Alana
Before joining PHSO I worked in the legal services industry - I am an overseas qualified lawyer.
I have always wanted to be able to contribute to the community in which I was living. I was attracted to PHSO because it offers me the ability to be an active participant in making a difference to the lives of individuals and to improve the services being provided by the government to the public.
I joined PHSO in March 2009 and worked as an Assessor. I then became a Health Investigator in September 2009. Both roles are rewarding but they involve different interactions with the bodies in jurisdiction and the complainant, and different speeds of working.
In your role you are constantly being made to think of areas where you would like to personally develop. PHSO provides courses to enable this and you can constantly improve your skills and learn new ones. There is a supportive network that surrounds you. It is an environment that encourages sharing of learning and an understanding of how your work contributes to the vision of the Office.
As an Investigator, it is vital to be analytical. The majority of the work you do is as an individual, so you must be able to communicate confidently and persuasively, both orally and in writing, to a variety of stakeholders. You have to have good time management, as you carry a large caseload and there are many competing priorities. Above all else, you need to be empathetic in your dealings with complainants, many of whom are bereaved or have had a frustrating experience with the body complained about.
Being the final tier of the complaints process, we are a complainant’s last chance at securing a satisfactory closure to their concerns. When we can do this it is immensely rewarding and seeing the effect that my work has on the lives of individual complainants and the public is one of the best things about my job. Added to this is the spectacular view of the Thames and the Houses of Parliament that I am subjected to everyday! However it is not always possible to satisfy everyone.
If you enjoy working as an individual, can communicate confidently, have good time management, are prepared to think objectively and be challenged, then a caseworker role at PHSO might just be for you.
