PALS and Bereavement Officer

Job overview

This is a unique and rewarding opportunity to make a meaningful difference to patients and their families during some of their most difficult times.

Direct experience of NHS concerns/complaints handling and/or bereavement experience is advantageous and an understanding and experience of working with cancer patients would also be beneficial. The successful candidate will be proactive, work using their own initiative and be able to demonstrate an ability to communicate with a wide range of people in challenging circumstances.

This will involve acting as a point of contact and source of advice for relatives of deceased patients, healthcare professionals, the coroner’s office, registration services and providing support to the Medical Examiner Office.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will also work to ensure that the processes following the death of a patient are completed respectfully, correctly and in a timely manner. This will involve acting as a point of contact and source of advice for relatives of deceased patients, healthcare professionals, coroner and registration services and providing support to the Medical Examiner Office.

Working for our organisation

We employ over 4,500 staff in a diverse range of careers including nursing, medical, science, radiography, pharmacy, occupational therapy, finance and administrative services. We have two hospitals – one in Chelsea, London, and one in Sutton, Surrey – as well as a Medical Daycare Unit in Kingston Hospital.

At The Royal Marsden, we deal with cancer every day, so we understand how valuable life is. When people entrust their lives to us, they have the right to demand the very best. That's why the pursuit of excellence lies at the heart of everything we do.

We are looking for employees who aspire to excellence, share our values and can play a crucial role in our on-going achievements.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Assess patients and others who access the service to determine their needs
• Handle and process concerns, including complex cases
• Communicate with patients, relatives and/or carers in a polite, sympathetic and empathetic way, giving reassurances that all enquiries will be handled in confidence
• Provide a confidential service for people who wish to discuss aspects of their illness or their treatment, and where appropriate support them in the decision-making process.
• Handle and deal with contentious issues that may arise from handling some concerns
• Respond to matters of concern which patients/carers may wish to raise and to act as a facilitator, providing advice, support and direction, ensuring that issues are resolved as quickly and efficiently as possible
• Ensure that patient/carer views are recorded and forwarded to senior management as appropriate

Person specification

Qualifications

• Degree in a relevant subject or evidence of equivalent study or equivalent experience
• Evidence of recent professional development

• Relevant health professional qualification, e.g. Registered Nurse, Allied Health Professional
• Communication skills training

Experience

• Experience working in situations where individuals may express high emotions or distress
• Experience of dealing with concerns and facilitating resolution/solutions
• Experience of producing written material (including reports and presentations) to a high standard

• NHS experience
• Experience of working in a PALS/bereavement environment or equivalent
• Recent experience of working in cancer or palliative care
• An understanding of Patient Safety and Risk Management systems

Knowledge

• Willingness to work within a team
• Knowledge of health and cancer services
• Understanding of the wider issues in relation to cancer treatment for people affected by cancer
• Awareness of equal access and cultural issues
• Excellent communication skills, verbal and nonverbal
• Listening skills with the ability to interpret individual needs
• Ability to communicate assertively with the wider professional team within the hospital and community
• Interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate with professionals, patients, carers and the public in a non-prescriptive, facilitative manner
• Ability to confidently communicate with those who exhibit challenging behaviour or show distress
• Ability to cope with complexity and uncertainty and find appropriate solutions within a given time frame
• Ability to respond compassionately to bereaved individuals and friends / relatives of dying patients.
• Sensitivity to issues relating to bereavement.
• Willingness to lead meetings with relatives/friends after a patient’s death and provide appropriate information and support
• Ability to maintain accurate records and produce data as requested
• Ability to assess information and come to balanced conclusions
• Competent in Microsoft Packages (particularly Microsoft Word and Excel)
• Ability to work autonomously

• Knowledge of the special requirements of various faith groups and respect for equality and diversity issues relating to the formalities following a death
• To have an understanding of medical terminology that enables informed discussions about causes / circumstances of death with the bereaved, clinicians, coroner and registration staff.
• Knowledge of the statutory process around death certification and legal frameworks and how the medical examiner system operates

The Royal Marsden values diversity and is committed to the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority groups. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates with disabilities.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are working to create a workplace that enables all staff to reach their full potential. We are committed to this because we know that greater diversity and inclusion will lead to an even greater positive impact for the people we serve.

Due to the high volumes of applications we receive, we reserve the right to close any adverts before the published closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications. We advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment.

All applicants will be contacted by email to the address supplied on your application. Applicants are advised to check their email accounts regularly and to ensure that email filters are set to allow our emails.

Flu Vaccination – What We Expect of our Staff

At The Royal Marsden we have an immune compromised patient population who we must protect as much as we can against the flu virus. Each year, seasonal flu affects thousands of people in the UK. Occurring mainly in winter, it is an infectious respiratory disease capable of producing symptoms ranging from those similar to a common cold, through to very severe or even fatal disease.

The wellbeing of our staff and patients is of the upmost importance to us, and it is the expectation of The Royal Marsden that all patient-facing staff have an annual flu vaccination, provided free of charge by the Trust.