Candidates should possess excellent communication and organisational skills, a proactive attitude towards service development, and the ability to work independently while managing multiple priorities in a dynamic environment. Additionally, the role entails maintaining accurate case records, ensuring compliance with data protection guidelines, and promoting the PALS service to enhance patient experience. The PALS Officer will also play an integral part in training and mentoring team members while contributing to service improvements based on feedback from patients and their relatives.
The PALS Team at the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is looking for an enthusiastic and committed team member to work within the Complaints and Patient Services Team, which comprises of the Complaints team, PALS team and Corporate Reception team across all organisation sites. The role is primarily site based so the ability to travel to any site at short notice is vital.
You will be part of a small team managing PALS concerns for our patients and their families. You will need excellent communication (verbal and written), organisation and time management skills, alongside a proactive approach to develop and improve the service.
The team is hardworking and the department is very busy with ever changing priorities. The department has a teamwork ethic, supporting each other to ensure we provide the best service to our patients and their families. We are looking for someone who is a natural problem-solver, and understands a person-centred approach is always required. As a key member of the PALS team, the post-holder will have responsibility for the delivery of PALS, which is a professional, supportive, informal, impartial and confidential service.
The Postholder will work independently, using their own initiative and be directly responsibility for:-
confidential advice and support to patients, carers and the public
resolving problems and concerns quickly - providing support and guidance at the 'point of contact' i.e. face-to-face, email and/or telephone
answering general queries or obtaining information about a patient's care or treatment as appropriate under IG guidance
providing excellent customer service to enquirers and colleagues
explaining the NHS Complaints Procedure and how to access free, independent support from outside the NHS with making a complaint
providing a professional advice service on how to get more involved in the NHS
About us
1. Deliver the service in accordance with the Trusts requirements
2 Ensure the service is available to patients, carers, members of the public and staff in accordance with the agreed hours and access methods
3 Comply with the Equality Delivery System in order to ensure that PALS is accessible and makes reasonable adjustments to accommodate the individual needs of patients, carers, members of the public and staff who contact the service
4 Be the first point of contact for any patients or enquirers attending the PALS Offices to discuss any concerns, enquiries and/or comments and suggestions
5 Help to resolve the concerns of patients and enquirers received in person in the office or in the ward/department, via telephone or email, through liaison with relevant health professionals on their behalf. Refer to external or specialist advocacy services when requested, or as otherwise appropriate with consent
6 Liaise closely with colleagues in the management structure, in particular Divisional Management teams, Ward Managers, Matrons, Service Leads and Heads of Departments, who play a key role in helping to resolve concerns for patients, their carers and relatives
7 Liaise closely with colleagues in Complaints, Legal and Risk Management departments bringing to their attention relevant issues relating to their remit
8 Escalate cases quickly to the Complaints and PALS Co-ordinators or Complaints and Patient Services Manager in accordance with the PALS policy and procedure where they are:
Challenging and/or outside the post holder's scope of knowledge, skills or expertise
Potentially damaging to the reputation of the organisation of a sensitive or contentious nature requiring senior or specialist input e.g. legal or safeguarding issues.
Involving serious allegations around the conduct of staff towards a patient
9 Refer concerns to the Complaints team where they require management under the Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 in accordance with the patient, carer or member of the publics wishes. Where a concern is referred to be managed as a complaint, ensure that verbal and written information has been given to the complainant in relation to the NHS Complaints process and in accordance with the PALS procedure
10 Diffuse actual or potentially volatile situation with patients /relatives whilst maintaining a sense of empathy
11 Ensure that new cases are acted upon with a telephone call and e-mail to the relevant Trust staff member at the earliest opportunity following the case being accepted and input on to Ulysses.
12 Attend meetings at the request of patients, relatives or their carers (where appropriate and in accordance with the PALS procedure) in order to provide advice, guidance and support
13 Address enquiries received by obtaining and sharing information where appropriate (in accordance with the PALS procedure) or signposting to alternative methods of obtaining the information requested
14 Ensure that comments/ suggestions are forwarded to the service/ department manager concerned and recorded on the Ulysses database. Ensure enquirers are contacted to inform them of this
15 Ensure that compliments received are forwarded to the Patient Experience Team and Department Manager
16 Ensure that regular and effective proactive communication is maintained with those who contact PALS; at all stages of the management of their case and in accordance with the PALS procedure
17 Prioritise workload ensuring that more serious or urgent cases are dealt with accordingly without jeopardising responsiveness to other cases. Inpatient cases will always be a priority task and must be managed through the established inpatient PALS procedure.
18 Provide support to other team members in relation to dealing with challenging cases, and actively support the redistribution of cases where necessary and after discussion with the Complaints and PALS Co-ordinators, or the Complaints and Patient Services Manager as appropriate
19 Provide advice and guidance to staff in relation to PALS, and regarding the resolution of concerns at the point of contact in accordance with the PALS procedure
20 Access the Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system in order to obtain relevant information to deal with individual cases
21 Ensure that all electronic data and patient identifiable information is managed in accordance with the Data Protection Act and Caldecott guidelines and Trust Policy and Procedure relating to Information Governance
22 Accurately record all information relating to PALS casework on the PALS Ulysses database in accordance with the PALS policy and procedure
23 Update and maintain Ulysses records relating to their allocated cases to ensure accurate records are maintained.Undertake weekly housekeeping in relation to Ulysses records relating to their allocated cases to ensure accurate records are maintained. Including updating the Current Status of Case as a case develops
24 Validate/cleanse data held on the PALS Ulysses database when anomalies or queries are raised
25 Produce clear, concise, accurate, verbal and written reports relating to the Patient Relations (PALS) Patient Advice and Liaison Service when requested and in accordance with agreed timescales. Present reports at meetings when requested by the Complaints and Patient Services Manager
26 Ensure that patients and carers views are reflected to the Complaints and Patient Services Manager, so that they can be included in reports sent to key staff with responsibility for the implementation of service improvements, including the monthly Chief Nurse Board Quality report
27 Undertake an active role in developing and implementing mechanisms to ensure that lessons learnt from the experiences of patients and their relatives/carers from clinical areas are shared with relevant staff in the Trust, as part of the wider Complaints and Patient Services team
28 Provide direct operational supervision, advice, guidance, support and training to new or more junior members of the PALS team, including Reception, where required
29 Publicise PALS by promoting the use of the Trusts leaflet throughout all wards, departments and public areas of the Trust, whilst also highlighting the importance of staff resolving issues locally in the first instance, wherever possible
30 Ensure that the PALS offices are secure and locked at all times when empty
31 Ensure that all confidential patient information is locked away when the office is closed, and that it is not visible to patients, carers, members of the public or staff who may visit the office during opening hours
32 Acknowledge own limitations relating to knowledge, skills and experience and refer to the Complaints and Patient Services Manager for advice and guidance when required
33 Contribute to the education, training and development of the team and other staff within the organisation by being involved in identifying learning needs at an individual and team level and participating in educational or training events
34 Contribute to the development, implementation and evaluation of a training programme for staff around the resolution of concerns at the point of contact using a variety of methods of training delivery including study days, when required
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