Complaint Investigations Manager

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (279); Brighton; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (279) is recruiting a Complaint Investigations Manager on a 3-year fixed term contract. The role will lead a caseload of patient complaints, coordinate investigations and draft responses in line with NHS guidelines and the Trust's complaints procedure.

The post requires excellent administrative and communication skills, the ability to work collaboratively across divisions, and a proactive approach to delivering learning and service improvements.

Qualifications

• At least two years experience of managing a large caseload of healthcare complaints requiring a formal written response.
• PHSO Complaints Standards training.
• Organised and able to meet timescales whilst managing competing priorities.

Responsibilities

• Work as part of the complaints team to receive patient complaints and ensure investigations are in line with national guidelines and the Trust's complaints procedure.
• Oversee divisions to produce high quality complaint investigation reports and draft responses.
• Co-ordinate responses for complex complaints spanning more than one division.
• Support the implementation of the Trust's Complaints Management policy and ensure compliance is monitored.
• Facilitate local resolution meetings between clinicians, staff, patients and relatives.
• Ensure complaints are handled efficiently, compassionately and with a focus on learning and quality.

Skills

Organised

Managing challenging situations

Prioritisation

Education

PHSO Complaints Standards training

Job description

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (279)

Complaint Investigations Manager

The closing date is 19 October 2026

This role is a 3 year fixed term contract for external applicants; successful internal applicants (already employed by UHSussex) will be offered a 3 year secondment.

UHSussex is one of the largest acute NHS trusts in the south of England, serving a population of around 1.8 million people across Brighton and Hove, West Sussex, and parts of East Sussex.

The postholder will prioritise and manage their own caseload of complaints and family meetings, and will be responsible for the implementation of the complaints process, following the Trust's policies on responding to concerns.

This will include working closely with the clinical divisions to ensure the necessary clinical and operational information is received and actions undertaken in a timely way, and that patients have a positive experience and resolution of their concerns.

The postholder will be required to be pro-active, adaptable, highly motivated and with exceptional administrative and communication skills. They will be well organised and able to work methodically, accurately and pay attention to detail and possesses excellent interpersonal skills.

Main duties of the job

To work as part of the complaints team, and with the Trust's divisions to receive patient complaints and ensure, in collaboration with relevant staff, that they are investigated in accordance with national guidelines and the Trust's own complaints procedure.

To oversee and support the divisions to produce high quality complaint investigation reports and draft responses.

To co-ordinate the responses for complex complaints that span more than one division.

To support the effective implementation of the Trust's Complaints Management policy and processes and ensure that compliance is monitored and reported, gaps in compliance identified and appropriate actions and mitigations are developed.

To facilitate local resolution meetings between clinicians, hospital staff, patients and their relatives.

Ensuring complaints are responding to efficiently, appropriately, compassionately and collaboratively with a focus on learning and meeting the Trust's standards for complaints responsiveness and quality.

About us

Working for our organisation

At UHSussex, diversity is our strength, and we want you to feel included to help us always deliver Excellent Care Everywhere, as shown in our Outstanding for Caring CQC rating. Your uniqueness and experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of staff networks to help break down barriers, and can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We're proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 3) and a Veteran Aware Trust.

Candidate Pack

Job responsibilities

Internal applicants should note that this opportunity will be offered on a secondment basis. Before applying, internal colleagues must discuss the opportunity with their current line manager to confirm whether they can be released from their substantive role if successful.

Release to undertake a secondment is not automatic and must be agreed between the colleague, their current line manager, and the recruiting line manager.

Please note: This role does not meet the minimum criteria for visa sponsorship under the current UK immigration rules, which set specific salary and skill thresholds. As such, we are unable to provide sponsorship for this post. Applicants will therefore need to already have the right to work in the UK to be considered. We include this information at the outset to provide clarity and avoid unnecessary inconvenience for applicants.

If you do not meet the sponsorship requirements, and you are applying using a Graduate visa as your right to work, you must have a minimum of 18 months remaining on your visa at time of application.

Liaising with leads from the clinical divisions to coordinate the undertaking of thorough, impartial investigations and drafting complex response letters to a high standard of written English, ensuring the principles of being open and duty of candour are applied and recommendations or actions are included.

Communicating professionally and empathetically under pressure, remaining calm and avoiding conflict, dealing with people who may be in a highly emotional state or recently bereaved. These difficult conversations may be planned or unplanned.

Recognising and respecting the views of complainants and those complained about and to ensure this is reflected in written responses.

To ensure complex clinical information is interpreted correctly and communicated to complainants in understandable language.

To organise and facilitate local resolution meetings between complainants, clinicians, senior Trust managers and executives.

Prepare information and documentation as and when requested by the PHSO within the timescales agreed and as requested by the Complaints Manager.

Compilation and presentation of reports to groups and sub-committees including collecting and analysing confidential and sensitive data from systems, stratified to include a focus on those in groups or demographics for whom there is a risk of poorer health outcomes.

Taking responsibility for receipt of complaints by telephone, email, in person or in writing.

Supporting the divisions to undertake root cause investigation and thematic analyses and to compile complaints responses.

Managing, monitoring and ensuring the accurate and contemporaneous records on the Trusts DATIX system and are managed efficiently working with the Head of Patient Services and Experience and other members of the patient experience team.

Holding a case load of complaints, ensuring the Trusts complaints standards are met, including for response and closure of complaints, and that these are accurately tracked in accordance with the complaints standards.

Developing and maintaining expertise in complaints management, maintaining up to date knowledge about best practice in NHS complaints and NHS complaints regulations as required in the Trust policy.

Ensuring all complaints concerns are managed in a proportionate and customer focussed manner in line with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) Principles of Good Complaint Handling, Remedy and Good Administration.

Understanding and responsiveness to issues of inequality, recognising and acting on reducing health inequalities by ensuring the complaints approach taken is inclusive and overcomes barriers to engagement including through reasonable adjustments.

Facilitating local resolution meetings and other meetings as required.

Ensuring that the Complaints practice adheres to data protection, confidentiality, Caldicott and GDPR requirements.

To assume a central role in problem solving and supporting the delivery of the complaints teams function in an agile way and as a team player.

To support with skills development of clinical teams in responding to complaints.

To participate in and delivering training.

To build trusted and collaborative relationships with clinical and operational leaders from across the clinical divisions, and with patients and their carers, to support effective responses to complaints and to support continuous improvements in the quality of care.

To provide a range of non-clinical advice and information to patients, relatives and clients including the complaints procedure and other trust services.

To deal with all enquiries in an empathetic and effective manner and able to listen to worried/bereaved patients/relatives, using third parties as appropriate to communicate.

To involve patient and carer representatives as part of the developmental and roll out of patient and carer experience improvement activities.

Person Specification

Experience of managing a caseload of complex healthcare complaint investigations

• At least two years experience of managing a large caseload of healthcare complaints requiring a formal written response
• PHSO Complaints Standards training

Skills

• Experience of managing challenging situations and relationships
• Organised and able to meet timescales whilst managing competing priorities

Equality Diversity and Inclusion

• Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues
• Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (as appropriate to role).

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer name

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (279)

£39,959 to £48,117 a yearper annum pro rata