Job summary
- Main area
- Patient Advocacy and Liaision
- Grade
- AfC Band 5
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 384-AGB-EMF19325-B5
- Employer
- Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust
- Town
- Guildford
- Salary
- £32,602 - £39,686 per annum pro rata - includes high cost area supplements (HCAS)
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 04/12/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Complaints & PALS Officer
AfC Band 5
Job overview
The Complaints & PALS Team are looking for a well-motivated, friendly and hardworking individual to join the team in the role of the Complaints & PALS Officer. We are looking for someone who pays great attention to detail, has an excellent telephone manner and has previous experience of working in an office environment. The focus of the job is to ensure that all formal complaints & PALS contacts are handled in line with Trust policy
This key position will require excellent communication and organisation skills with knowledge of basic IT. Previous complaints experience is desirable. You must have a methodical approach to work and be able to work independently as well as in a team whilst remaining calm under pressure.
Duties will include logging, acknowledging and closing complaints & PALS contacts, arranging meetings, taking minutes, answering telephone calls, maintaining databases and spreadsheets and liaising with staff across the organisation. You will also attend meetings with complainants and their relatives and will be someone who is confident in interacting with a variety of different people.
This is an excellent opportunity to join a friendly and supportive team whilst working in a fast-paced and interesting department within the Trust.
Main duties of the job
To support the Complaints & PALS Lead to ensure the Trust delivers a highly visible, efficient, effective and accessible Complaints, PALS & Interpreting service which provides advice, support, information and signposting services to patients, service users, carers, members of the public and Trust staff.
Working for our organisation
Royal Surrey is a compassionate and collaborative acute and community Trust. Recognising that our 5000 colleagues are our greatest strength, we offer a comprehensive health and wellbeing program along with a commitment to developing and advancing your career. Our diverse and welcoming Royal Surrey family will ensure you that you feel valued from your initial interview through your entire tenure.
We are clinically led and provide joined up care by bridging the gap between hospital and community services alongside regional specialist cancer care. Our main acute hospital site is in Guildford with community hospital sites at Milford, Haslemere and Cranleigh. We provide adult community health services in homes across Guildford and Waverley.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) have given us an overall rating of Outstanding.
Royal Surrey has a strong reputation and history to build on. We are proud of our achievements and we are investing in our colleagues through our commitment to supporting professional development as well as investing more than £45 million in our physical environment and new equipment in the next few years. There has never been a better time to join us.
Although it isn't the Trusts normal practice, adverts may close early, so you are encouraged to submit an application as soon as possible.
A video about the Royal Surrey - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R96pMboIYdo
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The Complaints & PALS Officer is responsible for supporting the Complaints & PALS Lead in the development, implementation and maintenance of the Trust’s Complaints and Concerns Policy, including meeting the deadlines outlined in the policy and ensuring compliance with the requirements of any new guidance for NHS complaints.
The post holder will deal directly with service users and the public, Trust staff and others through face to face meetings, telephone conversations and formal written correspondence. The post holder will ensure all feedback is handled appropriately and undertake the administrative support for Complaints & PALS handling in line with national guidance and the Trust’s policies and procedures.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Educated to degree level or equivalent level of experience
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Demonstrate 1-2 years working in a public facing role
- Significant experience in working in an office environment
- Experience of dealing with staff at all levels of an organisation
Desirable criteria
- Experience in the NHS in a customer focused role, in particular a PALS or Complaints role
- Experience of working in the NHS
- Knowledge of the NHS complaints process
- Knowledge of Datix able to use the data to produce trends
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Tracey Taylor
- Job title
- Lead for Patient Experience
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01483571122
- Additional information
To arrange an informal discussion about the role, please contact Tracey Taylor Lead for Patient Experience [email protected] or Geraldine Wilcock Complaints & PALS Lead [email protected]
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