In this insightful episode, we meet Jill Faulkner, Associate Director of Patient Experience, who shares her extensive experience and the vital role she plays in supporting both patients and staff. With a career in the NHS spanning over 30 years—eight of them at Dudley—Jill provides a behind-the-scenes look at the work involved in patient experience and complaints management.
Jill discusses her broad and evolving responsibilities, which include overseeing formal complaints, compliments, volunteers, chaplaincy, the arts, and environmental services. She explains how her role has recently expanded to include managing complaints at Sandwell and MMU. Despite the often-challenging nature of her work, she emphasizes that compliments significantly outnumber complaints, offering reassurance about the positive feedback healthcare staff receive.
A focal point of the episode is Jill’s work as an advanced-level mediator. She facilitates confidential, voluntary mediation between patients, families, and staff, helping them communicate and resolve conflicts in a safe and neutral setting. She explains the process step-by-step, highlighting the importance of impartiality, active listening, and empathy—without taking sides or imposing solutions.
Jill also outlines the NHS complaints process in detail, describing how concerns are triaged as informal (PALS), standard (quick resolution), or formal complaints. Each complaint is reviewed by her and her team, and complainants are offered either a written response or a local resolution meeting. Meetings are carefully structured and recorded, and follow-up summaries ensure clarity and transparency.
This episode offers listeners a compassionate, informative look at how patient voices are heard and addressed within the NHS. Through Jill’s experience and dedication, it’s clear how patient experience teams help maintain trust, resolve issues, and create a culture of continuous improvement across healthcare services.