Patient Experience Officer *Internal Vacancy*

Sheffield; Sheffield; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Patient Experience Officer (PALS and Complaints). You will be the main contact for patients, families and carers, advising on concerns, managing complaints, and ensuring feedback drives service improvement.

The role requires empathy, excellent communication and problem-solving skills, with collaboration across the Trust to achieve timely resolutions and meaningful improvements.

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent knowledge and experience.
• Background in complaints, patient experience, governance or customer service.
• Experience handling challenging situations with distressed service users.

Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of PALS enquiries and formal complaints, ensuring concerns are handled sensitively and in line with Trust policies and NHS guidance.
• Support early resolution of concerns, facilitate effective communication, and help deliver positive outcomes.
• Work collaboratively with clinical, operational and corporate teams to identify themes and learning from feedback and complaints.
• Maintain accurate records, contribute to reporting and analysis, and drive improvements from patient feedback.

Skills

Excellent communication

Empathy

Problem solving

Customer service

Education

Degree level or equivalent

Job description

Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust

Patient Experience Officer *Internal Vacancy*

The closing date is 05 November 2026

Permanent | Full Time | This vacancy is open to Sheffield Children's employees only

We are looking for a Patient Experience Officer (PALS and Complaints) to join Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. Working within the Patient Experience Team, you will be a key point of contact for patients, families and carers, providing advice, managing concerns and complaints, and ensuring feedback helps shape and improve our services.

This is a varied and rewarding role requiring excellent communication, empathy and problem-solving skills. You will work closely with teams across the Trust to support the timely resolution of concerns and contribute to service improvement initiatives.

About You

• Educated to degree level or equivalent experience, with a background in complaints, patient experience, governance or customer service.
• Experienced in handling challenging situations with distressed or dissatisfied service users, managing competing priorities and working independently within a busy environment.
• If you are organised, compassionate and committed to putting patients at the heart of everything you do, we'd love to hear from you.

Join us and help make every patient experience count.

Main duties of the job

Reporting into the Senior Complaints Officer some of your responsibilities will include:

You will manage a caseload of PALS enquiries and formal complaints, ensuring concerns are handled sensitively, professionally and in accordance with Trust policies and NHS guidance.

Acting as a key point of contact for patients, families and carers, you will support the early resolution of concerns, facilitate effective communication, and help deliver positive outcomes in challenging and emotional situations.

Working collaboratively with clinical, operational and corporate teams, you will identify themes and learning from feedback, complaints and patient experiences to support continuous service improvement.

The role also involves maintaining accurate records, contributing to reporting and analysis, and helping to ensure that patient feedback drives meaningful improvements across the Trust.

About us

At Sheffield Children’s, our purpose is clear: to provide healthier futures for children and young people. Our three strategic aims are Outstanding Patient Care, Brilliant Place to Work, and Leaders in Children's Health.

We work with partners across local, regional, and national levels to deliver physical and mental healthcare in both acute and community settings. Many of our clinicians are nationally and internationally recognised for their expertise.

We're proud that 73% of colleagues would recommend Sheffield Children’s as a place to work, placing us among the top five NHS trusts in England -- and the top-ranked trust in the North East and Yorkshire -- in the latest NHS Staff Survey.

Our nearly 4,000 colleagues bring our CARE values -- Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence -- to life every day, creating a kind, welcoming environment where patients and families feel safe and supported.

As we approach our 150th anniversary in 2026, we're excited to keep building our leadership in children's health, improve experiences for patients and staff, and focus on our communities and population health.

We also offer excellent benefits to support your wellbeing, with generous annual leave and pension schemes, health and wellbeing programmes, and exclusive discounts -- helping you thrive at work and beyond.

Job responsibilities

For more information on the main responsibilities for this post, please refer to the job description and person specification.

We strongly encourage all applicants to review their right to work eligibility before submitting an application to help avoid any disappointment during the recruitment process.

This role has been assigned occupation code 4159 using the CASCOT coding tool. Under current Home Office guidance for further information on occupation codes, sponsorship eligibility and right-to-work requirements, please visit: Skilled Worker visa: Your Job GOV.UK. Skilled Worker visa: eligible occupations and codes - GOV.UK

Diversity Statement

At Sheffield Childrens, we are committed to creating an inclusive environment that celebrates diversity and supports everyones success. We prioritise Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in our recruitment practices, creating a welcoming space for people of all backgrounds, including ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ members.

Recognising that inclusivity is an ongoing effort, we review our processes and welcome feedback to enhance our practices. A diverse team strengthens our organisation and the quality of care we deliver. For ideas on how we can improve, please contact our Recruitment Manager at [e-mail]. Together, were building a workplace where everyone belongs.

Person Specification

Qualifications and Training

• Educated to degree level or equivalent knowledge and experience acquired through working in complaints, patient experience, governance or customer service environments.

Experience

• Experience of working in a customer-facing role involving enquiries, concerns, complaints or service user feedback
• Experience of gathering and interpreting information from multiple sources to resolve issues and respond to enquiries
• Experience of drafting clear, accurate and professional written correspondence
• Experience of working collaboratively with a range of stakeholders to resolve complex issues
• Experience of maintaining accurate records and handling sensitive or confidential information appropriately

Knowledge and Skills

• Ability to communicate sensitively and effectively in challenging or emotionally demanding situations
• Ability to manage and prioritise a workload to meet competing demands and deadlines
• Ability to build positive working relationships with patients, families, colleagues and external stakeholders
• Effective negotiation and conflict-resolution skills
• Ability to recognise and appropriately elevate patient safety, safeguarding and quality concerns
• Ability to exercise judgement and make appropriate decisions within agreed policies and procedures
• Knowledge of NHS Complaints Regulations and complaints handling principles.

Personal Attributes

• Able to work independently and as part of a team
• Adaptable and responsive to changing priorities
• Ability to communicate effectively and compassionately with people from diverse backgrounds, promoting equitable access and ensuring all voices are heard throughout the complaints process
• Demonstrates integrity and discretion when handling sensitive information

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.

Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust