PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service) Facilitator
As the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) Facilitator, you will play a vital role within the Quality and Safety Department, working as part of a supportive and dynamic team dedicated to enhancing patient experience across the Trust.
In this role, you will be the first point of contact for patients, carers, and families seeking advice, support, or resolution of concerns. Your work will directly contribute to improving the quality of services and ensuring that patient voices are heard and acted upon.
The PALS Facilitator will provide compassionate support and guidance to patients, carers, and families, primarily via telephone and email, helping to resolve concerns or receive feedback related to Trust services in a timely and empathetic manner. The role requires effective and sensitive communication with patients whilst maintaining professionalism, calmness, sound judgment, and confidentiality at all times.
Please note: Due to recent changes in UK immigration and visa rules, this role may not be eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Applicants who do not currently have the right to work in the UK may not be considered. Candidates requiring sponsorship should review the eligibility criteria on the gov.uk website before applying to assess their eligibility for a Certificate of Sponsorship for this role.
Skilled Worker visa: going rates for eligible occupation codes - GOV.UK
Health and Care Worker visa: If you'll need to meet different salary requirements - GOV.UK
Main duties of the job
* Provide compassionate support and guidance to patients, carers, and families, primarily via telephone and email, helping to resolve concerns related to Trust services in a timely and compassionate manner.
* Communicate effectively and sensitively with individuals at all levels, demonstrating sound judgment, professionalism, and confidentiality.
* Liaise with clinical teams and service managers to resolve enquiries, ensuring a collaborative and solution-focused approach.
* Maintain accurate and detailed records of all interactions and progress notes using the Trust's recording systems, ensuring transparency and accountability.
* Support the wider Patient Experience Team with administrative tasks and contribute to ongoing initiatives aimed at capturing patient feedback and improving patient experience.
About us
We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.
Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.
Why work for us? - Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeing
- Varied environments: community hospitals, patients' homes, and bases across Sussex
- Flexible working options: part-time, flexi-time, annualised hours, and flexi-retirement
- Excellent training, development, and research opportunities
- Accredited Living Wage Employer, we ensure fair pay for all our staff
- Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brighton
- Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networks
- Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust
Our values -- Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence -- guide everything we do.
We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.
This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.
Job responsibilities
Main responsibilities
* Be the first point of contact for the Patient Experience Team, handling PALS enquiries, complaints, and feedback.
* Follow procedures related to confidentiality, consent, and equality.
* Keep the Trust's PALS and complaints database accurate and up to date.
* Create regular and one-off reports on PALS activity and compliments.
* Support the Patient Experience Team delivering its goals, plans and key performance indicators.
* Draft responses to routine PALS and complaint enquiries as directed.
* Use your sound judgment when sharing or withholding information, internally and externally.
* Suggest improvements to how administrative tasks are done and help implement changes.
* Effectively manage emails and post, dealing with or redirecting items as needed.
* Respond to certain enquiries independently, and follow up as necessary.
* Organise and prioritise your own workload.
* Arrange meetings and events, including booking venues, equipment, and refreshments as required.
* Prepare meeting agendas and minutes (for the Patient Experience Group), and ensure timely distribution.
* Support with the preparation of reports ensuring timely information is provided and is accurate.
* Keep filing systems organised and up to date. Maintain a current and accurate contact lists.
Person Specification
Qualifications/Experience
* Recognised qualification in Business Administration or other high-level administrative/secretarial qualification or equivalent experience.
* Experience of working directly with the public
* Excellent verbal communication and interpersonal skills
Skills
* Ability to deal with complex, confidential and sensitive information in an appropriate manner
Knowledge
* Problem solving - the ability to analyse and make judgements / assessments on a range of acts or situations where there is more than one solution
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer name
Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Bramber building, Brighton General hospital
£27,485 to £30,162 a year per annum pro rata
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Part-time
Reference number
150-GM2226-COR-A
Job locations
Bramber building, Brighton General hospital
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