We are expanding, come and grow with us! Do you have excellent communication, listening and computer skills, enjoy solving problems and genuinely want to make a difference in the lives of others? If so, join our army of life-savers as a Health Advisor taking 999 and 111 calls. Being a Health Advisor is challenging but rewarding as you can directly help those most in need. You will work as part of a close-knit team of people who have a passion for helping those in crisis, where no two days are the same. You don’t need any medical knowledge, and full training in managing calls and use of our systems will be provided.

This role could be the first step of a great career in healthcare and can give you the knowledge to go even further. In this role you will:

• Be a strong communicator, asking questions in a way which can help assess a callers needs in a pressurised environment, where time is of the essence.
• Manage calls supported by a computerised medical assessment tool, to help give patients the most appropriate care response. From an ambulance in life-threatening emergencies, through to a GP appointment, dentist appointment, or referring the patient to a range of community-based services, such as a walk-in-center.

Please ensure that you have read the shift pattern document attached before applying. As a 24/7/365 service, you will be expected to work Bank Holidays including Christmas. Any Bank Holidays worked will be added to your holiday allowance.

As a Health Advisor for the ambulance service you will be the first point of contact with patients, healthcare professionals and other callers. Working within Operations Centre's located at HQ - Newcastle, Hebburn and Wynyard you will use NHS pathways to record patients demographics and clinical information to assess their condition to ensure they are directed to the most appropriate healthcare professional or service.

You will provide basic advice and health information to patients calling 111, supporting callers to access the appropriate level of care.

Your Training is pass or fail and whilst you will be trained initially to handle 111 calls, over the next 12 months it is expected that you will be given additional skills, via a career progression programme, to enable you to handle 999 Emergency calls. All of our Health Advisors are expected to take both types of calls.

On occasion you may be required to work from one of our alternative sites, to enable the Trust to fulfil its obligations.

In line with the code of practice on English language requirements for public sector workers applicants must have the ability to converse under pressurised circumstances with members of the public and document and provide instruction in accurate spoken and written English.

We employ 3,500 staff in 63 locations and serve a population of 2,600,000 in Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, County Durham, and Tees over 3230 square miles.

Many people think the job of the ambulance service is to collect patients and take them to hospital, but we do much more!

Paramedic skills have developed hugely in recent years, meaning we carry out more treatment at the scene and en-route to hospital.

We have a dedicated clinical assessment service that allows us to provide patients with the most appropriate care from the beginning of the patient journey.

We have a specialised branch of the Trust called HART which deal with explosions or terrorist attacks.

Ultimately patients are the heart of everything that we do to support our mission of "safe, effective and responsive care for all".

We value and respect the diversity employees bring to our workplace. We recruit a workforce that reflects the community we serve, and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds. To ensure we deliver on our aims in relation to diversity and inclusion we assess ourselves against a range of frameworks. We are ENEI Gold employer, Disability Confident Leader, Dyslexia Smart Award employer, Dementia Friendly, and part of Mind Blue Light programme and the Race at Work Charter from the Princes Responsible Business Network and are achieving across all objectives in NHS Equality Delivery System.

Please ensure you take a look at the job description attached for full details of duties and responsibilities

Band 3 Plus potential salary including unsocial hours payments; from £31,500-£34,000 pa depending on rota/pro rata.

This role involves handling emergency and urgent calls, including exposure to potentially traumatic and distressing situations such as serious illness, injury and death.

Candidates should be aware of the emotional demands of the role and carefully consider their personal resilience and wellbeing when applying.

We are committed to supporting the wellbeing of our staff and provide access to appropriate support mechanisms throughout training and employment. We encourage applicants to consider any support they may need and to discuss this with us at any stage of the recruitment process.