Complaint Investigations Manager

Allscreens Nationwide Ltd; Brighton; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Allscreens Nationwide Ltd. in Brighton is recruiting for an experienced complaints investigator to coordinate impartial investigations and draft responses to complex inquiries within the NHS framework.

The role requires ability to communicate empathetically with bereaved individuals, organise resolution meetings, and ensure accurate records in DATIX while upholding data protection and PHSO guidelines.

Qualifications

• Experience with NHS complaints processes and PHSO principles is desirable.
• Ability to communicate clearly and sensitively with patients and families.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate impartial investigations with clinical divisions and draft written responses in clear English.
• Communicate professionally under pressure with bereaved individuals, upholding openness and candour.
• Organise local resolution meetings with complainants, clinicians, and senior managers.
• Summarise complex clinical information for complainants in accessible language.
• Support root cause analysis and thematic reviews, compiling responses within agreed timescales.
• Maintain accurate, contemporaneous records in the DATIX system and ensure data protection compliance.

Job description

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.