# Complaints Officer > NHS job listing from Job Clerk for University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. ## Canonical URLs - **HTML:** https://www.jobclerk.com/job/complaints-officer/f052c743-a825-453d-8674-7d58d942a5bd - **Markdown:** https://www.jobclerk.com/job/complaints-officer/f052c743-a825-453d-8674-7d58d942a5bd.md ## Summary - **Status:** Live - **Employer:** University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust - **Town:** Coventry - **Region:** Midlands - **Country:** England - **Profession:** Administrative and IT - **Grade:** Band 5 - **Salary:** £32,073 - £39,043 per annum - **Contract type:** Permanent - **Employment type:** Full time, Flexible working, Compressed hours, 37.5 hours per week - **Closing date:** 2026-08-02T23:59:00.000Z - **Posted:** 2026-07-22T11:30:38.044Z - **Source information URL:** https://www.healthjobsuk.com/job/UK/Warwickshire/Coventry/University_Hospitals_Coventry_Warwickshire_NHS_Trust/Quality_Department_Complaints/Quality_Department_Complaints-v8170120 - **Application URL:** https://apps.trac.jobs/job-advert/8170120?ShowJobAdvert=&feedid=9002 - **Employer website:** https://www.uhcw.nhs.uk ## Job Content ### Job 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 a new position available in the Team for someone with experience in handling and processing formal complaints. To work within our integrated Quality Department, supporting patients and their relatives 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 provide responses on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer. In addition, 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 11 August 2026. 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. ### Main duties of the job The job role will include: - Reviewing incidents and complaints received with appropriate escalation where required. - Managing a caseload and following complaint process and escalation procedures - Maintaining Datix electronic records for incidents, complaints and compliments - Liaising with complainants - Coordinating and/or leading on the review of complaints and incidents - Drafting complaint responses - Participating in complaints meetings - Supporting with the completion of reports for both internal and external stakeholders - Keeping up to date records - Previous experience within a health care environment and a working knowledge of the NHS Complaints procedure is essential. - General office tasks - The successful applicant will have NHS Complaints experience and be proficient in Microsoft Word/ Outlook and be able to produce accurately typed documents, letters, reports and e-mail correspondence. - Supporting the Complaints Coordinator and the wider team through effective case management ### Detailed job description and main responsibilities - Review incoming complaint communications, prioritise and initiate a review with the appropriate designated staff within the Trust. The post holder will need comprehensive working knowledge of the NHS Complaints Procedure within an NHS complaints environment, and understanding of Information Governance, Freedom of Information and Data Protection policies within the NHS. - 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 complainant 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. - Facilitate and attend complaint meetings on a frequent basis, taking detailed notes .  The post holder must be able to diffuse difficult and complex situations, often involving challenging and bereaved relatives in a professional and empathetic manner at all times. For further details of the job role please see attached job description. ## Person Specification ### Skills **Essential** - - Understanding of patient confidentiality and ability to manage highly sensitive and contentious information, in accordance with national and Trust policy - Experience of building strong relationships with multi-disciplinary teams. - Make a connection between job role and the benefit to patients and the public - High level of planning and organisational skills - Excellent time management skills with the ability to re-prioritise due to working under pressure and demanding time scales of NHS Complaints Procedure - Monitor progress of investigations in accordance with national and local timescales - Provide and receive highly complex, sensitive and contentious information. - Ability to empathise when communicating delicate and often contentious information to complainants in a highly emotive situation. - Ability to facilitate complaint meetings if required. - Excellent influencing and conflict management skills, both verbally and face to face. - Ability to work on own initiative, problem solve and respond to sudden unexpected demands - Strong interpersonal skills and non-judgmental when required to support staff and managers involved in the Complaints Process - Excellent attention to detail and ability to analyse often highly complex information which is sufficient to give advice and support, requiring periods of intense concentration. ### Knowledge **Essential** - - Significant experience of compliance and adhering to national and local policies and procedures. - Knowledge of the NHS Complaints Procedure - Experience of working in a challenging environment, dealing with a wide range of sensitive and contentious issues and, within an organisation under public and political scrutiny - Experience of liaising with executive level and senior management staff - Experience of formulating letters and reports to a very high standard. - Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) **Desirable** - - Knowledge of NHS organisational structures and processes - Awareness of Information Governance, Freedom of Information & Data Protection Act - Strong presentation, training and coaching skills directed at all levels of staff ### Experience **Essential** - - Influence departmental practice to support Trust policy and service development - Handle highly complex complaints, using own judgement when reviewing information which can sometimes be conflicting - Liaise with external bodies i.e. Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman, CQC, CCG - Contribute to the effective and efficient handling of cross agency complaints in accordance with locally agreed protocols **Desirable** - - Customer service experience and basic knowledge of medical terminology. - Administration work in an environment providing healthcare or customer care. - Awareness of current health service issues. - Self-motivated and consistently looks to improve what they do, by using successful tried and tested ways of working and also on their own innovation ### Qualifications& Training **Essential** - - Degree or equivalent level of experience working within a Complaints or similar Department. **Desirable** - - Post graduate qualification or complaints handling training ### Commitment to Trust Values and Behaviours **Essential** - - Must be able to demonstrate behaviours consistent with the Trust’s values. (As detailed in UHCW’s Values in Action document below) - Applicants applying for job roles with managerial responsibility will be required to demonstrate evidence of promoting equal opportunities through work experience ## Documents - [candidate information (pdf, 736.7kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?vdoc=10472187) - [welcoming candidates with disability (pdf, 371.7kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?vdoc=10472188) - [job description and personal specification (pdf, 688.3kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?vdoc=10472186) ## Agent Notes - This Markdown page is generated from the same Job Clerk job record as the HTML job detail page. - Use the canonical HTML URL for user-facing references. - Use the application URL when the user wants to apply on the source NHS site.