Job summary
- Main area
- Emergency Operations Centre
- Grade
- Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (37.5)
- Job ref
- 308-EOC-0004
- Employer
- London Ambulance Service NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Waterloo or Newham
- Town
- London
- Salary
- £32,450 - £35,240 pa inc *Actual salary will vary dependent on unsocial hrs worked
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 03/07/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Trainee Emergency Call Handler - Waterloo/Newham
Band 3
Our vision is to deliver outstanding emergency and urgent care whenever and wherever needed for everyone in London, 24/7, 365 days a year. We are the busiest emergency ambulance service in the UK serving one of the world’s most dynamic and diverse cities. We provide emergency and urgent healthcare that is free to patients at the time they receive it.
We are the only NHS provider trust to serve the whole of London and the nine million people who live in, work in or visit the city. We cover an area of 620sq miles and have more than 8,000 people who work or volunteer for us – rising to 10,000 when including bank staff and students.
We answer around two million 999 calls a year and our crews attend more than 3000 emergencies a day. Our 24-hour 111 integrated urgent care services London answer around two million calls a year.
We play a leading role in integrating access to emergency and urgent care in the capital and are striving to ensure patients receive the right response, in the right place, at the right time
Our main role is to respond to emergency 999 calls, providing medical care to patients across the capital, 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. Other services we offer include providing pre-arranged patient transport and finding hospital beds. Working with the police and the fire service, we are prepared for dealing with large-scale or major incidents in the capital.
Job overview
DO YOU THRIVE IN A HIGH PRESSURE ENVIRONMENT?
WANT TO BE THE FIRST PERSON SOMEONE SPEAKS TO WHEN THEY CALL FOR AN EMERGENCY AMBULANCE?
BE THE VOICE TO REASSURE AND SUPPORT?
WOULD YOU LIKE TO DEVELOP YOUR CAREER WITH THE LONDON AMBULANCE SERVICE?
IF SO, YOU COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
This is a vital role for the London Ambulance Service, receiving and taking charge of all incoming emergency calls. You are the first point of contact for our callers and patients, some of whom will be distressed, anxious or panicking. Using effective communication, interpersonal and persuasive skills, you will deal with all callers in a professional manner in order to obtain the required essential patient information.
Using the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS), you will obtain an initial assessment of both the patient and the scene in an efficient manner. You will also be responsible for accurately recording essential patient information in a precise and timely manner.
Proposed assessment date: w/c 7th July
Proposed interview date: w/c 14th July
Please note you must hold:
- Relevant English & Maths Qualifications
As apart of role requirements for the job you will need to provide evidence of a minimum of 3 GCSE’s or equivalent at grade C / 5 or above (including Maths and English, NVQ level 3 in a relevant subject or equivalent). You will need to evidence these qualifications at the conditional offer stage. Failure to provide this recruitment team could lead to your conditional offer being withdrawn.
Main duties of the job
You must be able to remain calm in an emergency. When people are panicking, your role is to be clear and assertive where required to ensure the caller remains focused. You will need to be able to follow a script and reassure the caller, but also to be firm where necessary about what they need to do.
Our staff are on the end of the line while new life is born into the world and we helped to deliver them. We provide support and reassuring words for someone alone with no one else to turn to. We stay on the line with those who are vulnerable having engaging conversations to find out more information. We are the voice that comforts those who have lost a family member and we are there, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Following a shift you will need to be able to switch off, which can be hard, especially after dealing with difficult calls. As part of a team, your colleagues are there for you and will help, support and enable you to realise the difference that you have made.
Working for our organisation
We are one of the world’s busiest ambulance services. We have around 8,000 staff and volunteers in our Service: around 3,300 frontline crews in ambulance stations across London, 500 people in our two 999 control rooms and hundreds of support staff based in our offices across the city.
Working for us is an experience like no other, in a city like no other. Whatever your role you’ll be helping people who need us the most.
Together, we all play a key part in making sure that we can respond to anyone needing our help 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
We are committed to promoting equal opportunities across everything we do, in terms of employment and training, providing services and our engagement and decision making. We welcome diversity and look for self-motivated, enthusiastic people from all backgrounds who care about making a difference.
What We Can Offer You
- Training Salary of £27,129 p.a inc (Pro rata)
- Generous NHS Pension Scheme
- 27 days annual leave plus additional bank holiday leave allocated
- MPDS qualification (Nationally recognised triage system used in 45 countries)
- NHS Discounts in over 200+ stores including Holidays, Days out, Car insurance, Restaurants and Clothing
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- Effectively answer all types of emergency and non-emergency calls made to the 999 Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) from both Health Care Professionals, external agencies and members of the public
- Ensure all calls are answered and responded to as laid out in the Trust’s policies and procedures
- Be confident in utilising the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system and Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) to accurately enter patient information in an efficient way
- Ensure all details are inputted and passed to relevant personnel to ensure appropriate dispatch of resources
- Deal with complex, sensitive or contentious information regarding a patient’s condition.
- Communicate tactfully and empathetically with callers showing care when handling all calls
- Monitor patient incidents to ensure all information is gathered and the patient’s condition has not deteriorated
- Maintain effective control of the call to ensure efficient handling time to improve the response to the patient
- Remain calm and resilient in a pressurised environment
- Be able to modify and adapt communication styles taking into consideration the differing needs of the callers especially in complex situations
- Be able to effectively communicate and deal with highly emotional callers, including traumatic incidents such as death
- Confident to utilise negotiating skills when handling calls where the caller is abusive or uncooperative
- Cover a 24/7 rotating shift pattern
- Continually maintain standards and develop through annual education and personal development
In your personal statement, please highlight your motivation to apply for the position as well as your experience and skills that you would bring to the organisation.
You will be required to attend a assessment if your application is longlisted. If successful, you will be invited for an interview.
Please note you must hold:
- Relevant English & Maths Qualification
As apart of role requirements for the job you will need to provide evidence of a minimum of 3 GCSE’s or equivalent at grade C / 5 or above (including Maths and English, NVQ level 3 in a relevant subject or equivalent). You will need to evidence these qualifications at the conditional offer stage. Failure to provide this recruitment team could lead to your conditional offer being withdrawn.
Person specification
Qualifications and Experience
Essential criteria
- Minimum of 3 GCSE’s or equivalent at grade C / 5 or above including Maths and English, NVQ level 3 in a relevant subject or equivalent
Skills and Abilities
Essential criteria
- Inquisitive mind and proven questions skills (The ability to question and obtain relevant information)
- Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with people from diverse backgrounds
Other Requirements
Essential criteria
- Resilience when faced with distressing situations
- Good written skills, Possess basic keyboard skills (including well-presented application form, literacy, spelling with no omissions i.e. fully completed application form)
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Application numbers
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- LAS Recruitment
- Job title
- Recruitment
- Email address
- [email protected]
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