Patient Advice and Liaison Service & Complaints Lead

Job overview

Nottingham University Hospital’s NHS Trust is committed to providing an integrated Trust-wide approach to the management of Complaints, Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS), concerns, comments, and compliments. The service aspires to provide high quality, responsive support to patients, relatives, carers, and staff.

The Complaints & Patient Experience Lead will take a lead role in managing the Complaint and PALS Team. The post holder will ensure that high quality standards are achieved and are maintained and provide day to day performance management of 4C’s (Compliments, Comments, Concerns and Comments). The post holder will have responsibility in ensuring that patients and users are involved in the development of the PALS and complaint functions, providing visible evidence that their feedback is used to maintain standards or implement improvements that influence their experience.

Main duties of the job

The post-holder will lead on the development, planning, co-ordinating, and delivery of the PALS and Complaints service ensuring work is completed within deadlines and local and national standards are met across the team. The post-holder will utilise expert management skills to ensure that that plans are in place for delivery and empower an improvement culture within the team.

The post holder will be an effective leader and role model, providing regular team contact, in addition to ensuring effective use of time to support the implementation of both clinical and non-clinical governance, facilitating the modernisation of patient services.

The postholder will establish positive working relationships quickly at all levels of the organisation and manage a busy workload, responding to conflicting priorities as required. The post holder will make effective contributions to meetings, chairing and leading as required and contribute to the work of time limited committees and project groups across the Trust.

The postholder will be required to deputise for the Matron of Patient Experience and Engagement on some occasions, providing senior support and cover as needed, ensuring that the Team delivers an outstanding service in line with the Trust’s vision, objectives, and plans.

The post holder will be required to work flexibly across both City and QMC Campus with the ability to work across all Trust and external sites as needed.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Leadership / Strategy

• To support the Matron of Patient Experience and Engagement with all aspects of leading the service, managing the team to ensure a timely and effective service is provided.
• Contribute to the development of the NUH strategic programmes such as Values & Behaviours and engagement.
• Work to ensure alignment between the overall aims and objectives of the department and Care Groups and the Trusts strategic priorities.
• To initiate new ideas & methods and encourage other staff to do the same in support of modernisation and development of the service in conjunction with Service Managers, Consultants and Trust Leads.

Operational

• To lead on ensuring the Team appropriately assess clients who access the PALS or Complaints service to determine their needs and identify any risks.
• Ensure that the Team provide a confidential service for people, with information appropriate for their needs including different languages and media options, who wish to discuss aspects of their care or treatment via the PALS / Complaint Service.
• Ensure that the Team respond efficiently and appropriately to a range of complex issues including complaints and concerns, ensuring issues are resolved as quickly as possible.
• Ensure that systems are in place to ensure comprehensive documentation is recorded appropriately, completed and filed appropriately for all clients who access PALS or the Complaints service.
• To act as a catalyst for change, having identified with patients and carers areas that require change, and recommend actions to Senior Managers/Directors or other appropriate professionals, in order to resolve problems and change in practice.
• Ensure processes are in place within Care Groups to triage and risk assess all new complaints, using agreed criteria to ensure accurate identification of concerns and complaints.
• Ensure that and support the Care Groups to liaise with complainants and relevant department staff as required to develop complaint management plans, including facilitation of resolution outcomes and agreed management timescales. Take the lead for facilitation of multi-organisational complaints, providing support and advice to Care Group leads as required. Be the key contact for external agencies for designated clinical directorates, e.g. Integrated care Board, Social care.
• Ensure complaint investigations are carried out by appropriately experienced and independent staff to provide effective complaint resolution within agreed timescales and in line with The Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009
• Support clinical Care Group staff in the investigation of high/severe/complex complaints as required.
• Working closely with the Matron of Patient Experience and Engagement, to ensure that the information provided to Patients and Service Users is appropriate, up to date and in the required formats, for example in languages other than English and in media to meet the requirements of vulnerable and/or disadvantaged groups as required.
• To review externally produced materials as required and encourage accessibility to a wide range of resources for all wards and departments.

Quality / Governance

• To oversee the monitoring of performance ensuring that the key performance indicators are achieved and escalated to the Matron of Patient Experience and Engagement if off track.
• Ensure that the appropriate systems are established to enable effective data collection required for the reporting schedule.
• To lead on complaint and PALS reports, and contribute to Trust-level reports as required, being able to provide data and narrative in relation to the information.
• To ensure data is available in a timely manner to meet the reporting schedule.
• Record, collect and present statistics on the 4C’s, preparing and delivering reports as required.
• To analyse data and support the Care Groups to prepare reports identifying trends and lessons learnt to support improvements to service delivery.
• Continually revise and update processes and systems to ensure ongoing service improvement.
• Make judgements that require analysis and interpretation of situations where internal and external stakeholders/experts may challenge decisions made.
• Contribute to steering groups and Trust Committees in a timely manner.

Communication

• To communicate complex service, related information effectively across all channels and facilitate collaborative working with multi-disciplinary team colleagues.
• Build and maintain good relationships with clinical and non-clinical staff across Care Groups, directorates, departments and with external organisations to gain public and professional confidence.
• Prepare and deliver education and training programmes as required.
• Responsible for ensuring that success is publicised through the appropriate channels and best practice shared across the organisation.
• Be pro-active in promoting the Trust’s vision for delivering excellence.
• Ensure that good practice is shared and delivered at all levels within the service.
• To attend meetings internally and externally as required and maintain excellent working relationships with department and wider Trust colleagues.
• Maintain constructive relationships with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders, including new and existing service users.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of the service provided and ensure improvements are implemented, including regular benchmarking within both public and private sectors.

Management

• Manage the Complaints and PALS service to ensure the delivery of a comprehensive and effective service.
• To ensure the Teamwork within the Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009, the CQC regulations (Regulation 16), and PHSO standards for complaint handling implementing changes as required.
• Lead on day-to-day line management of direct reports, providing mentorship, advice, and support to team members to ensure they in turn effectively lead their own areas of responsibility, acting as an effective role model.
• Demonstrate clear lines of communication consistent with NUH policies and procedures and Management Standards, which result in, clear responsibilities being identified within the Team.
• Be an effective leader and role model, providing regular team contact, in addition to ensuring effective use of time to support the implementation of both clinical and non-clinical governance, facilitating the modernisation of patient services.
• To ensure direct reports complete appraisals and mandatory training to the required timescales.
• In conjunction with the Appraisal Process, undertake a training needs analysis for the Team, in accordance with local agreement.
• Ensure that personal development plans are in place for direct line report and reflection and continuous learning are part of day-to-day activity.
• Devise a programme that ensures all staff within the Team comply with an annual appraisal.
• Acquire and maintain an appropriate repertoire of management skills, including leadership skills and the ability to empower others within the ward/department team.
• Organise, control, and maintain accurate records associated with staff attendance, performance, annual leave, and training.

Professional

• Build and develop a network to support a collaborative way of working.
• Maintain expert knowledge of complaints and PALS and best practice developments across the field.
• Positively promote the work of the service and team across the Trust.
• Promote and champion services provided by the team within the Trust.
• Maintain and update a Personal Development plan as identified within the appraisal process Undertake courses and other activities to satisfy continuing professional development requirements.
• Be able to work independently and manage own workload to make effective use of time and resources and working to local and national standards.
• Work flexibly and undertake other duties commensurate to the grade as required.