Band 5 PALS and Complaints Officer

at  Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

Job overview
A PALS and Complaints Officer has an important and challenging role in providing an accessible contact point for service users, their relatives, carers, and members of the public who use our services. You need compassion, empathy, resilience and an organised approach to case work and we are looking for someone who has the drive and commitment to facilitate changes and improvements in the care people receive.
Main duties of the job
You will be responsible for addressing concerns highlighted by our users, liaising with our staff to reach conclusions and progressing formal complaints.
You will work with the team, dealing directly with the public by telephone, and email and sometimes face to face to resolve issues, provide information and to give signposting advice where required.
You will assist with the gathering of information and preparing of responses to formal complaints.
You will need to be able to travel across the Trust to different sites and inpatient units to enable access to the service.
We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust) a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care. We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset. Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.
At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To be a first point of contact for enquiries, concerns, suggestions and complaints from service users, patients, carers, members of the public and staff – referring them and signposting them to relevant agencies.
To resolve concerns and queries from service users, carers, patients, members of the public – many of which will be complex and/or sensitive - by analysing situations, problem solving effectively and mediation
Work closely with the Head of PALs and Complaints on complex cases taking guidance and direction from them
To maintain client confidentiality at all times and in line with PALS, and the Trust’s, procedures and protocols and ensure they are treated with dignity and respect
Advise service users, patients and carers about the complaints process and how to access support to use the Trust complaints system
To advise on how to make a complaint and how to access Independent Complaints Advocacy Service and other sources of help and support around the complaints process.
Attend meetings and support initiatives to help Trust services learn from, and make improvement based on user, carer and patient feedback
Support service users and carers in expressing their views in the same

Please refer the Job description for details