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  • Hello there, my name is Richard McMunn from the interview training company PassMyInterview.com,

  • and in this tutorial, I will teach you how to pass an NHS 111 Call Handler interview.

  • If you do have one of these interviews coming up, please do make sure you watch this tutorial

  • from beginning to end, because I promise to help you be the stand out candidate. I would

  • like you to pass your interview and to achieve that goal. This is what I will cover… I

  • will give you, example 111 Call Handler questions sample answers to help you prepare for and

  • pass your 111 Call Handler interview. The qualities that you must demonstrate during

  • this interview. Also, two questions to ask at the end of your 111 Call Handler interview

  • and also further resources to help you pass or basically tell you where you can download

  • the slides and an accompanying guide to help you prepare. Now, before I do that, a quick,

  • warm welcome to this 111 Call Handler trading tutorial. My name is Richard McMunn. That's

  • me there in the center. I am a former Fire Officer and I founded the PassMyInterview.com

  • website. I've been helping people for about 20 years now to pass their interviews. And

  • I always do that by giving you top scoring answers you can't find anywhere else on the

  • Internet. On that basis, please do SUBSCRIBE to my channel by clicking the red button below

  • the video, and also turning on the notification bell so you get notified the minute that I

  • upload new content. I would also appreciate your support if you gave the video a LIKE

  • thank you very much. That tells me you enjoy the content and I will therefore create more

  • for you. Okay, let's get into the tutorial and let's take a look at those 111 Call Handler

  • interview questions and answers. The first question that we need to prepare for is, tell

  • me about yourself? My tip, for answering this question highly, is there are two things we

  • need to cover in your answer. The QUALITIES you have and also the fact you have READ THE

  • JOB DESCRIPTION and it is a match for your skills and your experience. Here is my suggested

  • answer. “I am a calm and composed person who has the ability to quickly assess situations

  • to make the correct decisions in line with relevant guidelines and procedures. The qualities

  • I possess include both an ability to work as part of a team and also on my own unsupervised;

  • the ability to follow strict safety rules and procedures; the understanding for the

  • need to demonstrate compassion and empathy; a resilient and confident approach to my work,

  • and also the desire to help and serve people when they really need specialist assistance.

  • I have read the job description for a 111 Call Handler carefully and I feel I have the

  • necessary skills, qualities and attributes to perform the role both competently and professionally.”

  • So, that is quite an in-depth answer, but it is positive in nature and, providing of

  • course, you do have those skills, qualities and experience, my advice is to put them in

  • your answer. They will resonate positively with the interview panel. So, the next interview

  • question I would like you to prepare for is, what do you know about the ambulance service?

  • My tip for this question is in the build-up to your 111 Call Handler interview. “Make

  • sure you have a thorough understanding of the ambulance service’s role in society

  • and also how your role as a call handler fits into the overall objectives of this fantastic

  • service. Here is my suggested answer. “There are essentially two main service functions

  • the Ambulance Service provides. The first service is the accident and emergency response

  • element where, paramedics and medical staff respond to incidents and patients. The second

  • element is the Patient Transport Service (PTS) aspect, where ambulance staff transport patients

  • to hospitals, care homes and medical centres as and when required. The Ambulance Service

  • is a very large, multi-functional organization, and there are lots of other support teams

  • and individuals in place to assist the Ambulance crews and paramedics to carry out their duties,

  • and one of those roles is the 111 Call Handler.” You are demonstrating that you understand

  • there are a couple of different functions that the ambulance service will provide, but

  • also there is a part of a very wide multi-functional organization and team. There are lots of different

  • aspects and departments that go up to make the ambulance service, and you recognize that

  • your role is just one part of that brilliant organization. I have some more questions to

  • run through, so please don't go anywhere. But when you're ready, you want to click that

  • link in the top right hand corner of the video. It will take you through to my website PassMyInterview.com

  • and you can download my full set of 111Call Handler interview questions and answers. It’s

  • a PDF guide that you can have within your inbox in a couple of minutes time. Let's have

  • a look at another 111 Call Handler interview question that I believe will come up. What

  • do you know about the NHS 111 line? You're applying to become a call handler. You have

  • to understand what the purpose of the 111 line is. This question is basically assessing

  • your understanding of the number, and in particular what it is primarily used for. And of course,

  • there is only one correct answer to this interview question. “The 111 line is an NHS service

  • that people should call if they need medical advice or treatment quickly and they are not

  • in a position to wait to see a doctor. I understand it was designed to take pressure off the NHS

  • and also the 999 system, which should only be used for EMERGENCY medical treatment.”

