Communications Operator

Main area Switchboard Grade Band 3 Contract Permanent Hours Part time - 24 hours per week (96 Hours over a 4 week period.) Job  

Site Switchboard, Bodmin Hospital Town Bodmin Salary £25,760 - £27,476 Pro Rata Salary period Yearly Closing 05/07/2026 23:59

Thank you for your interest in joining us at Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

We pride ourselves in striving to be an employer of choice.

• Care based on what matters to people.
• Care provided at home or close to home.
• Improvement through learning, research and innovation.
• Prevention and alternatives to hospital.

• Buildings that support health and wellbeing.
• Technology enabled care.
• Care teams are supported by responsive corporate services.
• Safe, efficient, effective and productive.

• A place people love to work and feel valued.
• Living our values with staff (all voices count).
• Attract, grow and develop talent.
• Leaders with compassion, who continuously learn and listen.

• Encourage and enable effective partnerships.
• Joined-up community services.
• Work with others to maximise workforce opportunities.
• Reduce our impact on the environment.

At the NHS, we are reminded every day of how important life is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s job share, part time or another flexible pattern.

In addition, although the role advertised may have a ‘home’ office base indicated, we remain committed to supporting flexibility around workplace locations. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

The Switchboard service is a critical frontline service based at Bodmin Hospital providing a comprehensive, efficient, and quality based communication service across the health community in Cornwall, managing over 240,000 calls per annum. The service supports the Trust, NHS Kernow (KCCG) and One Cornwall (Social Services) with forwarding of calls and message handling in addition to approximately 30 teams/services within the Trust.

It is a vital role in assisting out of hours services and holding the operational ‘on call’ rotas. In addition the Switchboard is the first point of contact for a range of emergency lines-fire phone, intruder alarms, Sowenna staff attack, Bodmin Hospital security CCTV and more recently the Urgent Crisis Referral, as well as the co-ordination of several services such as Cornwall Blood Bikes.

The service is provided 24 hours, 365 days per year and the successful candidate must be prepared to work on rotas across these time frames, which will include weekends, bank holidays and lone working at night, flexibility is essential. You must have previous experience of dealing with the general public and possess excellent communication skills both written and verbal and also be able to adapt quickly to changes.

Previous experience as a telephonist and knowledge of office systems with keyboard and computer skills are desirable.

1 x 24 hour contract is available.

The post holder will be given a minimum of 3 months training to bring them up to speed with the diversity of the services which use the Switchboard. We will ensure you are confident in shifts before you move onto any out of hours working, so you are well equipped to carry out this interesting and varied role. There are shifts where enhanced rates are applied, which will boost your hourly rate when working out of hours.

The post holder will work shifts to provide a comprehensive communication service to all Trust Managers, Department heads and users of the service. The post holder will at all times be courteous and attentive to customers both internally and external to the NHS Health Community within Cornwall. Working within the Communications Department providing a comprehensive central communication service across the whole of Cornwall Partnership Foundation Trust and the Health Community.

Staffing an efficient and quality based communications service over 24 hours, 365…