Acting Lead Medical Examiner Officer

Job overview

Please note that the start date for this vacancy will be on or after the 1 st April 2027.

We are looking for a compassionate, proactive and highly organised PALS Coordinator to join our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) team. In this rewarding role, you will be the first point of contact for patients, families, carers and members of the public who wish to raise concerns, seek information or provide feedback about Trust services.

Working across the Trust, you will manage a caseload of patient concerns from initial contact through to resolution, providing advice, support and signposting while working closely with clinical and managerial teams to achieve timely outcomes. You will play a key role in improving patient experience, identifying themes and learning opportunities.

This is an excellent opportunity for an individual with strong communication, problem-solving and customer service skills who is passionate about delivering person-centred care and ensuring that patients' voices help shape and improve services.

Main duties of the job

To deliver a high-quality integrated service for patients, carers and members of the public who want to make a complaint or who are seeking information, help, advice and/or the resolution of concerns or enquiries

Working for our organisation

The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. In June 2026, we launched our new strategy for 2026-31. Our vision is to transform healthcare, and we have agreed six strategic ambitions to help us improve care for patients, and the working lives of our staff.

Our six strategic ambitions are delivering high-quality patient care ; creating a great place to work ; leading pioneering research, innovation and education ; building strong and successful partnerships ; providing timely and efficient care ; and ensuring long-term financial sustainability .

We have also agreed four new organisational values – Caring, Collaborative, Inclusive, Innovative – and these underpin everything we do, and how our teams interact with the patients under our care.

We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.

King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the attached document containing job description and patient specification for details of the role

Person specification

Education and qualification

Essential criteria

• Educated to a degree level or NVQ Level 4
• Educated to ‘A’ Level or above or equivalent
• Customer care qualification or relevant experience
• Administration qualification or relevant experience

Desirable criteria

• Conflict resolution training

Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria

• Significant experience of working within the NHS or in a customer facing role with track record of answering and resolving queries over the phone
• Knowledge of the NHS complaints procedure and Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman complaints standards
• Knowledge of Patient Advice and Liaison Service core standards as set out in Department of Health guidance

Desirable criteria

• Significant experience of recording information and reporting on inPhase
• Significant experience of using Epic

IMPORTANT

• Check your email account regularly as this is how we will communicate with you
• If you delete the job from any of your accounts, you may be prevented from accessing further communications
• To enquire about your application or inform us of any changes in your circumstances, please contact the named person on this advert
• Please provide email addresses for referees where possible
• Please review the documentation on our recruitment microsite, particularly the Trust’s criminal records checking policy
• All staff have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and for ensuring they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.
• Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. On occasion, we might close a vacancy early due to a high number of applications being received. You are advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

AI tools like chatbots and virtual assistants can support you as you complete your application. For example, they can check for spelling or grammar errors, or help you to decide what to include. They shouldn’t however replace your own responses or be used to write the application for you.

Relying too much on AI can negatively impact your chances of success because automatically generated answers:

• might not be specific or relevant enough to address the criteria in the recruitment profile
• often seem generic and not personalised enough – an AI response won’t show your unique voice and perspective
• could misrepresent information about you, such as your qualifications, skills and experience

We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully. You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct.

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Annual Reports and Other Corporate Publications

King's Health Partners Academic Health Science Centre Website

King's College Hospital is part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC), a pioneering collaboration between King's College London, and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts.