Complaints Investigating Lead

NHS; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 58,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

The University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced Complaints Investigation Lead to provide senior leadership, oversee formal complaint investigations and champion a compassionate, person‑centred response. You will drive timely investigations and quality assurance across the Trust.

You will manage a caseload, ensure compliance with NHS complaints standards, mentor investigators and translate learning into service improvement.

Qualifications

• Experience leading staff in NHS complaints investigations.
• Knowledge of NHS complaints legislation and standards.
• Ability to manage caseload with supervision to senior leaders.
• Strong report writing and empathetic communication.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day operational leadership for complaints investigations.
• Oversee the complaints portfolio and manage evidence records and timelines.
• Lead on planning, findings, drafting responses and action planning.
• Coach and supervise Band 7 colleagues and ensure consistency.
• Quality assure investigation outputs and communicate with complainants.
• Ensure reasonable adjustments and accessible communication for concerns.

Skills

Operational leadership

Workload allocation

Supervision

Quality assurance

Analytical judgement

Dashboard reporting

Communication with complainants

Coaching / mentoring

Knowledge of NHS complaints

Education

Degree level

Complaints handling training

Leadership qualification

Tools

Complaints Management System

Job description

Main area Administration Grade Band 8a Contract Fixed term: 3 months (May be required to work across all of UHDB sites) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Fixed term/Secondment) Job ref 320-TWS-2264

Site Royal Derby Hospital Town Derby Salary £57,528 - £64,750 Pro rata pa Salary period Yearly Closing 23/12/2026 23:59 Interview date 07/12/2026

As a trusted organisation at the heart of our communities, we recognise the important role we can play in supporting the public, patients, our own people and local partners in achieving the best of health for the local population and the communities in which they live by providing Exceptional Care Together.

Our fundamental Values of Compassion, Openness and Excellence underpin how we intend to work as a Trust and the associated behaviours are becoming embedded in all aspects of how we work.

With over 14,000 members of staff, you can expect huge variety and new opportunities every day! Our staff go above and beyond and take pride in caring for our patients.

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust are fully committed to promoting inclusion, equality, diversity and human rights in employment and delivery of its services. The Trust is committed to providing an environment where all employees, patients, carers and visitors experience equality of opportunity by means of understanding and appreciating the value of diversity.

As a Trust we promote an inclusive environment and welcome applications from a diverse pool of talent and backgrounds. All individuals are valued and given every opportunity to succeed based on merit.

The Trust actively encourages applications from members of our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities. These groups are under‑represented in our organisation, and it’s important to us that our workforce reflects the diversity of our communities as much as possible.

Armed Forces and Disability Confident guaranteed interview scheme

To further support the pledges in the Armed Forces Covenant and to make a positive contribution to support ex‑armed forces personnel (veterans) make the transition to civilian life, the Trust has introduced a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for veterans who meets the essential criteria set out in the person specification, to help them overcome barriers to find civilian employment. The scheme will operate for all external recruitment.

The Trust is a Disability Confident Employer and committed to both employing and retaining people with disabilities. This commitment is to guarantee an interview for any candidate that has disclosed a disability under the Equality Act 2010 and who meets the essential criteria set out in the person specification. Reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 will be considered upon request.

if you are blind or visually impaired and require application material in an alternative format- such as Braille, large print, audio or accessible electronic formats or you require support/adjustments with your application please contact the recruitment team on 01332 788466

The Trust is proud to be a signatory of the Care Leavers Covenant and is committed to supporting care‑experienced people into employment.

Applicants who identify as a care leaver and who meet the essential criteria for the role, as detailed in the person specification, will be guaranteed an interview.

If you wish to be considered under this scheme, please indicate this within your application.

Join us and help make a real difference to our Trust.

Here’s more about the role and what we’re looking for;

Job overview

Are you an experienced and compassionate leader with a passion for patient advocacy, high‑quality complaint handling and service improvement? We are seeking a dynamic Complaints Investigation Lead to join our wider Patient Experience and Insight team, providing visible leadership and professional oversight of the organisation’s response to formal complaints. As a senior leader the post holder will lead and support the Complaints Investigators, championing a consistently compassionate and person‑centred approach and ensuring that the voice of service users drives learning, positive change and service transformation across the Trust.

