Job description

Job Title: Complaints and Quality Officer

Team: Clinical Governance and Quality Team

Base Location: Lexicon House, Leeds

Line Manager: Complaints and Quality Manager

Hours of Work: 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday 09:00 to 17:00 (1/2 unpaid break)

Staff Group: Corporate

Vaccination Requirement Statement:

• Covid19 double vaccination not required but recommended.
• This job has been rated as Low Risk for requiring Hepatitis B immunisation.
• Flu jab recommended and will be offered.

JOB PURPOSE:

• To assist the Complaints and Quality Manager in ensuring that complaints management and incident reporting processes are efficient and effective.

KEY PRINCIPLES

Key Responsibilities

• Support the complaints manager in ensuring investigation techniques are timely and rigorous in identifying root causes and learning centred
• Logging and managing of all documentation relating to complaints and incidents both written and verbal
• Managing minor to moderate complaints
• Collating and reviewing investigation pro-formas and composing responses to operational complaints within agreed timeframes
• Follow-up actions taken on recommendations
• Co-ordinating correspondence to the complainant and ensuring quality and consistency in all correspondence
• Assist in Producing complaint and incident reports and assist in the analysis for trends or recurrent themes providing recommendations and actions where appropriate
• Liaise with PALS, Advocay Services, Professional Bodies, NHS England, NHS111, Ombudsman and provide information when required
• Ensure appropriate consent is received before sharing any information regarding complaints and or incidents
• Storing and ensuring restricted access to all complaints documentation.
• Work closely with and support Local Care Direct HR Department where a complaint/incident involves a Local Care Direct employee
• Assisting the Complaints and Quality Manager in the collating of evidence and investigations of all Serious Untoward Incidents
• Maintain and update own knowledge of developments in Data Protection Issues, Information Management and Records Management Systems
• Be a resource to other employees by providing basic advice on the Data Protection Act and related Issues
• Support for the Director of Clinical Governance, Assistant Director of Clinical Governance, Clinical Governance and Quality Lead/Patient Safety Specialist, Complaints and Quality Manager as required
• To undertake scheduled and ad hoc IG audits when required
• Support the Data Protection officer by providing admin support

Additional Duties in the Quality Team

• Providing feedback on Significant Events to relevant parties
• Logging and recording Complaints and Significant events in DATIX.
• Collating complaints data, ensuring that all complaints are collated in a manner that allows analysis to identify patterns and trends.
• Dealing with requests for access to medical records, Logging on Datix, obtaining correct consent and providing the correct records to the requesters.
• Support with the patient Safety Framework/uploading of incidents to LFPSE
• All general administration duties

SERVICE DELIVERY

• To ensure relevant performance data is monitored and used to support continuous improvement within clinical service delivery.
• To ensure appropriate and comprehensive root cause analysis techniques are used in the review of complaints
• To assist in the implementation of the key processes within Quality services
• Liaison with other agencies e.g. CCGs, NHS111, NHS England

TEAM

• To provide additional administrative support to the Clinical Governance and Quality Team when required

COMMUNICATIONS & RELATIONSHIPS

• To ensure agreed lines of communication and reporting are implemented within the team to support all employees understanding LCD business plans, objectives, priorities and changes.
• To promote effective cross-functional working and that the operational team supports the achievement of objectives, standards and protocols of other LCD areas.
• To attend internal and external meetings representing LCD and engaging in discussions appropriate to the role and level of the post.
• Communicate effectively within the team.
• Liaise with outside agencies i.e. solicitors.
• Sensitive to the needs of colleagues.
• Providing information in an accurate and timely way.

PATIENT CARE

• To ensure that the quality of patient care is firmly at the centre of the organisations objectives and vision.
• To ensure the management and monitoring of the highest standards or safety and quality in the delivery of healthcare and related services, and manage risk within Local Care Direct.
• To assist the Complaints and Quality Manager in ensuring the management and monitoring of the highest standards or safety and quality in the delivery of healthcare and related services, and manage risk within Local Care Direct. To assist the Complaints and Quality Manager in ensuring that service design and delivery takes into account patient views and that the patient experience is regularly and independently monitored and reported.

HEALTH, SAFETY & SECURITY

• To assist the Complaints and Quality Manager in ensuring all aspects of Clinical and Quality services meet appropriate standards and that corrective action plans are implemented where breaches are identified.

FINANCIAL RESOURCES

• To ensure financial policies and procedures are maintained and the budget is adhered to and that best value for money is achieved.

CONFIDENTIALITY

• To operate and ensure the team operates within information governance protocols and that business confidentiality is maintained at all times.

TRAINING

• To complete the defined company induction programme and core training for this role and mandatory refresher training thereafter and ensure that accurate records of training are maintained.

INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL

• Healthcare workers have a duty of care to patients and are expected to comply fully with the companies Infection Prevention and Control (IP&C) policies and attend/complete IP&C training, for personal and patient safety and for prevention of healthcare-associated infection (HCAI). Knowledge, skills and behaviour in the workplace should reflect this.

SAFEGUARDING

• Individuals have a duty of care to children and vulnerable adults that they come into contact with whilst at work to safeguard and promote their welfare and to work to prevent, recognise, respond, appropriately refer and record potential neglect or abuse, adhering to the companys Safeguarding Children and Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults policies and procedures.

MANAGING SELF

• Ensure that relevant professional practice is evidence based and current.
• Ensure that continual professional development is maintained and facilitates the ability to provide care to a high standard in a way that is both safe and cost effective.
• Ensure that mandatory training is up to date and participate in training as appropriate.
• Effectively utilise time management, organisational, co-ordination and if required - management skills.
• Identify own professional development needs through the Personal Development Review process (PDR).

The main duties and responsibilities shown here are not exhaustive and the postholder will be expected to carry out any reasonable activities according to the needs of the business as directed by the line manager.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of dealing with the public.
• Experience of complaints investigations/responding to complaints.

Desirable

• Experience of working with NHS complaints framework.
• Working in a Healthcare Environment.
• Working on Systm1 and Adastra.
• Experience of complaints investigations/responding to complaints.

Skills

Essential

• Excellent communication skills- written and oral.
• Excellent telephone manner.
• IT skills word, excel.
• Analytical and investigation skills.
• Excellent letter writing skills.
• To be able to handle confidential and sensitive information with the upmost discretion.
• Accuracy and Attention to detail.
• Able to prioritise and manage own workload/multitask.

Desirable

• Ability to deal with conflict.
• Intermediate level of MS preferred.
• Experience in using Local Care Direct voice recording and data collection systems.
• Working well under pressure.

Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of complaints process.
• Knowledge of data confidentiality and basic GDPR.

Desirable

• Knowledge of Datix database.
• Knowledge of Local Care Direct complaints, significant event and SI processes.
• Knowledge of developments in Access to medical records, Freedom of Information Act, Data Protection Act, Caldicott and records management systems.
• knowledge of CQC standards and compliance.
• Knowledge of Safeguarding processes.
• Knowledge of patient safety framework.

Qualifications

Essential

• Level 2 English & Maths (GCSE Grade C or equivalent).

Desirable

• Complaints Handling and Management.