Patient Advice and Liaison Service; PALS​/Complaint

Position: Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)/Complaint
Job Title:

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)/Complaint

Trust

Location:

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

Location:

Stoke Mandeville Hospital or Amersham Hospital – flexible and willing to work at either location.

Hours:

30 hours per week

Working Pattern:
Monday
- Friday, 9AM - 5pm, 8AM- 4PM

Duration: 3 Months

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE POST

The Patient Relations Officer (PALS)/Complaints is a patient-facing role helping patients with detailed enquiries by telephone, email, letter and face-to-face.

Key aspects of this role will be to work with the Patient Relations Manager to provide a patient service on behalf of Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust as well as managing PALS and complaints casework.

You’ll learn the following whilst working at the trust:

1. An in depth understanding of the roles and responsibilities involved in working within the NHS

2. Knowledge of the systems used, to effectively complete your role to the highest standard at all times

3. A sense of teamwork, gained through working alongside and supporting colleagues from all levels, within the organisation.

Key

Duties and Responsibilities:

Support and fulfill national complaints and PALS/Complaints requirements

• Support implementation of complaints/PALS policies

• Ensure PALS cases are handled according to best practice, national directions, regulations and standards.

• Work with the PALS and Complaints lead to develop the service

• Work collaboratively with local colleagues, Healthwatch and NHS England to ensure a seamless PALS/Complaints service can be provided to patients/public Collect data that can feed into regular PALS and Complaints reports

• Identify and recommend actions where issues indicate a need for improvement and feed this into the quality assurance process.

• Work with colleagues and line manager to identify areas for change and recommend actions to resolve problems and review practice.

1. Initial Contact and Case Logging

• Act as the first point of contact for patients, carers, and families with concerns or queries.

• Log cases in Datix and assign PALS/Complaints case numbers.

• Acknowledge receipt of concerns within 24 hours.

2. Case Management and Resolution

• Keep cases open until a clear outcome is confirmed.

• Use systems like Careflow to check and relay information.

• Liaise with Service Managers (SMs) for updates and escalate unresolved concerns to
General Managers (GMs).

3. Communication and Follow-Up

• Maintain clear and timely communication with patients, including updates and estimated time frames.

• Confirm with patients whether they wish to escalate unresolved concerns into formal
complaints.

• Close cases only after resolution or patient confirmation.

4. Collaboration and Escalation

• Work closely with the Complaints Team to triage and escalate cases appropriately.

• Participate in meetings such as PALS/Complaints Catch Up and Patient Experience team meetings
5. Documentation and Reporting

• Log all email correspondence and maintain accurate records.

• Chase updates from SMs for unresolved concerns.

• Ensure compliance with CQC Regulation 16 and internal SOPs.

You’ll have the following skills/experience:

• Patience and calmness under pressure.

• Strong communication and counselling skills.

• Ability to manage sensitive information confidentially.

• Proficiency in NHS systems and basic IT tools.

System Knowledge – MS Office package

As a member of NHS Professionals, you have fantastic benefits:

· Competitive pay rates- work this week, get paid next week

· Essential support when you need it- 24/7 365 days- call us anytime

· Multi locational- work across neighbouring Trusts

· Manage your shifts and timesheets on the go- access your “My Bank” shift portal anywhere, anytime online or through your smartphone

· Varied working options to suit your…