  • That's quite a short response, but it demonstrates that you understand what the purpose of the

  • 111 number is. Next question: What does the 111 call handler role involve? In preparation

  • for this call handler interview question, we need to read and study the job description.

  • Here is a pre-prepared answer to this question because let's face it, if you don't know what

  • the role involves, how do you know you have the potential and the ability to carry it

  • out competently? Here is my answer. “As a 111 Call Handler I will have numerous tasks

  • and responsibilities. These include taking a variety of calls from patients, and then

  • advising them accordingly and providing a suitable response based on their healthcare

  • needs. I will need to handle all of my calls with confidence, a calm style of communication

  • and also with an excellent telephone manner. My duties, whilst on the telephone, will also

  • include booking GP appointments, dispatching an ambulance and also advising in regard to

  • out-of-hours facilities and care. To carry out the role competently, I will need to be

  • a good mediator, a pacifier, an influencer, have outstanding communication skills and

  • also remain calm whilst I am under pressure. Finally, no two calls will ever be the same,

  • so I will need to follow my training and the operational guidelines set by the service,

  • and always maintain professionalism at all times.” That is a brilliant answer that

  • shows that you've read and understood the job description and you know what is required!

  • What other duties do you think you would be doing as part of the 111 Call Handler role?

  • My tip for answering this question, is this question is basically assessing if you can

  • think on your feet and also how well you understand the importance of maintaining professional

  • competence in a role of this nature. Here is my answer. “I feel it would be importance

  • to maintain my competence in the role, and on that basis, I would be reading and learning

  • new and updated NHS operational procedures. I would also need to keep up-to-date with

  • guidance requirements and also, perhaps, assisting in the training of new members of the 111

  • Call Handler team as and when they are recruited. I would also have to maintain accurate call

  • records, respond to feedback from my supervisor so I can maintain the highest standards of

  • care, and also assist other team members if they require my help.” Next question. One

  • of our core values is compassion. When have you demonstrated this in a previous situation?

  • This is quite a difficult Call Handler interview question. The toughest one so far. My tip

  • for answering this is give a specific answer to this interview question where you've previously

  • shown a caring and compassionate approach in a given situation. Here we go. In a previous

  • job, I noticed a work colleague was not performing to her usual standard. I could detect something

  • was not right, and so I decided to do something about it. I felt it was my task to speak to

  • her to find out if she was OK and to try and help her get back to her usual standard of

  • working. I was concerned for her welfare, and I so I decided to take action. I spoke

  • to my colleague in private and asked her if everything was OK. I told her I had seen her

  • work performance had deteriorated and I was concerned. She confided in me that her partner

  • had left her, and she was feeling depressed. At that stage, I symapthised with her situation

  • and suggested we speak to our human resources department to get her some support through

  • counselling, which she agreed to. My intervention resulted in my work colleague feeling supported

  • and getting the help she need during her difficult time. Two months after I first spoke to my

  • colleague, she was back to her normal self, feeling better and also working back to full

  • capacity.” Now, what you will have noticed during that answer is I used something called

  • the STAR technique. I begin my response with SITUATION. I then explained a TASK that needed

  • to be done. I then tell them the ACTION, which is the bulk of my response, and then I finish

  • off the RESULT. Whenever they say to you to give an EXAMPLE of a situation, that is actually

  • a behavioral interview question, my advice is to use a STAR technique: situation, task,

  • action and result. So, a couple of questions to ask at the end of your call handler interview.

  • Here's a good one. Whilst I'm waiting to find out the results of the interview, is there

  • any further literature you recommend I read to learn more about the role and the ambulance

  • service? I'm just keen to use the time wisely. So, that shows that your keen, enthusiastic

  • and you want to carry on learning. Second question: How much time do 111 Call Handlers

  • dedicate to continuous development and learning? That shows that you understand it's really

  • important to maintain competence and keep up to date with procedures, etc. That shows

  • that you understand there is more to the role than just responding to the call. Don't forget

  • to download my 111 Call Handler interview questions PDF guide. Click that link in the

  • top right hand corner of the website, and it takes you through to PassMyInterview.com.

  • Thank you very much for watching. I wish you all the best for passing your call handler

  • interview. Have a brilliant day.

Hello there, my name is Richard McMunn from the interview training company PassMyInterview.com,

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