Complaints Officer | University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust

UHCW NHS Trust; Coventry; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent NHS Trust in Coventry is seeking a Complaints Officer to join the Patient Experience Team. This role involves managing complaints, ensuring compliance with NHS standards, and providing expert support. The ideal candidate will have experience in healthcare, strong knowledge of the NHS Complaints Procedure, and proficiency in communication and documentation. This position offers the opportunity to contribute to high-quality patient care in a supportive environment.

Benefits

Access to learning and development opportunities

Working in a supportive team environment

Recognition as a Pathway to Excellence organization

Qualifications

• Experience within a healthcare environment is essential.
• Ability to produce accurate documents, letters, reports, and emails.

Responsibilities

• Review incoming complaint communications and prioritize investigations.
• Manage sensitive complaints information and provide expert support.
• Coordinate local resolution of complaints and liaise with external bodies when necessary.

Skills

Proficient in Microsoft Word/Outlook

Knowledge of NHS Complaints Procedure

Expertise in Information Governance

Excellent communication skills

Job description

Overview

Are you looking to try a new role and a new challenge? Why not consider joining the Patient Experience Team as a Complaints Officer. We have new positions available due to internal promotions in the team.

To work within our integrated Quality Department to ensure complaints and enquiries are investigated and responded to within national and locally set timescales. To support senior members of staff and all wards and departments to enable timely and high quality investigations and responses on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer. To provide day-to-day guidance to all staff involved in complaints and investigation handling within the Trust.

Please be advised there is a proposed interview date of 21 October 2025.

Closing Date: Please be advised that this job advert will close as soon as sufficient applications have been received. Please apply for this job as soon as you can, if interested.

This advert closes on Monday 6 Oct 2025.

Responsibilities

• In conjunction with the Complaints Co-ordinator, receive and review all incoming complaint communications, prioritise and initiate an investigation with the appropriate designated staff within the Trust. The post holder will need a good knowledge of the NHS Complaints Procedure, Information Governance, Freedom of Information and Data Protection.
• Directly manage highly complex and sensitive complaints information and provide expert support and advice to ensure thorough complaint investigations against NHS/Trust standards to ensure timely responses and that the Trust meets the standards set by the NHS Complaints Procedure.
• The post holder will also co-ordinate complaints under further local resolution and have the skills to recognise when this has been exhausted and liaison needs to take place with the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman.
• Maintain case files for all ongoing complaints and ensure that all documentation has been collated in chronological order to demonstrate easily the requirements of the procedure have been adhered to.
• Contribute to the effective and efficient handling of cross agency complaints in line with the locally agreed protocols, taking the lead where appropriate.
• Draft complaint responses for approval by the Service Manager in readiness for the Chief Executive Officer to sign.
• Maintain Datix to ensure that all of the required information about each complaint is present in readiness for data analysis.
• Establish and maintain relationships with Lead Clinicians, Clinical Directors and all grades of staff and managers to ensure effective communication and a consistent approach to all issues relating to complaints management across the Trust.
• Once a complaint is resolved, ensure that all complaint outcomes/actions are entered on Datix and when appropriate liaise with Service Managers, Clinical Directors and Medical Directors with regard to completed action plans.
• Respond positively and promptly to patient enquiries, which may include highly sensitive and contentious information. Issues often require immediate action; therefore this would include liaising with other staff within the Trust and also often includes external agencies, such as other medical providers.
• Liaise with Legal Services regarding any complaints that may give rise to litigation and work closely with the Patient Safety Manager for any complaints subject to a Clinical Adverse Event or CAE.
• Facilitate and attend complaint meetings on a frequent basis, taking notes and ensuring that the staff involved have access to all relevant paperwork and medical/nursing notes in advance. The post holder must be able to diffuse difficult and complex situations, often involving angry and bereaved clients in a professional and empathetic manner at all times.

Qualifications and Requirements

• The successful applicant will be proficient in Microsoft Word/ Outlook and be able to produce accurately typed documents, letters, reports and e-mail correspondence.
• Previous experience within a health care environment and knowledge of the NHS Complaints procedure is essential.
• Support the Complaints Co-ordinator and the wider team through ensuring accurate data is logged in a timely manner on DATIX.
• Additionally, the post holder will need a good knowledge of the NHS Complaints Procedure, Information Governance, Freedom of Information and Data Protection.

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, rated as good by the Care Quality Commission, is one of the largest teaching Trusts in the UK.

We are extremely proud of our employees across our hospital sites, with high quality patient care at the heart of everything we do.

Boasting some of the most modern facilities in Western Europe, the Trust is renowned for being at the forefront of research and innovation as part of its blossoming reputation as a worldwide leader in healthcare.

We are proud to be recognised as a Pathway to Excellence designated organisation – please click the link for further details about this prestigious award. Pathway To Excellence - University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire (uhcw.nhs.uk)

By joining our exciting journey, you will form part of a passionate, talented team and will be able to access a wide range of learning and development opportunities. There has never been a better time to join our team.

The Trust is committed to building an organisation that makes full use of the talents, skills, experience, and different perspectives available in our diverse society. We want everyone to feel they are respected, valued, can achieve their potential and receive the most appropriate and relevant care. We will create an environment where the equality and human rights principles of fairness, respect, equality, dignity and autonomy are promoted and are part of the organisation's core values.

For further details of the job role please see attached job description.