The post holder will work collaboratively with Divisions and senior leaders to oversee the delivery of timely, compassionate and transparent complaint investigations, providing expert advice, constructive challenge and quality assurance while ensuring that learning is identified and translated into sustainable improvement. They will lead on compliance with national complaints requirements and standards set by the Care Quality Commission and other relevant regulators, monitor quality and performance, and support the development of effective systems, processes and professional practice. Acting as the Trust’s expert resource for complaint investigation and reporting, the post holder will provide senior leadership, build capability across the organisation and support delivery of the Trust’s wider complaints and patient experience agenda.

Main duties of the job

• Provide day‑to‑day operational leadership for the corporate complaint's investigation function, translating priorities into clear workload allocations, milestones and standards for the Band 7 Complaints Investigating Officers.
• Maintain oversight of the complete investigation portfolio (including effective administration of the digital Complaints Management System), reviewing caseload, complexity, risk, timeliness, dependencies and capacity; intervene early and elevate barriers or emerging risks to the Head of Patient Experience and Insight.
• Personally lead an allocated caseload of formal complaints from clarification and planning through evidence appraisal, findings, response drafting, action planning and closure.
• Provide structured supervision, case consultation, coaching and constructive challenge to Band 7 colleagues, supporting sound judgement, professional boundaries, resilience and consistent application of fair investigation practice.
• Quality assures investigation plans, evidence records, findings, draft responses, remedies and action plans, ensuring each concern is addressed and that outputs are accurate, empathetic, accessible and ready for the appropriate approval pathway.
• Maintain compassionate and transparent communication with complainants and representatives, particularly where cases are complex, delayed, escalated or require senior intervention, ensuring reasonable adjustments and communication needs are met.

Working for our organisation

As a trusted organisation at the heart of our communities, we recognise the important role we can play in supporting the public, patients, our own people and local partners in achieving the best of health for the local population and the communities in which they live by providing Exceptional Care Together

Our fundamental Values of Compassion, Openness and Excellence underpin how we intend to work as a Trust and the associated behaviours are becoming embedded in all aspects of how we work.

In return we will offer:

• Development opportunities, both professional and leadership development
• On‑going support from recruitment to when you join our team and beyond.
• Staff benefits including employee assistance programme, discounted gym membership, onsite fitness classes, car schemes

Key Facts:

• We see on average 4810 OP appointments a day.
• We are the 4th busiest Trauma & Orthopaedic outpatients department in England – an average of 2077 per week.
• An average of 1115 patients are seen in A&Es across our network every day – 3rd largest in the country.
• Our hospitals admit an average of 195 emergency patients daily.
• Last year we undertook almost 33,700 planned surgical operations in our 57 operating theatres.
• We are one of only 7 Trusts nationally with more than 50 operating theatres.
• We carry out more than 140 elective procedures each working day.

UHDB is a research active University Hospital with a large and varied portfolio of clinical trials and research opportunities for all staff

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

UHDB is committed to fair and transparent recruitment. We welcome authentic applications that reflect your own skills, experience and motivations for the role. While we understand that candidates may use AI tools for grammar, formatting or accessibility purposes, applications that appear to be substantially AI‑generated may be subject to additional review. If this applies to your submission, we will let you know and may ask for clarification. Please ensure your application accurately represents your experience and is written in your own words.

Following the recent update on UK immigration policy for those on a Health and Care Visa or Skilled Worker Visa, you may be unable to provide sponsorship. Further information is available in the Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children - GOV.UK

Closing date of applications: 23 November 2026

Interview date: 07 December 2026

If you are considering applying for an internal secondment, please ensure you have discussed this with your line manager and obtained their support prior to submitting your application.

Please be aware that there is no guarantee that you will be released from your substantive post, so you should seek approval before applying as you are applying or a Secondment.

