Patient Advice and Complaints Associate

We are looking to recruit a Patient Advice and Complaints Associate to work in the Patient Advice and Complaints Team (PACT), based at Leighton Hospital.

You will report to the PACT Manager and will be responsible for handling complaints and concerns as they come into the hospital in person, or by means of telephone or email., To support the Patient Advice and Complaints Team in delivering a high-quality integrated service throughout the Trust.

To provide an identifiable, credible and accessible service to assist patients and carers. This will involve working flexibly to enable the team to deliver a responsive customer focused service, providing patient support and complaints resolution.

To facilitate a means of the Trust being able to respond to queries, requests for information, concerns, complaints, comments and compliments raised by service users. To be responsible for negotiating immediate solutions to concerns and requests for information and respond promptly and effectively.

The postholder will act as a catalyst for change and the first point of contact for service users providing a front-line problem solving and information service.

To be responsible for negotiating immediate solutions to concerns and requests for information and respond promptly and effectively.

Liaising with senior management teams and service managers to ensure they can review issues raised, meet required response deadlines, produce well formatted and clear responses and develop action plans as required.

Liaising, as required, with external agencies such as the Independent Healthwatch Advocacy Services (ICAS), Members of Parliament (MP's) and the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO).

You would be expected to have good customer service skills, excellent communication skills across a wide range of people including patients, carers and medical professionals.

It is expected that you have the personal skills which enable you to remain calm in difficult situation to gain a resolution to the concern raised. Good listening skills are vital to ensure that you identify each issue/concern you are dealing with.

You should have good organisational and team skills to help prioritise the workload within the team. In addition you should have GCSE level in mathematics and English. Good computer skills including Microsoft Office are essential. NHS experience would be an advantage along with knowledge of the patient information system (PCS), Ulysses.

This is a very busy office and you should be able to work with people at all levels of the organisation and be able to work under pressure to tight deadlines.

Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides a full range of hospital and community services for people across East Cheshire (population 399K) and West Cheshire and Chester (population 357K). The Trust provides high quality planned and emergency care, cardiac, critical care,child health,maternity services and intermediate care at Leighton Hospital in Crewe, Victoria Infirmary in Northwich, and Elmhurst Intermediate Care Centre in Winsford.

The Trust provides over 500 beds and employs over 5,100 members of staff. A comprehensive range of community services is provided across 26 medical centres and schools through ourCentral Cheshire Integrated Care Partnership.

We have played, and continue to play, a proactive role in the development of Integrated Care plans across Cheshire & Merseyside and our local Cheshire East and Cheshire West Place-based systems. We believe, and it is the cornerstone of our five-year Trust Strategy, there is the opportunity to progress innovative, responsive and effective care in the best setting for the patient, be it in the hospital or out in the community.

At Mid Cheshire, our mission is to inspire hope and provide unparalleled care for the people and communities of Cheshire, helping them to enjoy life to the fullest.