Complaints Officer - Oldham, United Kingdom - Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust

Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust

Verified Company

Oldham, United Kingdom

2 weeks ago

Posted by:

Tom O´Connor

beBee Recruiter

Description

The PALS and Complaints Department at NCA is looking for enthusiastic, committed people to join their team.

You will be part of a team managing a caseload of formal complaints for one of the Care Organisations within the NCA.

You will need excellent communication (verbal and written), organisation and time management skills, alongside a proactive approach to develop and improve the service.

Working with colleagues in the management of formal complaints, ensuring compliance with national and local procedures and guidelines.

The post-holder will possess excellent written and oral communication skills and be able to work under pressure, managing own caseload with mínimal supervision, using initiative and experience to respond to complaints in an effective, timely and professional manner.

To ensure all complaints are investigated and responded to in line within NHS and Trust Complaints Handling Policy and Key Performance Indicators.

Provide guidance and assist in the delivery of training to Trust staff on the Complaints Policy and Procedure.

The PALS and Complaints department provide a service across all 4 sites of NCA. 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 the best service to our patients and their carers.

Manage complaints of low to moderate complexity in a timely and effective manner, in conjunction with the Care Organisation divisional teams, in accordance with the Trust's PALS and Complaints Handling policy
To instigate the formal complaints process and ensure all complaints are investigated, the complainants' questions are fully answered in an appropriate format to suit the complainant's requirements. This will either be way of a formal response letter or via a Local Resolution Meeting (LRM)
To demonstrate empathy and exercise confidentiality, tact and assertiveness in dealing with sensitive issues and people who may be distressed or upset
To review completed investigation reports, ensuring they address all of the issues raised in a complaint and include apologies, evidence of lessons learned and action plans, where appropriate
To draft highquality, thorough, written responses for senior approval and sign off, using language that is clear and easy to understand
To provide clear support, advice and guidance to Care Organisation colleagues regarding the complaints process and timeframes
To accurately input all complaint case activity onto the complaints database (Datix), ensuring there is always a clear and up to date record of the latest action and case status
To maintain good communication with the complainant, providing regular updates, as agreed, throughout the complaint investigation process
To contribute to the monitoring of complaints, highlighting and escalating as appropriate, any patient safety issues, hotspots, themes and trends arising from complaints to the PALS and Complaints Team Leader, the Governance and divisional management teams in the relevant Care Organisation and Patient Experience team
To assist the PALS and Complaints Team Leader in the preparation of routine and adhoc reports on complaints activity with the Care Organisation, including analysis of themes and trends
To attend regular meetings with the Care Organisation to discuss and provide updates on the progress of complaints
To arrange, working closely with the Care Organisation, attend and record LRMs with complainants (who may be supported by a friend/relative/advocate) and hospital and community service representatives, taking notes to provide a written summary of any agreed action points
To build and maintain effective working relationships with clinical and nonclinical staff within the Care Organisation, wider Trust, and other NHS and social care service providers, to support the effective and timely resolution of complaints.
To assist the PALS and Complaints Team Leader in raising awareness of PALS and Complaints functions and support in providing specific training on handling complaints
To keep abreast of changes to national NHS complaints and other relevant legislation and guidance and to consider new or innovative ways of managing casework
To have a personal duty of care in relation to equipment and resources and confidential retention, storage and distribution of documentation
To be responsible for appropriate use and safety of office and IT equipment
The post holder will be office based with the potential for some home working