If you have any questions or require further guidance, please contact the Recruitment Team.

Person specification

Experience and Knowledge

• Experience of operationally leading staff or a specialist function, including workload allocation, supervision, performance oversight and quality assurance.
• Experience of managing a concurrent personal caseload while maintaining oversight of a wider team portfolio
• Experience of providing assurance and presenting complex quality, risk or performance information to senior leaders or governance forums
• Detailed knowledge of NHS complaints legislation and standards, including CQC Regulation 16 and the NHS Complaint Standards
• Experience within an acute NHS Trust or another complex regulated organisation
• Experience of Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, multi‑agency or cross‑organisational complaints
• Experience of service redesign, audit, evaluation and implementation of a new operating model

Qualifictaions

• Educated to Degree level or able to demonstrate equivalent specialist knowledge and experience gained through relevant professional practice
• Relevant training in complaints handling, investigation methodology, governance, quality or a related discipline
• Evidence of continuing professional development in leadership, complex investigation, report writing and quality assurance
• Formal qualification or accredited training in investigation, complaints handling, mediation, quality improvement, project management or leadership
• Management, coaching, facilitation or supervision qualification

Skills

• Developed analytical and judgement skills, including evaluation of complex and conflicting evidence and formulation of balanced, defensible conclusions
• Excellent report‑writing, editing and quality‑assurance skills, producing accurate, empathetic and accessible correspondence
• Ability to lead operational delivery, allocate and reprioritise work, manage risk and maintain oversight within an unpredictable workload
• Ability to coach, supervise, influence, challenge and negotiate constructively at all levels
• Ability to analyse complaint themes, trends and performance information and develop effective dashboards or reports
• Facilitation, presentation and training‑delivery skills. Working knowledge of quality improvement methodology

Our Trust aims to provide the highest quality care to patients within Derbyshire and South East Staffordshire and we want the very best people to work with us.

Follow us on Twitter @UHDBTrust or find us on Facebook & LinkedIn - UHDB Trust

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

If we receive a high number of applications for this position, we reserve the right to withdraw the post before the closing date, therefore it is advisable that you apply as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

At UHDB, we offer different ways to work flexibly to each and every one of our colleagues, many of whom already work flexibly at all sites of the Trust.

For our roles we are open to discussing the possibility of part‑time/ reduced hours/ compressed hours/ flexible start and finish times/ fixed/flexible shifts/annualised hours/ term time hours/ hybrid working – working partly in the trust/partly at home.

Why don’t you talk to us at interview about the flexibility you would like to explore and what it means to you, and we will discuss what’s possible for the job and team, and the opportunities we might be able to create together.

We can’t promise to give you exactly what you want, but we do promise to work with you to look at all the available options.

Most of our posts are subject to a DBS check, however having a criminal record will not necessarily bar you from obtaining a position. Please be aware that all new employees starting work with us will be charged for the cost of their DBS check, if it is required for their role.

All correspondence relating to your application will be sent to you via our trac.system account. Please ensure that you regularly check your emails; this includes junk/spam, as your security settings may not recognise the sender.

Anyone from outside of the UK (excluding from the Republic of Ireland) will need permission from UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) to work in the UK and may also need entry clearance before travelling here.

UKVI is responsible for managing migration. To obtain a visa or entry clearance, you will need to meet certain requirements and demonstrate you have the right the work in the UK via:

• the points-based immigration system
• the EU settlement scheme
• eVisa

During the course of its employment activities, University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust collects, stores and processes personal information about prospective, current and former staff.

Our Privacy Notice includes applicants, employees (and former employees), workers (including agency, casual, honorary and contracted staff), volunteers, trainees and those carrying out work experience – please refer to our Privacy Notice available on our Trust website: https://www.uhdb.nhs.uk/information-governance

We’d love to hear from you! If you have any questions about the role, team, or working environment, feel free to get in touch for an informal chat. Speaking with us before applying is completely optional, but it can help you decide if this opportunity is the right fit for you.