Job summary
- Main area
- Patient Experience
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 5
- Contract
- Permanent: 22.5 hours a week
- Hours
- Part time - 22.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 150-GM2929-COR-A
- Employer
- Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Bramber Building, Brighton General
- Town
- Brighton
- Salary
- £32,073 - £39,043 per annum pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 27/09/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Patient Experience Advisor
NHS AfC: Band 5
Job overview
About the Role
We are looking for a compassionate and detail-oriented Patient Experience Advisor to join our team. This role is central to ensuring that patients, families, and carers receive a positive experience when raising concerns or complaints about their care. You will act as the first point of contact for individuals who wish to provide feedback, ensuring that all complaints are handled professionally, promptly, and in line with the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman complaint handling standards.
Main duties of the job
Key Responsibilities
- Manage and respond to patient complaints and concerns in accordance with NHS Complaints Regulations.
- Provide clear, empathetic communication to patients and families throughout the complaints process.
- Liaise with clinical and non-clinical teams to support investigations and resolve issues effectively.
- Maintain accurate records and produce reports to support service improvement.
- Promote a culture of openness, learning, and continuous improvement across the Trust.
About You
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with a strong sense of empathy.
- Ability to remain calm and professional in challenging situations.
- Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
- Experience in complaints handling or patient experience within a healthcare setting is desirable.
- Knowledge of NHS policies and the Duty of Candour is an advantage.
Working for our organisation
We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.
Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.
Why work for us?
• Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeing
• Varied environments: community hospitals, patients’ homes, and bases across Sussex
• Flexible working options: part-time, flexi-time, annualised hours, and flexi-retirement
• Excellent training, development, and research opportunities
• Accredited Living Wage Employer, we ensure fair pay for all our staff
• Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brighton
• Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networks
• Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust
Our values—Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence—guide everything we do.
We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.
This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
As the Patient Experience Advisor, the post holder will promote a culture of excellence in service user experience as the first point of contact for patients and service user, or their representative’s, seeking advice and information or to raise concerns or provide feedback.
They are responsible for handling PALS queries and complaints and ensuring these are properly managed and resolved.
Working with staff and patients, they will identify improvements and monitor the implementation of any actions to be taken to improve patient outcomes, whilst supporting the delivery targets within the Patient Experience Strategy.
They will support service user surveys and feedback questionnaires and other appropriate methods of gaining feedback.
The post holder will be required to escalate any significant areas of concern or risk to the Patient Experience Lead in a timely manner.
Person specification
Qualifications/Experience
Essential criteria
- Degree level qualification or equivalent experience in a relevant field
- 3 years’ experience of working in a complaints or patient experience role
- High degree of computer literacy and sound proven experience of using Word, Excel and Outlook
Skills
Essential criteria
- Excellent written and verbal skills and the ability to communicate at all levels, both internally and externally and with both Trust staff and members of the public
- Knowledge and understanding of the princi-ples and practice of complaints handling, PALS ,patient experience
- Ability to deal with complex, confidential and sensitive information in an appropriate manner
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of Care Quality Commission and other external regulators
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Application numbers
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Nicky Welfare
- Job title
- Patient Experience Lead
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01273 242292
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