Assistance and Complaints Advisor

We look forward to welcoming an enthusiastic, resourceful and motivated individual to join our Assistance and Complaints team. Working as part of the quality governance team, you will be responsible for handling formal complaints, working closely with the Divisional leadership and Governance teams and our Executive Directors. The successful applicant will also engage with complainants to understand their concerns and discuss and agree timescales the complainant can expect to receive a response.
You will need excellent communication, organisational and IT skills as well as the ability to work as part of a large multidisciplinary team. Experience of working with DATIX would also be useful
Maintain electronic record keeping systems
Input data and information on the Datix database system, ensuring that it is accurate, easily retrieved and can be used to support production of the Assistance and Complaint’s teams reports and publications
To ensure that complaints received are acknowledged and actioned in a timely way
Ensure that all levels of formal complaints and other contacts with the service are dealt with efficiently, and in accordance with the Trust’s Complaints, Concerns, Comments & Compliments (The 4 Cs) policy
To work predominantly with the link division, ensuring that we comply with national guidance relating to complaints handling and the 4 Cs policy - with the aim of achieving satisfactory resolution and improving patient experience
To produce reports and data as requested using the Datix database system
To participate in the delivery of training programmes across the Trust, so that all staff are aware of how to respond to complaints effectively, and that staff involved in the formal complaint process have a working understanding of the legislation and the Trust’s 4 Cs policy
The Assistance and Complaints team report to the Patient Safety and Complaints Manager and accountable to the Patient Safety Specialist, who both support the team.
The Assistance and Complaints team is part of the central quality governance team. We expect our staff to maintain excellent professional standards of communication whilst ensuring they are empathetic towards complainants. The whole of the central quality governance team are a supportive team to the Divisions.
Along with other staff in the Assistance & Complaints Service, act as a point of contact for patients and other users of the Trust’s services, taking details of all levels of formal complaints and concerns and ensuring that these are dealt with in accordance with the Trust’s 4 Cs policy.
Work with other complaint handlers and the administration staff to ensure that all complaints are recorded, acknowledged, and dealt with in accordance with national legislation and the Trust’s 4 Cs policy.
To obtain detailed information from service users about the nature of their concerns, paying due care and attention to the sensitivity of these issues. This may mean (with the complainants consent), liaising with external bodies as necessary in to resolve complaints e.g. Adult care, NHS England, other NHS providers.
To explain the NHS complaints procedure to complainants via various methods of communication, discussing timescales and the options open to them to secure satisfactory resolution. This may mean facilitating and attending a resolution meeting with the divisions, ensuring that key issues of discussion are noted during the meeting. The Complaint Advisor will also explain to complainants when satisfactory resolution cannot be achieved, how they can go forward to progress to a satisfactory resolution using outside organisations e.g. Ombudsman.
To work with divisional leadership teams (including heads of nursing, senior matrons/matrons, governance teams, general managers, consultants and executive team) to achieve satisfactory resolution of complaints, meeting relevant timescales as appropriate. The Complaints Advisor will work closely with divisional leadership teams and attend regular meetings to receive feedback that complaint investigations and responses are on track to meet policy timescales. The Complaints Advisor will escalate concerns to the Patient Safety and Complaints Manager. Once in receipt of an approved complaint response from the divisions, the Complaints Advisor will quality check the response prior to sending it for sign-off by a member of the executive team.
The Complaint Advisor will liaise with the Parliamentary Ombudsman providing evidence as requested, obtaining information from the divisions as necessary and escalating appropriate communication from the Ombudsman to the divisional
leadership and executive team by using the agreed standard operating procedure and process mapping flow chart.
To use information systems including Datix TM to document details of enquiries from service users, and the resulting investigations and outcome
In addition the Complaints Advisor will need to communicate with other key staff within the Trust where other linked re