Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.
Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup.
We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 – the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.
To achieve this we value Respect, Compassion, and Inclusion; Being accountable over staying comfortable; Listening over always knowing best; and Succeeding together over achieving alone.
Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as “good” or “outstanding” in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.
Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.
LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King’s College London’s GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.
We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the ICS in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.
The post holder is accountable to the Associate Director of Quality and Governance but reports to the Concerns and Complaints Officer.
The post holder will respond to compliments and concerns (also known as PALS) relating to services offered by Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust. The post holder will ensure that all cases are managed in an empathetic and timely manner through close working with clinical and non-clinical staff across the Trust.
The post holder will ensure that all concerns and complaints are managed in a way that demonstrates the organisation’s commitment to providing high quality care and continuously learning from patient/carer experience. The post holder will provide effective support to patients, carers and staff throughout the process and will also ensure that all regulatory and organisational requirements are met.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be responsible for managing and responding to compliments and concerns (also referred to as the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)) relating to services provided by Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust. They will ensure that all cases are handled in a timely, sensitive and empathetic manner, working collaboratively with clinical and non‑clinical colleagues across the Trust to facilitate effective resolution.
The post holder will ensure that all concerns and complaints are managed in a manner that reflects the organisation’s commitment to the delivery of high‑quality care and to continuous learning from patient and carer feedback. They will provide appropriate guidance and support to patients, carers and staff throughout the process, and will ensure full compliance with all relevant regulatory, statutory and organisational requirements.
Working for our organisation
Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:
1. Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
2. Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
3. Improving the experience of staff with disability
4. Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
5. Making equalities mainstream
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Concern and Complaint Process:
• Efficiently complete the administrative and central management processes of concerns and complaints received, to support the timely and effective resolution.
• Be the first point of call for anyone wishing to raise a concern or make a complaint.
• Work closely with patients and carers of the service, understanding their concerns, desired outcomes and discussing and agreeing options and timescales for resolution.
• Provide high quality and high-level support and advice to Trust staff on the handling of concerns.
• Ensure all concerns and complaints are logged in the Trust’s Local Risk Management system, Ulysses, ensuring attention to detail and high standards of documentation.
Communication:
• Implement clear and concise communication techniques, ensuring a patient-centred approach in all interactions.
• Facilitate transparent communication between patients, families, and healthcare staff, fostering an environment of trust and openness
• Ensure that patients, their relatives, and carers have access to information about the concerns and complaints processes.
Patient Advocacy and Support:
• Advocate on behalf of patients and families within the trust to ensure their concerns are appropriately addressed.
• Provide emotional support and guidance to patients and families navigating healthcare processes, fostering a compassionate and empathetic environment.
Person specification
Essential criteria
6. NVQ level 4/Vocational qualification level 4 or equivalent experience
7. GCSE (or equivalent qualification) at grade C or above in English
Desirable criteria
8. A-level English
9. European Computer Driving License (ECDL) or equivalent
10. Training/certifications in customer service/patient advocacy
Experience
Essential criteria
11. Experience of working within the NHS or in a similar customer facing environment
12. Experience of handling distressing situations
13. Experience of working with all levels of staff
14. Significant Administrative experience
15. Experience of providing support and information to patients or the public
Desirable criteria
16. Experience of working within a PALS/complaints or customer service role
Knowledge and Skills
Essential criteria
17. Knowledge of the NHS PALS and complaints procedures
18. Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with and empathetic and person-centred approach
19. Experience of using Microsoft Word, Powerpoint and Excel
20. Ability to analyse problems and identify solutions
21. Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage and prioritise multiple tasks
22. Ability to analyse data and trends, providing insight
Personal Qualities
Essential criteria
23. Ability to deal with angry or distressed people
24. Ability to work autonomously and in a team
We reserve the right to close the post before the stated closing date, please apply early. We do not contact applicants with the outcome of the shortlisting. If you have been shortlisted, you will receive an invite to an assessment day or interview.
As a local employer and anchor institution we work closely with our community to recruit locally and we welcome applications from the widest variety of people to ensure our workforce are reflective of the local communities which we serve. We encourage all suitable candidates to apply including if you are Black, Asian or other ethnic minorities, live with a disability (visible or not) or are LGBT+. We have a number of active staff networks including Disability, LGBT+, Multicultural Inclusion and Women’s staff networks to bring staff together and celebrate diversity across our whole workforce.
Please note: Information provided during recruitment and pre‑employment checks must be accurate. Misrepresentation may be investigated as fraud and could lead to withdrawal from the process, professional sanctions, or criminal action.
Please note: that sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route is subject to Trust allocation and UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) approval.
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.
Application numbers
To ensure fairness and manageable shortlisting processes, some vacancies may have an application cap. This means the vacancy will close once a set number of applications have been received even if this happens before the advertised closing date.
We recommend applying as early as possible to avoid missing out. All applications received before the cap is reached will be considered equally and assessed against the person specification.