Controller/Call Handler (Out of Hours) in Carlisle

We are looking for a highly motivated individual to join us as a Controller/Call Handler (Out of Hours) working from our Head Office in Carlisle. This role will suit caring individuals with a professional and courteous manner and excellent communication skills. Controllers ensure that patients receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time by giving advice and distributing calls appropriately. An extensive induction and comprehensive training is provided.

The post holder will be required to work 25+ hours over a 4 week rota on weekends only.

Main duties of the job:

• The post holder will be the initial point of contact for patients and professionals telephoning to request Primary Medical care Out of Hours.
• The Control Room operates 24/7; this role is primarily for the out of hours services.
• You will be working in an efficient but busy and pressured control room environment.
• The post holder will be responsible for taking urgent primary care calls in the daytime and/or out of hours.
• This post requires an individual to keep up to date with all services commissioned including Virtual Services, Digital Remote Monitoring and seasonal services.

All staff are expected to work to Cumbria Health Values:

• Clinically Focussed - Our patients are at the heart of all we do
• Responsive - We listen and respond together
• One Team - Working together through strong partnerships
• Growth & Sustainability - With our strong roots we will continue to thrive and grow
• Communities - Connecting with communities to meet local needs
• High Standards - We strive for excellence in all that we do.

About us:

Cumbria Health places the patient, their family and their community at the heart of everything we do. We are an award-winning organisation, the first out-of-hours organisation in the country to be rated as outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). We provide primary health care services, both in and out of hours, across Cumbria. We are values-driven and place great emphasis on inclusivity and the wellbeing and development of our staff, while striving to provide a consistently high-quality service.

Job responsibilities:

• Deal with calls from the public/health professionals in a prompt and professional manner, calls are randomly audited with feedback provided on a monthly basis.
• Coordinate information from incoming calls in order to alert the necessary medical personnel/services to meet the patients' needs.
• Follow advice, guidance and requests from the Supervisor on shift to ensure the smooth running of the service across the county.
• Follow in-house protocols and procedures to match patient symptoms/criteria with available services.
• Ensure you log into the relevant Control Room Dashboard online guide for reference on shift.
• Maintain knowledge and meet training requirements for any new services or changes to current service provision.
• Liaise with a wide range of internal personnel and outside agencies e.g. Clinicians, Pharmacy, NWAS call centres, District Nurses, and Paramedics.
• To ensure the Cumbria Health guide and all relevant I.T. systems for the Controller role are logged into and uploaded.
• To ensure control room equipment is fully functional at all times, reporting any problems to the Control Room Supervisor.
• To use a variety of computerised systems to record patient details.
• Keep up to date with all changes in the processing of patient details through the various systems dependant on need.
• Regularly log onto your Cumbria Health email account and familiarise yourself with the Cumbria Health website.
• To log onto the Cumbria Health.North email account when required on shift.
• To be flexible and adaptable with regards to shifts and support your team in rota cover particularly over busy periods such as Christmas and Easter.
• To adhere to all CUMBRIA HEALTH Policies and Procedures.
• Participate and ensure own ongoing development, maintaining compliance for mandatory training.
• To meet the OOH Controller Competence Matrix within your induction period.
• Training can be given to enable the post holder to progress into District Nurse, Despatch, Virtual Reception or Daytime Controller shifts.
• Maintain a high level of confidentiality and comply with the Data Protection Act.
• Carry out any other reasonable duties in departments/locations as and when required.

Person Specification:

• Experience: Experience of working with various I.T. systems, confidence in adapting to new systems, previous experience working within the NHS, previous experience in a similar role.
• Qualifications: GCSE English and Maths (or equivalent), IT or system training qualifications, NVQ Business Administration.
• Other requirements: Willingness to undertake further training especially in the systems and services required for this role.
• Personal Attributes: Positive and good team player, confident, well organised with good time keeping, flexible with the ability to work at late notice.
• Skills and Aptitudes: Excellent oral and written communication skills, friendly, helpful and 'can do' approach, close attention to detail, excellent organisational skills, ability to problem solve, desire to continue learning.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.