Complaint Investigations Manager

Job overview

University Hospitals Sussex delivers four maternity and four neonatal units, at our hospitals in Brighton, Worthing, Haywards Heath and Chichester.

In recent years, we have undertaken a considerable programme of improvement to our maternity and neonatal services. We remain committed to strengthening our improvement efforts, and continuing to improve outcomes for our patients.

In August 2025 Baroness Valerie Amos was appointed to lead the independent investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal services nationally and it was announced on 15 September 2025 that University Hospital Sussex NHS Foundation Trust is one of 14 trusts nationally that are included in the investigation.

In April 2026, the Secretary of State for Health and Care announced that Donna Ockenden would chair a review of maternity services in Sussex.

This review will involve large numbers of families, including those who have experienced harm, loss and bereavement.

The post holder will be responsible for supporting the programme and the complaints team to meet both internal and external requirements for complaints functions aligned to the Independent Review of Maternity Services (IMR).

The postholder will prioritise and manage their own caseload of complaints and family meetings and will carry out these responsibilities in line with the Trust’s values, with high levels of sensitivity and compassion, with a focus on trauma-informed restoration.

Main duties of the job

To work as part of the complaints team, and

the IMR programme 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

Detailed job description and main 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 Trust’s 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 Trust’s complaints standards are met, including for response and closure of complaints, and that these are accurately tracked in accordance with the complaint’s 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 team’s 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

Applicant requirements

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.