Behind the scenes with an unseen first responder

Juanita is one of the RBWH & STARS switchboard team who manage more than 1 million calls each year.

If you’ve ever called Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) or Surgical Treatment and Rehabilitation Service (STARS), you may have spoken to Juanita, one of the switchboard team who keep patients, families and clinicians connected.

You might not recognise Juanita’s face, but her voice is familiar to many. As part of the RBWH and STARS switchboard team, she’s one of a team of 30 helping callers get to where they need to be 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

“We’re a largely unseen team, but we have a big impact on the running of the hospital,” Juanita said.

“Each day, we answer at least 6,000 calls—that’s 102,000 calls a month and over 1 million each year.”

A switchboard stalwart of more than 12 years, Juanita says the calls the team receive vary from simple requests to more complex enquiries.

“We receive calls from patients enquiring about outpatient clinics and from family members whose loved ones are inpatients at RBWH and STARS,” she said.

“We also regularly field calls from clinicians from other hospitals and healthcare facilities wanting to speak to our staff.”

The switchboard also has an emergency desk that plays a critical role in code activations when every second counts to respond.

“RBWH has 27 different types of codes related to various emergencies in the hospital, from patients with cardiac events to emergency caesarean sections,” Juanita said.

“During these events, attention to detail is critical to ensure the correct details are recorded, the appropriate response code is activated, and emergency responders are advised.

“We stay activated until we’re told the emergency has been resolved, and we manage the code stand down.”

Juanita and the switchboard team may work out of sight, but their calm and precise work and response during emergencies keep RBWH and STARS running safely every day.