Deputy PALS and Complaints Manager

Royal Berkshire; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave up to 33 days (including

Employee Assistance Programme

On-site nursery (RBH)

Cycle to work scheme

Bus to work scheme

Excellent rail and bus links

NHS Discounts

Job summary

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Deputy PALS and Complaints Manager to lead the complaints and PALS function, manage Datix records, and guide investigations with a focus on candour and high-quality written responses.

You will advise staff, monitor response times, and ensure timely, compliant resolutions in line with NHS regulations, while managing a team and maintaining professional standards.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience of working in a customer facing role.
• Confident at working independently and handling challenging situations.
• Previous NHS experience.
• Qualification in leadership/management.

Responsibilities

• Work collaboratively with the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsmans office.
• Deputise as appropriate for the Complaints and PALS Managers.
• Be the first point of escalation for enquirers when junior staff cannot assist.
• Line management responsibility for junior staff where appropriate.
• Ensure Complaints and PALS processes adhere to DP/Confidentiality/GDPR principles.
• Promote diversity and generate relationships to support dignity and rights.
• Assist team in workload management and general office duties.

Skills

Excellent written skills

Customer facing experience

Independent working

Problem solving

Education

NHS leadership/management qualification

Tools

MS Office

Excel

Job description

An opportunity has arisen to join our team as a Deputy PALS and Complaints Manager. This is a very rewarding role with a chance to make a real difference to the lives of our service users.

If you are someone who has outstanding communication skills, excels in helping others, with a natural affinity for networking and building relationships, and capable of showing genuine compassion and empathy, we would love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

• Manage, monitor and ensure the maintenance of the Datix system, ensuring all records are accurate, enabling efficient management of the complaints/PALS department and the complaints/PALS processes. Maintain accurate and contemporaneous records on the Trust's DATIX system
• Plan, organise and take full responsibility of your workload, acting independently within appropriate guidelines and where necessary referring to PALS and Complaints Managers
• Undertake thorough, impartial investigations and draft complex response letters, to a high standard of written English, ensuring the principles of being open and duty of candor are applied and recommendations or actions are included
• Support and advise staff, at all levels, when responding to complaints/PALS to ensure the complaints and concerns are appropriately investigated and responded to in a timely fashion as outlined in the NHS regulations
• Communicate under pressure, remaining calm and avoiding conflict, dealing with people who may be in a highly emotional state or recently bereaved. These difficult conversations may be planned or unplanned
• Monitor the complaint response times, as directed by the Complaints Manager
• Respond to all complaints within the timescale set by the Trust and agreed with the complainant, utilising the Trust's escalation process if a complaint response becomes delayed.

About us

Our values; Compassionate, Aspirational, Resourceful, Excellent, reflect the type of Trust we aspire to be and you can join our dedicated andtalented staff to make this happen.

• Flexible working opportunities and a strong emphasis on your work, life balance
• Annual leave - 27 days for new starters, plus bank holidays. Increasing to 29 days after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years NHS service. Pro rata for part time staff
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Generous maternity, paternity and adoption leave for eligible staff
• On-site nursery (based at RBH)
• Full educational library services
• Cycle to work scheme, lockable storage for cycles
• Bus to work scheme
• Excellent rail and bus links
• A huge range of Health Service Discounts at hundreds of big brands from holidays to gadgets and restaurants to retail.

We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants where possible. All applicants who have a disability and meet the minimum criteria for the post can opt for a guaranteed interview.

The Trust may close any vacancy prior to the advertised closing date due to the high level of responses we receive for some of our vacancies.

Job responsibilities

• Work collaboratively with the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsmans office.
• Deputise as appropriate for the Complaints and PALS Managers.
• To be the first point of escalation for enquirers, when junior staff members are unable to assist and enquirers are asking for the concerns to be escalated.
• Line management responsibility for junior members of staff, as appropriate.
• Ensure that the Complaints and PALS processes adhere to Data Protection/ Confidentiality/ Caldicott / GDPR principles.
• Actively promote diversity, including race diversity, across the Trust. Generate and sustain relationships that promote dignity, rights and responsibilities. Identify and take action to address discrimination and oppression.
• To assist the team alignment in managing the workload between care groups and individuals including general office duties including, where required to get the job done in a timely way processing incoming and outgoing communication.
• Communicate in an empathic manner with patients, relatives and staff, being aware of the sensitivity and complexity of the information and issues they may deal with.
• Maintain and develops own professional expertise and ability to act as a role model for both their own team and wider to all staff in the Trust.
• Assume a central role in problem solving and service co‑ordination to ensure patients and carers receive high standards of seamless quality care.
• Work in collaboration with the interdisciplinary teams throughout the Trust to support and compliment their care and the quality of the service provided.
• To maintain up to date knowledge about the national best practice in NHS complaints practice, NHS England policy, NHS Complaints Regulations 2009, recommending changes as required in Trust policy in order to comply with these.
• To chair local resolution meetings as appropriate, care group meetings and any other meetings as required.

Teaching, Training and Research:

• Participates in the delivery and evaluation of staff induction training, related to customer care and complaints management.
• Participate in the delivery of in house complaints training

Role Responsibilities:

• Monitor and maintain the health, safety and security of self and any practitioners in work area. Identify risks in work activities and develops strategies to manage these effectively. Practice within risk management/ occupational health legislation and Trust procedures.
• Develop own skills, taking responsibility for continuing professional development and performance.

This job description should be regarded as a guide to the planned duties and responsibilities of the post. The description is not exhaustive and will be subject to periodic review in consultation with the post-holder.

Person Specification

• Extensive experience of working in a customer facing role
• Confident at working independently and handling challenging situations
• Previous NHS experience
• Qualification in leadership/management

Experience

• MS Office literate with excellent written skills
• Ability to problem solve efficiently and to provide guidance to others
• Confident handling data and creating spreadsheets in Excel
• Displaying an approachable, confident and diplomatic manner
• Confident at working independently and handling challenging situations
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development
• Experience of working with distressed/bereaved service users

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.