As a core member of the leadership team, the Head of Patient Experience will lead on ensuring excellent standards of care, communication, and responsiveness across all aspects of the patient journey. This includes leading the Patient Participation Group (PPG), managing formal complaints, overseeing the Significant Events and Risk Register, and embedding learning from patient feedback into daily practice.
The postholder will also be responsible for managing patient surveys and feedback channels, analysing themes, and working with colleagues to improve services. They will champion equality, accessibility, and inclusion to ensure a positive experience for all patients.
Main duties of the job
This postholder will work closely with the Head of People & Policy and Head of Business and Operations to deliver the strategic objectives of the Managing Partner and to support CQC inspections.
About us
The Croft Practice cares for a mainly rural population covering an area of some 30 square miles in West Sussex, surrounding the Five Villages. As members of the Primary Health Care Team, we are committed to giving the best possible care and service to our patients. We provide medical services from our two main surgeries in Eastergate and Yapton, together with a branch surgery in Walberton.
We are rated 'Good' by CQC.
It is an exciting time at The Croft Practice as our new Medical Centre is currently being built which will enable us to continue to provide excellent services to our community, we move in July 2025!
Job responsibilities
Patient Engagement and PPG
1. Lead all aspects of the Patient Participation Group PPG, in line with GMS contract responsibilities.
2. Plan, coordinate, and facilitate regular PPG meetings.
3. Develop and distribute PPG newsletters and updates.
4. Maintain a positive, representative, and motivated PPG that contributes meaningfully to Practice development.
5. Embed the patient voice in the strategic and operational direction of the Practice
Complaints Management
1. Manage formal complaints that have been escalated by the Duty Manager. This include a formal acknowledgement process.
2. Conduct thorough, timely investigations and draft professional and empathetic responses.
3. Identify recurring issues and ensure organisational learning is captured and disseminated.
4. Liaise with patients and families where required to promote resolution and transparency.
5. Complete the annual KO41b general practice written complaints data collection.
Patient feedback and Surveys
1. Lead on the design, collection, and reporting of patient feedback (e.g., Friends & Family Test, digital reviews, surveys).
2. Regularly analyse trends in patient experience and report insights to leadership.
3. Act on feedback themes, collaborating with Managers and Leads to implement and evaluate changes such as training opportunities or process updates.
4. Co-ordinate a You said, we did approach to communicating actions taken to our patients and staff.
Accessibility, Inclusion & Patient-Facing Communications
1. Ensure the Practice is accessible and inclusive to all patient groups, including those with additional communication needs.
2. Lead on the development, coordination, and quality assurance of all patient facing communications, including:
3. Maintain the Practice Website
4. Contribute to social media platforms including Facebook and LinkedIn, monitoring patient interactions on social media, responding appropriately and ensuring any feedback is followed up through the correct channels.
5. Champion equality, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of patient communication and engagement.
1. Contribute to the delivery of the organisations strategy.
2. Take a leading role in the preparation for CQC inspections, ensuring evidence of compliance with patient experience areas.
3. Work in collaboration with the Heads of Department to ensure alignment of patient and operational policies.
4. Deputise for senior leaders as required.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Degree level education or equivalent experience
Values & Behaviours
* - Excellent communication and empathy skills
* - Compassionate, patient-centred approach
* - Flexible, organised, and proactive
* - Professional and emotionally intelligent
Experience
* Experience of handling formal complaints and sensitive correspondence
* Leading patient engagement and involvement initiatives
* Experience of analysing and reporting on service feedback
* NHS or healthcare experience, particularly patient-facing roles
* Investigating significant events or managing risk registers
* Supporting CQC inspections and related evidence-gathering
Skills
* - High-quality letter writing and communication skills
* - Ability to investigate and resolve sensitive issues
* - Skilled in data analysis and reporting of trends
* -Emotional intelligence, relationship building, tackling difficult issues, team and people development and managing performance.
* - Knowledge of NHS complaints and feedback systems
* - Experience or aptitude in managing patient communications across digital and social media platforms
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