PALS Officer

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic, resourceful and self-motivated Patient Advice and Liaison (PALS) Officer to join our Patient Experience and Complaints Team in a temporary role for a maximum of 6 months. This is a part time role at 15 hours per week.

Working as part of the Quality Governance Team, you will be responsible for ensuring an impartial, personal and effective PALS service is provided to patients, service users, relatives, carers, and Trust staff.

Main duties of the job

The PALS team provides an accessible and responsive service offering support and signposting for patients, relatives and members of the public who wish to raise queries or concerns about their care.

In this challenging post, you will work with patients, relatives and staff to ensure that complaints are resolved and improvement is embedded.

You will be educated to GCSE standard (or equivalent) in English Language & Maths with excellent communication, customer care, IT and organisational skills alongside outstanding interpersonal skills, a good telephone manner and the ability to work as part of a large multidisciplinary team.

You will have a good understanding of the NHS and experience of working with the public, including resolving issues and problems. Experience of working with complaints management systems is desirable.

We recognise that some situations you may be involved with are sensitive, complex and demanding, and we offer a supportive team environment within which you can expect supervision and personal development.

Interviews will be held in person at Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

Please be aware that we reserve the right to close the vacancy early should a high number of applications be received.

We recognise that AI tools can support application writing; however, candidates are asked to keep their use to a minimum as AI-generated content may result in generic answers that do not accurately represent your abilities.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key Result Areas

• To act as a compassionate point of contact for patients and other users of Trust services.
• To operate a frontline, patient facing service, taking details of complaints and raising these with relevant staff, to ensure they are dealt with in accordance with Trust Policy.
• To listen and respond to the concerns of service users relating to their experience of the Trust, explaining the options available for resolution and clarifying the outcomes sought.
• To obtain detailed information from service users, paying due care and attention to the sensitivity of their concerns, and to undertake investigation and follow-up action on their behalf.
• To ensure that issues raised with the PALS are responded to promptly and in accordance with timescales set out in Trust Policy.
• To use the Trust’s Risk Management System to record details of enquiries from service users.
• To liaise with divisions to ensure a timely and appropriate resolution is provided for complainants.
• To attend meetings as appropriate to the role.
• To undertake regular data quality checks on own work, so that the service can produce robust and detailed reports.
• To undertake data analysis and reporting as appropriate to the role, including in relation to overdue responses.
• To support divisions to review and track complaints as appropriate, including providing tracker reports.
• To support patients, carers and families access specialist advocacy, other voluntary or support services, including interpreting, as appropriate.
• To support the Complaints Coordinator with continuous improvement, including review of processes and tasks.
• To support the Assistance and Complaints Team to deliver education and training to key induction and education modules within the Trust.
• To actively promote the service to contribute to a learning culture and improve patient experience and safety.
• To support the Trust’s peer review process for complaints.
• To take comments from service users, ensure that they are acknowledged and recorded appropriately, and relayed to the relevant staff, service or division.
• To ensure that leaflets and other sources of information regarding sources of advice and support are available across the Trust.
• To ensure that issues which may involve a safeguarding concern or potential Police involvement are communicated to the Complaints Team Leader and Quality Lead for Patient Experience and Complaints and/or Quality Delivery Manager/Head of Quality Governance.
• To act as an ambassador for the Trust, maintaining a professional and calm demeanour.

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.