PALS & Complaints Officer

Job description

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is the only acute hospital provider in the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System (ICS), which is a system of health and care partners working together for our local population.

Within Mid and South Essex there are 149 GP practices, operating from over 200 sites, forming 27 Primary Care Networks and one Ambulance Trust. There are also three main community and mental health service providers who work together through a community collaborative.

We collaborate with other valuable partners, including three Healthwatch organisations, nine voluntary and community sector organisations and three top tier local authorities, with seven district, borough and city councils, as well as our local universities.

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and innovative individual to join our team as a PALS & Complaints Officer!

We are looking for a motivated individual with excellent communication, interpersonal and organisational skills. You will join a team that aims to ensure concerns raised by patients and the public are logged accurately & passed to the relevant hospital services to be resolved quickly & efficiently. The feedback obtained is used to influence & improve the patient experience across the Trust. Dealing with highly sensitive situations on a daily basis, you will work with patients, relatives & staff to ensure that concerns are resolved and improvement is embedded. PALS & Complaints Officers play a key role in sharing patient insight to aid continuous improvement, supporting the delivery of safe care along with an excellent patient experience.

We would expect this individual to be enthusiastic, motivated, showing sensitivity & tact and be able to demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

***Please not we are unable to sponsor this role***

Main duties of the job

The role serves as an accessible first point of contact for patients, relatives and members of the public who have questions, concerns or complaints about Trust services. It involves recording all concerns accurately, ensuring they are entered promptly onto the database and that all related files are updated with clear, timely information.

The position provides guidance to service users and staff on the correct processes for managing concerns and complaints, helping ensure matters are handled appropriately and sensitively. It also requires building strong working relationships with clinical and non-clinical teams across all Divisions, as well as with external organisations, to support effective communication and maintain public and professional confidence. A key aspect of the role is responding with empathy and professionalism to individuals who may be distressed, offering reassurance and support while managing emotionally challenging situations.

Working for our organisation

Our ambition is to deliver excellent local and specialist services, to improve the health and well being of our patients, and provide a vibrant place for staff to develop, innovate and build careers.

We aim to make the most of our skills and experiences so we can become the best we can be. As one organisation we will recruit the finest and retain more specialist staff due to more employment opportunities across our Trust.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Are you looking for an exciting new role using your unique qualities, then we want to hear from you.

For full details about this varied and rewarding role, please see attached job description.

We look forward to your application.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Professional/vocational qualification to diploma level or equivalent Maths and English
• Customer Care Training/experience
• Level 3 qualification/apprenticeship

Desirable criteria

• RSA 3 word processing or equivalent

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Knowledge of NHS Complaints procedure
• Knowledge of Microsoft packages (word, excel, outlook)
• Excellent and proven written communication skills (such as letter writing)
• Experience of complying with tight deadlines in line with organisational policies or procedures

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of MSE Trust structures / Acute Trust experience

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience of dealing with PALS/complaints, ideally in a health care environment
• Substantial experience of working in a customer service environment
• Significant experience working in an administrative role

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working in an NHS PALS or complaints department
• Experience in using NHS computer systems (MSE preferable)

Skills

Desirable criteria

• Previous experience of writing concerns/complaints responses
• Previous experience handling telephone calls and extracting/recording relevant details/information

Please be aware as per the new Immigration guidelines we cannot sponsor candidates with a salary (full time or pro Rata) under the current minimum threshold.

Please note, the selection processes at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust are in place to ensure we recruit candidates with the right skills and values, please be advised that the use of AI in applications are monitored. We remain vigilant against candidates who misuse these tools to generate an application that doesn't accurately reflect their skills, and you will be required to declare on your application if AI has been used before submitting your application.

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