Patient Experience Advice and Liaison Officer

Dartford & Gravesham NHS Trust; Dartford; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS trust in Dartford is seeking a dedicated Patient Experience Officer to provide support and information to patients and their families. This role involves maintaining high standards of customer service, managing patient feedback systems, and ensuring a compassionate approach towards patients. The ideal candidate will have a solid education, customer service skills, and experience in handling sensitive situations.

Qualifications

• Customer service experience is essential.
• Knowledge of NHS complaints procedure is crucial.
• Ability to handle challenging situations daily.

Responsibilities

• Provide information to patients, relatives, and visitors.
• Support the Patient Experience lead with surveys and data entry.
• Communicate sensitive information in a professional manner.

Skills

Customer Service

Good communication skills

Organizational skills

Compassionate demeanor

Education

Good all round general education to GCSE standard

NVQ Level 3 or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel)

Datix reporting System

Job description

Job Summary

At Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust we believe patient wellbeing and experience, alongside clinical quality, should be at the heart of everything we do. Patient experience starts with the patient, listening and designing the experience to meet the needs of our patients and their families. Are you passionate about ensuring our patients, their relatives and friends have outstanding experience of our care?

This position will not be supported for visa sponsorship. All applicants are expected to have a valid right to work document to work in the UK when applying for this position.

Main duties of the job

To provide a high level of customer service to patients, relatives and visitors who may need information or advice about Trust Services. To support and signpost people with concerns or queries to ensure timely resolution of issues. This will include the provision of in-reach services to engage with patients and their carers or relatives within our wards and departments. The post holder will also work in partnership with staff from the Claims, Complaints, Risk and Audit Departments and work as a member of a team and develop professional relationships with all staff and others with whom you come into contact with during the course of your work.

The post holder will also provide support to the Patient Experience lead in the distribution, collection and collation of any patient experience based surveys (including Friends & Family) on a daily basis from all ward/departmental areas which are eligible, ensuring that these are timely and effective in their purpose. They will also have the ability to enter, collate and extract data to provide meaningful reports for both the PALS and Patient Experience departments.

About Us

We are committed to being an inclusive and diverse employer. We strive to employ people who reflect the communities we serve, and aim to create an inclusive culture where everyone can reach their full potential. Whatever your race, ethnicity, belief, generation, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity, disability or experience, you\'ll appreciate the opportunities we give you to work in an inclusive atmosphere. We welcome applications from people of diverse backgrounds, perspectives and experiences to build on the progress we\'ve achieved to make our Trust diverse and the best place to work. We celebrate the diversity of thought, viewpoints and ideas that help us overcome challenges and embrace new possibilities. We have signed the Armed Forces Covenant Pledge and have a commitment to the Armed Forces Community.

We are dedicated to using our Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) approach as our shared organisation model of change to enhance our services and ensure excellence in patient care.

If you are considering applying for a role, please be aware that as an NHS Employee you may have contact with vulnerable service users. We strongly encourage that all our staff are vaccinated against COVID-19 and are vaccinated annually against Flu, in order to protect the health and safety of our staff and patients. Your commitment will help us to put the safety and care of our patients first, as well as helping us to protect you and your colleagues.

Details

Date posted: 07 October 2025

Pay scheme: Agenda for Change

Band: Band 4

Salary: £28,860 to £31,671 a year per annum inclusive of allowances

Contract: Permanent

Working pattern: Full-time

Reference number: 252-7340036-A

Job locations: Darent Valley Hospital, Darenth Wood Road, Dartford, DA2 8DA

Job Description

Job responsibilities

Patient Advice & Liaison Service

Work within the Patient Advice and Liaison Service and Complaints service, ensuring an accessible, confidential, patient focussed service that deals with problems and concerns quickly as and in accordance with national requirements and local policy using the Datix reporting System.

Adhere to key performance indicators (KPIs), whilst dealing with emotional and sensitive situations.

Deal with enquiries/concerns raised in person, by telephone, email or letter, responding in a professional and empathetic manner.

Agree a plan for managing an enquiry/complaint independently. Understand when to seek guidance from the PALS Lead, Complaints & Claims Manager or other senior staff. Understand the importance of protecting patient confidentiality at all times and work within the limitations that this can pose.

Provide information and advice to patients and carers on the NHS complaints procedure and, subject to their choice, assist and support service users in making a complaint or refer them to appropriate independent advocacy services. Provide verbal/written information to enquirers. Recognise when to refer enquiries to clinical staff (non-clinical post; not permitted to give clinical information such as test results).

Ensure that people are treated courteously and professionally and that queries are dealt with efficiently and effectively when members of the public seek information, help, advice and assistance with enquiries and concerns relating to Dartford & Gravesham NHS Trust. Communicate sensitive and distressing information appropriately in person and by telephone/email. Process complex, sensitive or contentious information. Use own judgement based on information available and seek advice when unsure of the appropriate response, from the PALS Lead or an appropriate manager.

Please see attached job description for more information.

Person Specification

Education and Training

• Essential: Good all round general education to GCSE standard, including English Language and Mathematics.
• NVQ Level 3 or equivalent
• Experience developing and maintaining administrative processes and procedures.

• Desirable: IT qualification (eg ECDL or equivalent)

Knowledge

• Essential: Awareness of The Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009
• Knowledge of the Friends & Family test and its purpose
• Understanding of the organisation and structure of the NHS
• Ability to deal with distressing circumstances/challenging people
• Good administration skills
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Knowledge of IT systems and software programmes such as Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access 2010
• Understanding of Confidentiality and Data Protection Act
• Good organisational skills
• Keyboard skills
• Able to cope with emotionally demanding and challenging people on a frequent basis
• Ability to prioritise and work to tight deadlines

Experience

• Essential: Customer Service experience
• Experience of data collection and data entry and data extraction to provide meaningful data
• Analytical techniques/skills

• Desirable: Experience of working within an acute NHS Trust
• Experience of using Datix, Gather/SNAP and/or Patient Administration databases and Excel
• Experience of working in NHS Complaints or PALS
• Experience of undertaking customer experience surveys

Personal Attributes

• Compassionate but assertive
• Tactful
• Diplomatic

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 CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust, Darent Valley Hospital, Darenth Wood Road, Dartford, DA2 8DA