About this role
Job summary
Do you believe every complaint is a chance to put things right and make care better? Newham University Hospital is looking for an experienced Complaints Lead to lead our complaints service.
Reporting to the Associate Director of Governance and line managing our Complaints Managers, you will own the hospital's complaints performance and be the senior point of escalation for complex, sensitive and PHSO cases across our four divisions: Medicine, Surgery, Women's & Children's and Clinical Support Services.
Our complaints service has been transformed over the past two years: timeliness has risen to around 90%, reopened complaints are rare and PHSO escalations have fallen sharply, supported by a human-in-the-loop approach using Microsoft Copilot. We are looking for a compassionate, organised leader to sustain this, strengthen learning from complaints and help shape complaints handling across Barts Health.
Main duties of the job
o Leadership: Lead the day-to-day complaints service and line manage, develop and support the Complaints Managers.
o Complex cases: Personally manage the most complex complaints, lead local resolution meetings and act as lead for PHSO cases and MP enquiries.
o Quality: Quality-assure investigations and responses before executive sign-off, so every response is accurate, honest and compassionate.
o Performance: Own timeliness, reopened complaints and action tracking, running complaints huddles and reporting to the Hospital Executive Board and Quality & Safety Committee.
o Learning: Triangulate complaints with incidents, PALS, claims and inquests, and make sure learning drives improvement.
o Innovation: Lead continued improvement of the complaints process, including governed use of digital and AI tools, and represent Newham in the Group Complaints and PALS Transformation Programme.
About us
Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain's leading healthcare providers.
Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.
We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see the attached job description and person specification for full details of the duties and responsibilities of this post. Applicants are encouraged to read these carefully and use their supporting information to show how they meet the criteria.
Person specification
Essential
Degree-level qualification or equivalent professional experience
Significant experience of managing NHS complaints, including complex and multi-agency cases
Experience of line managing and developing staff
Experience of managing PHSO cases and local resolution meetings
Detailed knowledge of the NHS Complaints Regulations (2009) and the PHSO NHS Complaint Standards
Excellent written communication, with the ability to write clear, empathetic responses
Ability to manage difficult conversations with compassion and resilience
Desirable
Accredited complaints handling or investigation training
Registered healthcare professional (NMC, HCPC or GMC)
Experience of using complaints data to drive service improvement
Experience of using digital or AI tools to improve processes
Experience using Power BI or other data visualisation toolsThe full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Degree-level qualification or equivalent professional experience
- Evidence of continuing professional development in complaints handling, investigation or patient experience
Desirable
- Postgraduate or leadership qualification
- Accredited complaints handling or investigation training
- Registered healthcare professional (NMC, HCPC or GMC)
Experience
Essential
- Significant experience of managing NHS complaints, including complex and multi-agency cases
- Experience of line managing and developing staff
- Experience of managing PHSO cases and local resolution meetings
- Experience of managing performance against statutory and local timescales
- Experience of writing and quality-assuring formal responses at executive level
Desirable
- Experience of using complaints data to drive service improvement
- Experience of using Datix or similar systems
- Experience of using digital or AI tools to improve processes
- Experience of patient experience, PALS or patient safety work
Knowledge
Essential
- Detailed knowledge of the NHS Complaints Regulations (2009) and the PHSO NHS Complaint Standards -
- Understanding of the Duty of Candour, PSIRF and how complaints link with incidents, claims and inquests
- Understanding of information governance and confidentiality requirements, including consent
Desirable
- Knowledge of human factors and systems-based approaches to learning
Skills
Essential
- Excellent written communication, with the ability to write clear, empathetic and accurate responses
- Ability to manage difficult conversations with compassion and resilience
- Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret data and present clear insights
- Ability to manage competing priorities and deliver to deadlines
- Ability to influence and constructively challenge senior clinicians and managers
Desirable
- Experience using Power BI or other data visualisation tools
- Training and coaching skills
Other
Essential
- o Commitment to an open, just and learning culture
- o Alignment with Trust WeCare values and compassionate leadership
- o Ability to work flexibly across Barts Health sites as required
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Employer details
Employer name
Barts Health NHS Trust
Address
Newham Hospital
Newham University Hospital Glen Road, London, E13 8SL
Newham
E13 8SL
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.bartshealth.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)