Job summary
Job overview
A PALS and Complaints Officer has an important and challenging role in providing an accessible contact point for service users, their relatives, carers, and members of the public who use our services. You need compassion, empathy, resilience and an organised approach to case work and we are looking for someone who has the drive and commitment to facilitate changes and improvements in the care people receive.
Main duties of the job
Main duties of the job
You will be responsible for addressing concerns highlighted by our users, liaising with our staff to reach conclusions and progressing formal complaints.
You will work with the team, dealing directly with the public by telephone, and email and sometimes face to face to resolve issues, provide information and to give signposting advice where required.
You will assist with the gathering of information and preparing of responses to formal complaints.
You will need to be able to travel across the Trust to different sites and inpatient units to enable access to the service.
About us
We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust) a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care. We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset. Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.
At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- To be a first point of contact for enquiries, concerns, suggestions and complaints from service users, patients, carers, members of the public and staff referring them and signposting them to relevant agencies.
- To resolve concerns and queries from service users, carers, patients, members of the public many of which will be complex and/or sensitive - by analysing situations, problem solving effectively and mediation
- Work closely with the Head of PALs and Complaints on complex cases taking guidance and direction from them
- To maintain client confidentiality at all times and in line with PALS, and the Trusts, procedures and protocols and ensure they are treated with dignity and respect
- Advise service users, patients and carers about the complaints process and how to access support to use the Trust complaints system
- To advise on how to make a complaint and how to access Independent Complaints Advocacy Service and other sources of help and support around the complaints process.
- Attend meetings and support initiatives to help Trust services learn from, and make improvement based on user, carer and patient feedback
- Support service users and carers in expressing their views in the same
For further details / informal visits contact:
Rosie Brandon email rosie.brandon@nhs.net
Telephone 07783828549
Job description
Job responsibilities
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- To be a first point of contact for enquiries, concerns, suggestions and complaints from service users, patients, carers, members of the public and staff referring them and signposting them to relevant agencies.
- To resolve concerns and queries from service users, carers, patients, members of the public many of which will be complex and/or sensitive - by analysing situations, problem solving effectively and mediation
- Work closely with the Head of PALs and Complaints on complex cases taking guidance and direction from them
- To maintain client confidentiality at all times and in line with PALS, and the Trusts, procedures and protocols and ensure they are treated with dignity and respect
- Advise service users, patients and carers about the complaints process and how to access support to use the Trust complaints system
- To advise on how to make a complaint and how to access Independent Complaints Advocacy Service and other sources of help and support around the complaints process.
- Attend meetings and support initiatives to help Trust services learn from, and make improvement based on user, carer and patient feedback
- Support service users and carers in expressing their views in the same
For further details / informal visits contact:
Rosie Brandon email rosie.brandon@nhs.net
Telephone 07783828549
Person Specification
Education and Experience
Essential
- Educated to degree level or equivalent experience of a range of care settings or customer services (4)
Skills and Experience
Essential
- oExperience of dealing with public face-to-face and working with people in stressful situations
- oEffective management of workload and records
- oUsed to dealing with a diverse range of professionals and organisations
- oAbility to analyse conflicting views and opinions in an emotionally charged atmosphere and to bring about resolution or agree a course of action
- oAble to listen and interpret accurately, and assess a persons need for support
- oAble to make correct decisions within a set of clear guidelines, and able to prioritise complex, time sensitive tasks and activities, balancing own workload.
Desirable
- oFacilitation, Chairing or Training Skills.
Knowledge
Essential
- oUnderstanding the needs of patients, carers and families when dealing with health and social care issues
- oAn understanding of mental illness, mental health services and the effects on service users, their families and friends - and the role of mental health services within the NHS.
- oGood knowledge of IT, including Word, Access, Excel - willing and able to learn new skills including specialist PALS software (Ulysses Safeguard)
Person Specification
Education and Experience
Essential
- Educated to degree level or equivalent experience of a range of care settings or customer services (4)
Skills and Experience
Essential
- oExperience of dealing with public face-to-face and working with people in stressful situations
- oEffective management of workload and records
- oUsed to dealing with a diverse range of professionals and organisations
- oAbility to analyse conflicting views and opinions in an emotionally charged atmosphere and to bring about resolution or agree a course of action
- oAble to listen and interpret accurately, and assess a persons need for support
- oAble to make correct decisions within a set of clear guidelines, and able to prioritise complex, time sensitive tasks and activities, balancing own workload.
Desirable
- oFacilitation, Chairing or Training Skills.
Knowledge
Essential
- oUnderstanding the needs of patients, carers and families when dealing with health and social care issues
- oAn understanding of mental illness, mental health services and the effects on service users, their families and friends - and the role of mental health services within the NHS.
- oGood knowledge of IT, including Word, Access, Excel - willing and able to learn new skills including specialist PALS software (Ulysses Safeguard)
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
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