Job requirements
Requirements from the employer’s person specification. These describe the role, not your personal match.
Essential
32 listedRequirements the employer expects applicants to meet.
- Personal Qualities
Compassionate
- Personal Qualities
Calm and diplomatic
- Personal Qualities
Sensitive in emotional situations
- Personal Qualities
Conscientious
- Personal Qualities
Effective team worker
- Personal Qualities
Attention to detail
- Personal Qualities
Problem-solver
- Personal Qualities
Confident working with senior staff and clinicians
- Skills & Abilities
Ability to deal with distressing or emotional circumstances
- Skills & Abilities
Ability to identify and support vulnerable groups
- Skills & Abilities
Ability to cope with occasional unpleasant conditions such as verbal aggression and distress
- Skills & Abilities
Ability to identify situations where a more senior member of the team should be involved
- Skills & Abilities
Excellent IT skills including Microsoft Office
- Skills & Abilities
Plan and organise work load
- Skills & Abilities
Good at prioritising
- Skills & Abilities
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Skills & Abilities
Excellent interpersonal skills
- Skills & Abilities
Able to identify themes and trends in issues being highlighted through PALS
- Knowledge & Experience
Knowledge of health and wellbeing issues and services acquired through experience
- Knowledge & Experience
Knowledge of PALS
- Knowledge & Experience
Knowledge of data protection
- Knowledge & Experience
Knowledge of administrative procedures including bespoke IT system
- Knowledge & Experience
Experience of dealing with patients or customers in a face to face environment
- Knowledge & Experience
Previous experience of working with people with a diverse range of needs
- Knowledge & Experience
Previous experience of training and assisting junior or new staff
- Knowledge & Experience
Excellent organisational skills
- Knowledge & Experience
Experience of dealing with highly distressed or emotional patients or customers
- Knowledge & Experience
Experience of defusing problematic situations
- Knowledge & Experience
Experience in using databases and reporting systems
- Knowledge & Experience
Understanding of simple statistics
- Education & Qualifications
Minimum of 5 GCSEs A*-C or equivalent including English
- Education & Qualifications
A Levels / NVQ 3 in Customer Services or Business Administration / Level 3 Diploma or equivalent knowledge and experience
Desirable
6 listedAdditional qualities the employer would prefer.
- Skills & Abilities
Skilled in producing reports on relevant data
- Knowledge & Experience
Experience of RADAR or other risk management systems
- Knowledge & Experience
Previous experience of a PALS or Complaints environment
- Knowledge & Experience
Good understanding of current issues facing the NHS
- Education & Qualifications
Attendance on a ‘dealing with difficult situations’ or ‘difficult conversations’ course
- Education & Qualifications
Microsoft Office qualification
Job overview
The post holder will be the first point of contact for the Trust’s Patient Advice & Liaison Service, offering advice, information and resolution to patients and service users on their concerns and enquiries.
The PALS Officer will provide administrative support to the patient experience manager ensuring enquiries are recorded and dealt with appropriately.
The post holder will also be required to support the wider patient experience and engagement team tasks.
Main duties of the job
- To receive, investigate and satisfactorily resolve patient and service user enquiries received via various communication channels such as email, phone, letter and face to face.
- To provide an empathetic and responsive advice service to patients and service users.
- To frequently communicate with patients and service users in person, on the telephone and via written communication.
- To record and maintain PALS enquiries on the RADAR database system, escalating issues where necessary.
- To work as part of a team, communicating with the formal complaints team and other teams within the Patient Quality team, ensuring a joined-up approach to improve the experience of patients and their families at the Trust.
- To escalate enquiries to the patient experience manager when appropriate.
- To be aware of the difference between PALS and formal complaints and escalate cases to colleagues when appropriate.
- To assist with collecting organisation-wide patient feedback.
- To manage enquiries related to lost property and work closely with wards to resolve issues.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the full job description and person specification attached for more details on the job role.
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for PALS Officer with West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust in Bury St Edmunds, England. It is listed as a Band 4 Officer (discipline unspecified) role. The advertised salary is £28,392 - £31,157 per annum. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 10 Sep 2026.
Before you apply, compare the job description with the person specification and mirror the employer's essential criteria in your supporting information. Use the vacancy title, employer, location, salary, contract type, closing date and posted date (26 Aug 2026) to decide whether this role fits your current NHSjob search. If the employer can close applications early, prepare the application before the stated deadline rather than waiting for the final day.
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