Job summary
- Main area
- Clinical Governance
- Grade
- Band 4
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Requirement for onsite working within the PALS offices cross site)
- Job ref
- 359-6728006-T3
- Employer
- Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Maidstone Hospital and Tunbridge Wells Hospital (Cross Site) TN2 4QJ / ME16 9QQ
- Town
- Maidstone
- Salary
- £26,530 - £29,114 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 13/11/2024 23:59
Employer heading
PALS Officer
Band 4
Job overview
Patient experience starts with the patient, listening and designing the experience to meet the needs of our patients and their families. Are you passionate about ensuring our patients, their relatives and friends have outstanding experience of our care?
At Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, we strive to deliver the highest standards of customer service and the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) is a key part of this. Responding to enquiries received via our drop-in service, email, telephone and online reviews, the team provide a recognised invaluable service to patients, relatives, and other stake-holders.
The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) offers confidential advice, support and information on health-related matters.
They provide a point of contact for patients, their families and their carers.
As a PALS officer you will help to signpost and provide information, help resolve concerns or problems for service users, and to help to improve the NHS by listening to concerns and suggestions.
Previous applicants need not apply.
Main duties of the job
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a full time Band 4 PALS Officer. The post holder will be required to work 37.5 hours a week, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays). The post holder will be required to work at both Maidstone Hospital and Tunbridge Wells Hospital (Cross Site), in line with service needs.
The ideal candidate will have a background of working in a patient experience or similar customer service or patient facing role. We are seeking someone with outstanding communication skills, who has the ability to prioritise, organise and respond in a timely manner to enquiries.
Patient focus is essential to the role, as is the ability to work on own initiative and shows a positive and proactive ‘can-do’ attitude, and is able to work independently or as part of a team.
Previous experience of using clinical systems would be a distinct advantage, but training will be provided to the successful candidate.
If you like to help people and make a difference, are a problem solver, have good negotiation and influencing skills, empathy, resilience and have a flexible approach, we would like to hear from you.
“Please note that this role may often attract a high level of applications. Please note this role may close earlier than the original closing date so please ensure you submit your application as soon as possible”
Working for our organisation
MTW is a large acute hospital trust in the south-east of England.
We provide a full range of general hospital services and some aspects of specialist and complex care to around 600,000 people living in west Kent and East Sussex. We have a team of over 8,000 full and part-time staff. We also provide specialist cancer services to around 2 million people across Kent and East Sussex via the Kent Oncology Centre.
In the 2024 NHS staff survey, our employees ranked MTW among the top 10 NHS Trusts nationwide and the second-best Trust to work for in the South East.
Would you like to work flexibly? In the NHS, we are reminded every day of how important life is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Once your pre-employment checks have been completed you will be contacted by Recruitment to arrange your start date which will be in line with one of our Corporate Inductions.
Please note that appointment to this post will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure & Barring Service Check at Standard Level. (Enhanced level now includes regulated checks against vulnerable adults and children)
At MTW, we seek to develop a culture where everyone can reach their full potential with opportunities to grow and develop their career. We recognise and value the unique contributions that each of our staff bring, delivering the best quality care and service to our patients. We are committed to being a diverse employer and strive to reflect everyone in our local communities. We welcome applications from people of diverse backgrounds, perspectives and experiences and celebrate the diversity of thought, viewpoints and ideas that will make our Trust the best place to work.
We support our staff with disabilities to ensure they have the adjustments they need to be the best they can be in the workplace. Collaborating with Access to Work means that our staff are assessed by experts in the workplace and we ensure that their recommendations are implemented as quickly as possible. You can find out more here: Access to Work: get support if you have a disability or health condition: What Access to Work is - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Interview Date: TBC
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- NVQ level 3 (or equivalent) or Diploma or equivalent experience
Experience/Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Awareness of The Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009
- Experience of delivering complex customer services
- Familiar with the use of databases
- Understanding of the organisation and structure of the NHS
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working in NHS Complaints, PALS or patient experience
- Experience of working within an acute NHS Trust
- Experience of using clinical systems
Skills
Essential criteria
- Outstanding communication and listening skills
- Keyboard skills
- Prioritisation and organisational skills
Desirable criteria
- Completion of conflict resolution training (or similar)
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
- Lianne Sheehy
- Job title
- PALS Team Leader
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01892 634384
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