PALS Officer

Job description

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the job description and person specification attached to the advert for the full details of the vacancy.

To act as an initial point of contact for patient requesting information or raising concerns within the Trust.

Provide a confidential service for people who wish to discuss aspects of their care or treatment.

Respond to matters of concern which patients/carers may wish to raise and to act as a facilitator, providing advice, support and direction, ensuring that issues are resolved as quickly and efficiently as possible.

To act as a facilitator in relation to the concerns of patients, their carers and families and to negotiate immediate solutions or resolution of issues as speedily as possible.

To respond appropriately to the emotionally demanding aspects of dealing with patients/carers in distress, or with any unpredictable aggressive behaviour displayed by patients/carers/relatives unhappy about some aspect of their care or trust service.

To ensure all correspondence or patient contact is acknowledged within the national guidance and patients or their advocates are kept informed on developments in their case.

To provide information about Trust services and advice or guidance to complainants, respondents and Trust services on the NHS complaints procedure

To provide help to patients, carers and families in accessing Trust services, local and specialist advocacy services, or other voluntary services including interpreting services as appropriate.

To refer health record requests or similar appropriate issues to the Data Management Team.

To ensure patients are referred to external or special advocacy services either where requested to do so or where this is appropriate.

Ensure that comprehensive documentation is completed and filed securely for all clients where issues of concern have been raised or when referring a client on to other professionals.

To refer service users to the complaints process in line with national and local policy, ensuring that complaints are sent to the complaints team on receipt.

To build and maintain good relationships with clinical and non-clinical staff across directorates, departments and with external organisations to gain public and professional confidence.

To build and maintain good relationships with key stakeholders, service user groups and the local community.

Ensure the internal and external distribution of Patient Information as required.

Ensure Patient Information stock control processes including keeping the information centre stocked with books, booklets, leaflets, audio and visual productions.

To ensure that activity relating to the 4C's is recorded onto the DATIX database.

To prepare reports identifying trends and lessons learnt to support improvements to service delivery.

Assist in the internal distribution of Patient Information as required.

Participate in the evaluation and monitoring of the Service.

Informal visits or calls in regard to this position are very welcome. We would very much like to hear from you if you have customer service experience. We believe you can offer us the type of skills and person we are seeking to fill this position.

Person specification

Training and qualifications

Essential criteria

• NVQ 3 in customer service, typing qualification, IT qualification

Desirable criteria

• ECDL

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience in working in a front facing customer service environment

Desirable criteria

• Previous NHS complaints or PALS experience

Communication and relationship

Essential criteria

• Able to provide information to end users, tailoring the provision of information to facilitate understanding. Able to act as a facilitator in order to achieve a desired outcome. Able to be highly empathetic towards the concerns of patients and carers. Able to receive highly sensitive information and action it whilst taking account of confidentiality issues.

Analytical skills

Essential criteria

• Able to receive and manage sensitive information and decide the most appropriate course of action.

Planning & organisational

Essential criteria

• Able to priorities tasks and ensure timeframes are met

Come and join our wonderful team at NUH. We are big believers in diversity and welcome new ideas to help develop our team in order to deliver world class healthcare to the vast patient populations we serve. With endless personal development opportunities available, at the NUH we will endeavour to turn your job into a career!

We particularly welcome applications from people who identify as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, or Disabled, as we are striving to be better represented at NUH.

Applicants are kindly requested to refrain from using AI at any stage during the recruitment process.

Closing Dates: Please submit your application form as soon as possible to avoid disappointment; we reserve the right to close vacancies prior to the published closing date if we receive a sufficient number of completed application forms.

Communication: All communication related to your application will be via the email address you have provided. Please ensure you check your email account including your junk email regularly.

Easy read application: If you have a disability and find online job applications difficult, you can use an easy read application form instead.

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