Whittington Hospital NHS Trust

PALS & Complaints Officer

The closing date is 25 September 2025

Job summary

The first point of contact for patients, their families, carers and members of the public and must demonstrate a high level of interpersonal skills. Possess excellent listening and interpersonal skills including the ability to effectively manage relationships internally and externally, demonstrate empathy, impartiality and tact when dealing with emails or calls from patients or their representatives. Need to be able to communicate information with tact, diplomacy and understanding. Musthave good listening skills and an awareness of the need for discretion and confidentiality. Outstanding organisational and time management skills, and the ability to manage competing priorities against tight deadlines. You will advise staff and the public as appropriate on the resolution and complaints process, signposting to correct staff/organisations, and making judgments to ensure an appropriate outcome. You should have proven ability to communicate effectively at all levels.

Applicants should have:

1. Previous experience in a similar role, preferably in the NHS

2. Current knowledge of issues affecting the provision of healthcare services

3. Experience of using DATIX system, or similar

4. Use of Microsoft Office Applications, particularly Word, PowerPoint and Outlook

Due to the sensitive nature of the role, applicants should have experience of managing sensitive issues within hostile or emotional situations.

Main duties of the job

Promote the Whittington Health promise of improving patient experience, To work in an open and transparent way, always treating patients, their families and carers with respect and dignity, Be committed to helping service users, their families and carers access the services they need, Communicate effectively with the public and staff at all levels to immediately resolve issues where possible and formalise into complaints where necessary, Provide front line advice and support, meeting people face to face and discussing their concerns and finding solutions wherever possible including fulfilling reception duties.

About us

Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.

Date posted

11 September 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 5

Salary

£37,259 to £45,356 a year Per Annum Including HCAS

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

220-WHT-3382

Job locations

Whittington Hospital

London

N19 5NF

Job description

Job responsibilities

Dealing with patients, staff and the general public

Promote the Whittington Health promise of improving patient experience.

To work in an open and transparent way, always treating patients, their families and carers with respect and dignity.

Be committed to helping service users, their families and carers access the services they need.

Communicate effectively with the public and staff at all levels to immediately resolve issues where possible and formalise into complaints where necessary.

Provide front line advice and support, meeting people face to face and discussing their concerns and finding solutions wherever possible including fulfilling reception duties.

Respond to requests for and provide good quality, accurate information and advice for patients and users. This includes feeding back about comments, concerns, compliments and complaints related to services which the Trust provides or signposting to external agencies.

Act as a facilitator in relation to the concerns of patients, their carers and families and to negotiate a resolution of issues as speedily as possible.

Assist and respond appropriately to complainants, both on the telephone, via email and those visiting the PALS, in a friendly, tactful, compassionate and discreet manner.

Advise patients on the various options available for addressing their complaint.

Encourage resolution at local level and remedial action resulting from the raising of complaints, comments, concerns and compliments. This may include facilitating an opportunity for the concerned party to speak to the relevant manager or clinical lead as part of a meeting or informal conversation.

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 service provided by Whittington Health.

Ensure that services within the Trust receive clear and timely feedback to maximise learning and improve the quality of the patient experience.

To provide a drop in services and other outreach work, e.g. holding regular site surgeries or visiting clinics, wards, and practices across Trust sites.

Any other duties, appropriate to the band, as required by the PALS & Complaints Manager.

Management of PALS and Complaints

Ensure all correspondence or client contact is acknowledged within three working days and patients or their advocates are kept informed on developments in their case.

Ensure that queries/complaints are passed to the service/practice promptly on receipt.

Ensure that statutory and locally agreed procedures for the progression of comments, concerns, compliments and complaints about NHS treatment are observed.

Ensure all written responses to complaints and related and subsequent correspondence to patients, their families, carers or representatives meet the Trust standard before being sent for sign off by the appropriate Director.

Ensure actions identified are recorded, completed and where appropriate, communicated to complainants and other relevant parties.

Actively seek, build and maintain good relationships within staff within the divisions, key stakeholders, service user groups and the local community.

Dealing with information and data

Utilise the Datix database to comprehensively document concerns and complaints ensuring this record is kept up to date throughout the handling of the case and that outcomes are clearly recorded.

To maintain filing/indexing systems for the department (both paper and electronic), including confidential files, as required, in accordance with Trust records management policy and practice.

Collate compliments about the services provided as directed by the PALS and Complaints Manager to ensure this feedback is captured and disseminated.

To assist in the production of reports for the ICSUs, Patient Experience Committee, Patient Safety & Quality Committee and other reports as and when required.

To work with other DATIX users in the Trust to ensure consistency of information coding and collation of information.