02/06/2026
📞 50,000 calls a month
🧑🤝🧑 Twenty-three colleagues
🕛24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Meet the Switchboard team who work to ensure every call is answered and every message reaches the right place.
Taking around 50,000 calls a month, including around 250 emergency calls, they gather essential information and alert the correct bleep team at the right hospital.
Whether it is a cardiac arrest, trauma call, stroke alert or major haemorrhage, every second counts and accuracy is critical.
Carol Hannaford, who has worked as a telephonist for 22 years, said: “You never know what the next call will bring, but that’s what makes the role so rewarding.”
The team also monitor alarm panels, keeping a close eye on systems such as fire alarms, boilers and medical gas supplies, and is the point of contact for major incident notifications across the south east.
John Weeks, Director of Emergency Planning and Response, said: “The team are crucial in keeping everything connected, especially when things are busy or under pressure.
"It’s not always visible work, but it’s essential, and they handle it with consistency and professionalism. They’re a brilliant team to work with.”
