Job Summary
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 using the services of Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership Trust. Have you experience working within a NHS PALS & Complaints department? Are you a people person with excellent verbal and written communication skills? Do you enjoy using your resourcefulness to help to solve problems? Would you like to make a difference to our service users and carers and help to improve our services? You will have experience of working in a customer-focused environment and well-developed interpersonal skills, computer literacy and excellent written and verbal communication skills. You will be tenacious, have an eye for detail, have demonstrable problem-solving experience and must be able to remain calm under pressure. If you think this challenging and rewarding position sounds just what you're looking for, we look forward to hearing from you.
P.S: The proposed interview date is 29th April.
Main Duties of the Job
We are looking for a friendly, resourceful, confident and enthusiastic person who would enjoy helping our service users, carers, and the public we serve. This would involve providing information, reassurance and advice about our services, mediation and negotiation, and ensuring that outstanding concerns are resolved thoroughly yet speedily. You will be responsible for addressing concerns highlighted by our service users, carers, and members of the public. Where immediate resolution is not possible, you will be responsible for progressing concerns through the NHS Complaints procedure and in accordance with the Trust's complaints pathway. You will work within a small team, regular office hours, dealing directly with the public and liaising with staff and managers within our community and hospital services. The post holders will need to travel across Trust sites and beyond as required.
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.
Date Posted: 27 March 2025
Pay Scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 5
Salary: £29,970 to £36,483 a year per annum, pro rata
Contract: Permanent
Working Pattern: Part-time
Reference Number: TEMP_500
Job Locations: Bath NHS House, Newbridge Hill, Bath, BA1 3QE
Job Responsibilities
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Advise service users, patients and carers about the complaints process and how to access support to use the Trust complaints system.
Person Specification
Education and Qualification
Essential:
* Educated to degree level or prepared to undertake qualification in customer care, advice and guidance or similar.
* Evidence of further education or equivalent level of knowledge.
Desirable:
* Knowledge of a range of care settings.
* Quality Improvement Qualification or Training.
Experience and Knowledge
Essential:
* Experience of dealing with public face-to-face and working with people in stressful situations.
* Sound knowledge of NHS/public sector complaints.
* Experience of giving people information and support including when they are distressed and angry.
* Confident, competent computer skills with working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
* Experience of developing and/or providing information materials for use by a range of people (AIS, translation etc).
Desirable:
* Experience of working in statutory or voluntary sector in health/social care related environments.
* Experience of service improvement.
* Experience of PALS, customer care and/or service user or carer involvement.
Skills and Abilities
Essential:
* Ability to analyse conflicting views and opinions in an emotionally charged atmosphere and to bring about resolution or agree a course of action.
* Able to make correct decisions within a set of clear guidelines, and able to prioritise complex, time sensitive tasks and activities, balancing own workload.
* Competent spelling, grammar and layout skills; able to produce a variety of work, e.g. letters, minutes, presentations, e-mails and reports.
* Able to build effective internal and external working relationships and work effectively with all grades of staff.
Desirable:
* Facilitation, Chairing or Training Skills.
* Information management skills.
Other Requirements
Essential:
* Empathy for individuals who have experienced mental health problems and ability to cope with behaviour which may be challenging at times.
* Ability to travel across the Trust.
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship
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.
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.
Employer Details
Employer Name: Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
Address: Bath NHS House, Newbridge Hill, Bath, BA1 3QE
Employer's Website: http://www.awp.nhs.uk/about-us/working-for-us/
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