Roles in EOC
There is a variety of roles available within our three emergency operations centres (EOC) based in Bedford, Chelmsford and Norwich.
Our EOC colleagues are the first interaction with the ambulance service the caller will have and are the vital first step in ensuring our patients receive the right care for their needs.
From taking the initial call, to dispatching our frontline colleagues and resources, they are there to make sure we get to you in an emergency.
Emergency call handler
Emergency call handlers manage a variety of calls that come into the emergency operations centre (EOC) from a wide range of different patients, other emergency services and health care professionals, completing patient assessments over the phone using a bespoke triage system.
You will provide clear and concise advice and instructions that could potentially save a life, whilst remaining calm under pressure, supporting and reassuring the caller/patient in what may be a very distressing situation.
Handling a wide range of calls and thriving amid the challenges this presents, requires an outstanding amount of resilience and emotional strength. You will be supporting unwell and upset patients and callers at their time of need, which will make a difference to lives.
Bethany Garner - Emergency Call Handler (5 years)
"Working in the control room and taking 999 calls really opened my eyes to how the ambulance service works - you’ll deliver babies, save lives and maybe loose some (sometimes all in one shift). My advice to anyone joining the Trust is to use the people you have around you – they will be there for you."
Read more about Bethany's #CareerForLife journey
Dispatcher
Dispatchers are responsible for dispatching ambulances and other resources to incidents (including urgent care, community first responders, air ambulance teams, and the hazardous area response team). They work closely with the call handling and clinical team within the emergency operations centre (EOC). Liaising with ambulance crews and other emergency services; police, fire and coastguard is also essential.
This role requires logical and tactical thinking as you manage a workload that can change by the second. You must be able to multitask and manage tasks with competing priorities. You could be assigning an ambulance to a patient who has fallen or sending multiple resources to a cardiac arrest.
Clinical Assessment Service (CAS) assistant
Clinical assessment service (CAS) assistants work within our emergency operations centre (EOC) supporting CAS clinicians in coordinating referrals on their behalf, answering calls from operational colleagues to help support the needs of patients over the telephone as well as liaising with other agencies and hospitals when required. You will possess strong personable skills to assess and support in delivering the correct care to patients across all age groups.
This role requires quality decision making with excellent verbal and written communication skills, the ability to use IT systems effectively across a number of different work streams.
Rita Bains - CAS Team Leader (20 years)
"I had been a clinical support desk clinician for several years before taking up the role as CAS team leader. What I love about my role is that similarly to nursing, I am helping people, I’m giving the right care to the patient, despite not seeing them face to face."
Read more about Rita’s #CareerForLife journey
