To wonder how you become a 999 responder?

[GraceyBeaker]

I think I quite fancy this job but I’m struggling to work out how you get ‘in’. My grammar is good as is my manner on the phone, and I’ve done a healthcare based degree so would be able to discuss that at interview.

Anybody have personal experience getting into such a job? I’m in the north-west.

The police advertise them in midlands.

Depends who you want to work for.

BT answer the initial 999 call. Then it’s directed to police, fire, ambulance. They all recruit their own staff directly.

And North Yorkshire they have an open day soon to apply ( not sure where your based)

Which service would you work for? They recruit call handlers for each section. Initial person is just an operator.

https://www.google.com/search?q=999+call.handlwr+notthh+weat&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari&jbr=sep:0#vhid=vt%3D20/docid%3DQtFVCnwZy4up_Cq0AAAAAA%3D%3D&vssid=jobs-detail-viewer

There's a 999 call centre in the BT office in Liverpool, if that helps.

I applied last year, did a couple of team sessions and example questions, submitted application.

They rang, said this is brilliant, your experience is exactly what we want/need etc. we just need your GCSES certificate for English and Maths. C grade minimum. I don't have any qualifications. Ruled me out. I was gutted, first time ever (45) my leaving school at 14 has gone against me.

Likely ambulance service due to my interest in health but I think I’d take any service as a way in. Obviously at interview stage I’d present a passion for whatever

There's a magical thing called 'google' and if you type in ambulance call handler, you will get a lot of information.

No need to be sarcastic. I have googled obviously but I didn’t find a page that had a specific application form. I wanted to hear folks experiences and tips on how they managed at interview. That’s what an online forum is for

You can get info via the NHS app

I used to do this job. I applied directly with the trust which for me was WMAS, keep an eye on NHS jobs. All training is provided you do need 5 GCSE's if I recall A-C. You have to do a typing test and a critical thinking test.

My background was totally unrelated but I had done lots of people management and was in a mid senior role so used to being under pressure, making decisions etc.

My boyfriend has just applied for this in Scotland. We have a website for nhs Scotland that lists all the jobs and you can get alerts when they come up so you can apply. He’s already doing a phone/customer service job and part of the criteria is to be able to accurately type 30 words a min but different areas will require different skills.

I used to do this for the police. Had to do a typing test - speed/accuracy. I wouldn’t worry about prior knowledge, the training is thorough. Theyre likely to want to know you can handle difficult people, stay calm under pressure (which could be someone dying on the other end of the phone, or it could be someone screaming and swearing at you), take in lots of information, ask clear questions.

Bear in mind it’s normally 12 hour shifts, days and nights.

It doesnt work like that. There is no such thing as a 999 responder job. You are either in the ambulance serice, police or fire. You dont apply for the police and give a preference of ambulance for example. You also dont 'cross over' from police to ambulance without a whole other application and interview and new training, just like if you were to apply again

Not really on topic but there was a very good drama in bbc sounds called something like Life Line which you might be interested in

You couldn't find the NHS careers website for your area, no?! Yes forums are for good but there is also a wealth of information that is actually right online.

www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/ambulance-service-team/roles-ambulance-service/emergency-medical-dispatchercall-handler

www.careers.nhs.scot/explore-careers/ambulance-services/emergency-call-handler/

www.scottishambulance.com/our-services/who-will-care-for-you/call-taker/

www.nhsjobs.com/job_list/Emergency_Services/s3/Call_Handlers_Control_Room_Staff/d953

It depends what you actually want to do.

The easiest role to ‘get into’ in an ambulance 999 directorate is that of an Emergency Care Assistant (ECA) or Emergency & Urgent Care Support Worker. My Trust offers this course as part of an Apprenticeship or direct entry.

The next level up is a kind of junior clinician role - Associate Ambulance Practitioner (AAP). Some Trusts off this an Apprenticeship and some offer a direct entry.

To become a Paramedic you have to have a HCPC approved degree in Paramedic Science. So you either have to go to University as a UCAS student or get into a service and work your way up to being able to apply for internal pathways.

All ambulance trusts will advertise roles on the NHS Jobs website and usually on their own website. Here is NWAS’ website
https://www.nwas.nhs.uk/careers/vacancies/#!/job_list/s3/Emergency_Services?_ts=1

Our local police force advertises this job every 3 months. Check your local force's jobs page.

NW Ambulance Service (NWAS) cover Lancs, Merseyside/Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Cumbria.

Have a look at their website - they advertise vacancies there as well as on TRAC (the NHS job portal).

You could also look at being a 111 call handler if you wanted - I knew people who used to work in 111 for a bit and then apply to move across to 999 calls.

The BBC Ambulance series show a bit of what it is like to be a call handler.

I have a relative who takes 999 calls for the police.

One thing to be aware of is that police call handlers receive not only police 999 calls but also any calls where the service needed couldn't be determined - so when someone calls and is unintelligible or screaming so it's not known if they need police/ambulance/fire (they then reroute calls but also have a couple of specially trained staff on site for emergency medical issues).

From what I've heard of the job, you need to be incredibly resilient to deal. After a very long recruitment process (including multiple tests - aptitude, medical, hearing, personality) all of the successful day one recruits were taken to a room and played some calls. The very first call my relatives cohort heard was a 'couldn't determine the service call' as it was simply a woman screaming. Then when she was able to speak, it became clear that it was because she'd just found her two month old baby passed away. They listened to a number of other calls that day, equally horrific. People committing suicide whilst literally on the line to the call handler. People finding their children or spouses dead. Horrific RTA's with awful, graphic details of injuries and deaths. Children screaming blood curdling screams in the background.

That was day 1, there was no easing into it - and several people (who'd completed a 5 month recruitment process) simply never returned on day 2.

I'm fairly resilient and not easily upset but there's no way I could do that job.

Where has the OP specified she wants a call handler role?

I wouldn't do it.

My best friends dad is ex-military and ex-police (ACC) and has seen it all. He took it up after he retired just to have a 'job' so to speak. He lasted six months - said the calls were worse than being a first responder. She said he had nightmares of some of the calls he had taken.

If you want to do it, then just google/keep an eye on relevant force websites. But it really is not a glamorous job and it can be very testing on even the most resilient of people.

It seems pretty clear from the ops posts.

I'm sure she would have specified if she'd wanted to be a police officer, firefighter or paramedic 😂

I thought a 999 responder was a solo ambulance technician!