Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) Manager - Grade VIII (Permanent, 0.5 WTE)
The post holder will report to the Director of Nursing, Mercy University Hospital, Cork.
Purpose of post:
The position of Patient Advice and Liaison Services Manager in the Mercy University Hospital provides senior leadership, strategic direction, and operational excellence for Patient Advice and Liaison Service. The post holder acts as the principal liaison between patients, families and multidisciplinary healthcare teams to advocate for the patient, resolve concerns, improve communication and oversee feedback/complaints systems. The post also involves working proactively to opportunities for further patient experience improvements.
The PALS team consists of the following disciplines:
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Patient Liaison Officer (PLO)
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Complaints Officer
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Clerical Officer
Responsibilities The post holder will be responsible for;
The PALS Manager will play a pivotal role within MUH and will lead, manage and support a PALS team to deliver responsive patient centered advice and liaison service.
The PALS manager will lead on the MUH Hospital's objectives in developing the Volunteer Services.
The PALS Manager will provide oversight, leadership and guidance to all staff (clinical and non-clinical) in relation to patient complaint procedures, advocacy service and best practice.
The PALS Manager will also lead on the MUH Objective in developing a Patient and Family Experience/Engagement Council.
Managing the Department
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Overall responsibility for management of the PALS Department
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Develop an Annual Service Plan for PALS and provide annual report on same to Director of Nursing and Clinical Quality and Safety Governance Committee
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As a Designated Person under Open Disclosure, support PLO and Complaints officer coordinate meetings with patients, their families and the multi-disciplinary team
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Engage with the internal review officer
Complaints Management
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Overall responsibility for managing the complaints process within the hospital ensuring legislative requirements are met
- Demonstrate broad depth of knowledge and understanding of how statutory agencies perform their function when dealing with serious complaints and understanding the significance of their interaction with the Hospital
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To work with the Directorate Teams, stakeholders and colleagues to develop best practice in managing complaints systems which ensure that all relevant HSE, HIQA and international standards are me
Patient Engagement
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Development of qualitative and quantitative approaches to patient engagement
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Develop and maintain professional partnerships with other hospitals and agencies such as HSE, HIQA, DOH and Office of the Ombudsman
Patient Experience
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Patient Experience Lead for the National Inpatient Experience Programme in communicating results and assisting departments with implementing improvement plans
KPIs
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The management and delivery of national KPIs as a routine and core business objective
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The identification and development of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) which are congruent with the hospital's service plan targets
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The development of Action Plans to address KPI targets
Eligibility Criteria:
Eligible applicants will be those who on the closing date for the competition:
Essential:
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At least five years' experience of working in a healthcare environment
- A qualification (Level 8) in a health-related area e.g. nursing, social work, medicine, quality, pastoral care, health service management
- Senior levels of experience of dealing with patient or service user queries
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Experience of working with multiple internal and external stakeholders, as relevant to this role
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Experience of managing and working collaboratively with multi-disciplinary team members and other stakeholders
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Experience of managing a team, including recruitment and identification of training needs
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A track record in delivering on change management projects/programs
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Must have completed, or be willing to complete, training in Designated Person under Open Disclosure Training
Candidates must possess the requisite leadership, managerial and administrative knowledge and ability for the proper discharge of the duties of the office
Desirable
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QQI Level 7 Patient Safety Complaints Advocacy
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Experience of quality assurance and standard setting/audit
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HSELanD Training on Complaints Management and Review
Full Job Spec is available on request
Closing Date: 1pm on Tuesday 4th September 2026
MUH reserves the right to create a panel for this post from which permanent, fixed term and specified purpose vacancies of a full or part time duration may be filled.
