a shift bonus which means you will earn approximately £15.00 per hour. For Sundays and Public Holidays, you will earn approximately £18.60 per hour.
• 35 days’ annual leave inclusive of Bank Holidays (pro rata)
• Flexible working hours on a rota pattern
• Free parking
• Blue Light discount card Blue Light Card
• Generous NHS Pension Scheme
• Award winning Wellbeing hub
• Staff networks
• Training and development
• Salary Sacrifice schemes for cars or push bikes
• Access to occupational health
• Enhanced DBS check
• Bonus schemes

Training

We will provide full training in a warm, friendly environment in our Emergency Call Centres.

Our comprehensive training programme:
• 9 weeks full time training
• Is full time, even for part time applicants
• Has a ‘must’ attend policy due to you obtaining your Pathways licence
• Comprises of 3 weeks of Monday to Friday classroom training, then observing and mentoring periods within the working environment for a further 6 weeks before you go “live”.
• Is designed to fully support full transition to call handling independently

The role of an Emergency 999 Call Handler (Emergency Medical Advisor)

When you dial 999, your call goes through to a call handler based in one of our 2 Emergency Operation Call Centres. These staff are trained to use the NHS Pathways system to provide assistance in a variety of situations, from minor illness to life threatening situations. The assistance you will provide will range from offering lifesaving advice whilst an ambulance is on route, to directing callers to other more suitable services.

This role can be demanding, challenging, and ultimately very rewarding however, it’s not for everyone. Applicants will need to have a range of skills to be able to deal with often stressful and emotional situations, whilst also demonstrating compassion and empathy to all callers, no matter what the situation.

Applicant Requirements
• Successful applicants demonstrate high levels of personal commitment to facilitate the delivery of a patient-focused service
• We need individuals who have the drive and passion to make a difference to people’s lives, but also the personal resilience to work in a high-pressured environment
• You will need to be able to work well within a team and independently, have fast/accurate typing skills and a good standard of education or equivalent experience
• This role is suited to people who remain calm under pressure, good at problem solving and have excellent interpersonal skills, with an empathetic nature

Further Information

All successful applicants will be required to undertake an Enhanced DBS check for adults and children.

Successful candidates will be given an information Webinar link prior to interview and various interview slots will be available throughout late October and November.

Upcoming training dates

We have availability on courses starting in May and June

This advert closes on Sunday 9 Apr 2023

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

Disability Confident

About Disability Confident

A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.