Patient Advice & Liaison Support (PALS) Officer -East

Job Overview

We are seeking to appoint 1 x Patient Advice and Liaison Support (PALS) Officer to support the service at Wrexham Maelor Hospital East Area and to provide support across the wider North Wales service.

The role of a PALS Officer is to act as a facilitator in response to dealing with enquiries on a day-to-day basis; escalating feedback or concerns expressed by patients, carers, families and members of the public and negotiate effective solutions or resolution of issues as speedily as possible.

The successful candidate will be expected to participate in the co-ordination and delivery of engagement and communication activities, as defined in the PALS job role. The post holder will attend primary, secondary and community settings to engage with patients and carers to capture patient and carer feedback through various methods such as undertaking Care 2 Share observation interviews and capturing patient stories.

The PALS Officer will report to the Patient Experience Manager and will work closely with the Complaints team.

You will need to be enthusiastic, motivated, sensitive and tactful; educated to degree level (or equivalent experience) and have experience in dealing with patients/carers/members of the public in what often can be difficult and challenging situations.

Main duties of the job

The main responsibilities of the post are:

• To act as a visible point of contact for patients, carers, relatives and members of the public, providing accurate information and early resolutions to enquiries raised. Where necessary, PALS Officers will signpost and advise on the complaints process or refer to external or special advocacy services if considered appropriate.
• To actively network and build relationships across the Health Board including Primary Care, collaborative organisations and the third sector in order to secure engagement and assistance with resolving issues as they arise.
• Capturing patient and carer feedback through various methods in a variety of clinical settings.
  
  

The post holder will:

• Deal with sensitive information in a professional manner ensuring all actions meet the statutory requirements within the Putting Things Right Guidance and Data Protection legislation
• Make measured, responsible and professional decisions to ensure the most effective outcome is achieved for the enquirer at all times
• Effectively manage and record all individual contacts with patients, carers, relatives or members of the public
• Build and maintain good relationships with management teams, clinical staff and non-clinical staff across the health board.
  
  

The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; Welsh and/or English speakers are equally welcome to apply.

Working for our organisation

If you relish a challenge, have a passion to help others or simply fancy a fresh start, then Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) North Wales, has all the right ingredients. The largest health organisation in Wales, providing a full range of primary, community, mental health, acute and elective hospital services for a population of around 700,000, across North Wales . Join our team and get the support you need, in line with our Organisational Values and ‘Proud to Lead’ competence framework.

Enjoy being part of working with engaged leadership at all levels, and be assured we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and are proud to welcome applicants under the “Disability Confident Employer” scheme.

Please check your email account regularly. Successful applicants will receive all recruitment related correspondence via the email account registered on the application form.

Applications may be submitted in Welsh. Applications submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

You will be able to find a full Job Description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents or please click “Apply now” to view in Trac.

Person specification

Experience

Essential criteria

• Relevant experience of dealing with general public / patients / carers / health professionals on customer service issues.
• Experience of dealing with a variety of professionals and staff at different levels.
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Proven experience of working in customer services or related departments within a complex organisation
  
  

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Educated to degree level or equivalent qualification or experience
• Evidence of Continuous Professional Development
  
  

Skills

Essential criteria

• Experience of establishing / using systems and processes to ensure effective recording, monitoring and evaluation of feedback. Problem solving skills.
• Experience of effective communication (verbal and written)
• Ability to work on own initiative and manage own workload
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Evidence of good IT skills, including presentations and use of social media / ECDL or equivalent
• Evidence of handling distressing or sensitive situations
  
  

Knowledge

Essential Criteria

• Good understanding of the legislation governing complaints and complaints management
• Working knowledge of operating within a patient experience / engagement framework
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Broad understanding of the NHS systems and processes
  
  

Other

Essential criteria

• Special requirements to perform in the role - Ability to travel within geographical area