Job summary
- Main area
- Complaints
- Grade
- Band 5
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time - 30 hours per week (Monday-Friday)
- Job ref
- 265-6775993
- Employer
- Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Northampton General Hospital
- Town
- Northampton
- Salary
- £29,970 - £36,483 Per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 01/12/2024 23:59
Employer heading
Complaints Officer
Band 5
Job overview
This is an excellent opportunity for an enthusiastic, skilled, dedicated and highly motivated individual looking to make a real difference to the care provided to our patients, by joining our complaints team at Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust.
The successful applicant will support the Trust’s vision to deliver excellent patient care and will play a leading role in the Trust’s provision of a robust and responsive complaints service, which is in line with the latest legislation, national guidance and Trust policy. You will take every opportunity to ensure the Trust learns from and improves the service provided to those who attend the Trust.
You will be expected to maintain consistently high standards of complaints handling including timely and thorough responses to complaints and a robust lessons learnt framework. You will prepare very complex, detailed letters of response on behalf of the Executive Team ensuring that they are accurate, compassionate, patient-centred and fully respond to all of the concerns raised. You will also liaise directly with complainants agreeing the most appropriate way forward including facilitating meetings involving patients, relatives and staff, which you will also be required to attend.
Main duties of the job
Responsible for supporting the management of the Trusts Complaint’s function, being pro-active in the management of complaints within statutory requirements and broad national and local guidelines and continually reviewing the systems in place to improve the efficiency of the service.
To respond to verbal and written complaints received within the Trust in accordance with the NHS Complaints Procedure.
In liaison with the Complaints Manager identify potential/actual risks associated with complaints and liaise with appropriate personnel both within and outside the Trust.
Produce reports and summaries as requested by the Complaints Manager.
Work with the Complaints Team in ensuring the Trust meets or exceeds national and local targets and standards for complaints management.
Working for our organisation
Northampton General Hospital is one of the largest employers in the area and we are on an exciting journey. All of our divisions are committed to doing things better, with more efficiency as we update, modernise, and advance. We have also entered into a Group Model with neighbouring Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and become University Hospitals of Northamptonshire.
Our Excellence Values
Compassion
Accountability
Respect
Integrity
Courage
We want to recruit the best people to deliver our services across the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire and help to unleash everyone’s full potential. As an organisation, we value how we communicate and promote our vacancies to all communities.
We are a Defence positive trust, supporting our reservists, veterans, spouses and partners.
The Hospital Group encourages applications from people who identify from all protected groups, especially those from BAME, Disabled and LGBTQ+ backgrounds as these are underrepresented in our hospitals.
We understand that we need to work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and make sure the environment they work in is inclusive and collaborative.
Please submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close any adverts before the closing date once we have received sufficient applications.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Manage and co-ordinate complaints received within the Trust, making decisions on the way correspondence received should be processed in line with the NHS Complaints Procedure and adhering to statutory requirements.
Respond to verbal and written complaints, document the concerns and resolve the issues through to conclusion by investigation and response to the complainant, or pass to an appropriate Manager for resolution and response depending upon the nature and complexity of the complaint.
Prepare highly detailed and complex letters of response on behalf of the Chief Executive and other members of the Executive team. This information contains clinical terminology that must be explained in laymen’s terms.
Ensuring that all responses are in appropriate format, style, language and demonstrate a thorough investigation has been undertaken and lessons learned, if appropriate, in line with the NHS Complaints Procedure and adhering to statutory requirements.
Chair and/or attend local resolution meetings with members of Trust staff and complainants. This may involve the taking of detailed meeting notes / recordings.
Person specification
Education
Essential criteria
- Educated to degree level or equivalent level of education, training or experience
- NVQ level 4 (Customer Service)
Desirable criteria
- RSA level II word processing skills or equivalent
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Working within a complaint’s environment.
- A full understanding of the NHS complaints procedure and how this is applied in practice.
- Working across professional boundaries.
- Experience of working within a framework of confidentiality.
- Evidence of effective group facilitation skills.
- Proven ability in proactively solving complex problems.
- Experience of medical terminology.
- Knowledge of how the Trust operates and an awareness of political issues/sensitivities.
- A working knowledge of legal and procedural obligations in respect of: Consent, GDPR, Freedom of Information Act and Access to Deceased Records Act, Mental Capacity Act.
- Advanced Information technology skills. Including Microsoft Excel, word, PowerPoint.
Desirable criteria
- A sound understanding of topical NHS issues.
- Previous experience in dealing with complaints.
- Experience of advocacy work.
- Experience of using an integrated risk management system.
Skills
Essential criteria
- Excellent typing skills.
- Advanced Information technology skills, including Microsoft Excel, word, PowerPoint (or equivalent)
- Can demonstrate the ability to appropriately challenge existing ways of working.
- Excellent letter writing skills and the ability to formulate responses/correspondence on a wide range of complex issues.
- Ability to demonstrate effective communication and organisational skills.
- Ability to communicate with the bereaved families & vulnerable people.
- Physical effort (e.g. moving between different locations within the Trust).
- Mental effort (e.g. concentration levels).
- Emotional effort (e.g. very distressing or traumatic circumstances).
- Working conditions (e.g. VDU usage).
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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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
- Sally Bushnell
- Job title
- Complaints Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01604545774
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