# Deputy PALS and Complaints Manager > NHS job listing from Job Clerk for Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust. ## Canonical URLs - **HTML:** https://www.jobclerk.com/job/deputy-pals-and-complaints-manager/3cc9919b-ca92-4a39-8205-882f38401419 - **Markdown:** https://www.jobclerk.com/job/deputy-pals-and-complaints-manager/3cc9919b-ca92-4a39-8205-882f38401419.md ## Summary - **Status:** Live - **Employer:** Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust - **Town:** Reading - **Region:** South East - **Country:** England - **Profession:** Manager and corporate - **Grade:** Band 6 - **Salary:** £39,959 - £48,117 per annum - **Contract type:** Permanent - **Employment type:** Part time - 22.5 hours per week (Monday to Friday) - **Closing date:** 2026-06-09T23:59:00.000Z - **Posted:** 2026-05-27T13:01:22.020Z - **Source information URL:** https://www.healthjobsuk.com/job/UK/Berkshire/Reading/Royal_Berkshire_NHS_Foundation_Trust/PALS_Complaints/PALS_Complaints-v7983107 - **Application URL:** https://apps.trac.jobs/job-advert/7983107?ShowJobAdvert=&feedid=9002 - **Employer website:** https://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk ## Job Content ### Job overview An opportunity has arisen to join our team as a Deputy PALS and Complaints Manager. This is a very rewarding role with a chance to make a real difference to the lives of our service users. If you are someone who has outstanding communication skills, excels in helping others, with a natural affinity for networking and building relationships, and capable of showing genuine compassion and empathy, we would love to hear from you. ### Main duties of the job - Manage, monitor and ensure the maintenance of the Datix system, ensuring all records are accurate, enabling efficient management of the complaints/PALS department and the complaints/PALS processes. Maintain accurate and contemporaneous records on the Trust’s DATIX system - Plan, organise and take full responsibility of your workload, acting independently within appropriate guidelines and where necessary referring to PALS and Complaints Managers - Undertake thorough, impartial investigations and draft complex response letters, to a high standard of written English, ensuring the principles of being open and duty of candor are applied and recommendations or actions are included - Support and advise staff, at all levels, when responding to complaints/PALS to ensure the complaints and concerns are appropriately investigated and responded to in a timely fashion as outlined in the NHS regulations - Communicate 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 - Monitor the complaint response times, as directed by the Complaints Manager - Respond to all complaints within the timescale set by the Trust and agreed with the complainant, utilising the Trust’s escalation process if a complaint response becomes delayed. ### Detailed job description and main responsibilities - Work collaboratively with the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman’s office. - Deputise as appropriate for the Complaints and PALS Managers. - To be the first point of escalation for enquirers, when junior staff members are unable to assist and enquirers are asking for the concerns to be escalated. - Line management responsibility for junior members of staff, as appropriate. - Ensure that the Complaints and PALS processes adhere to Data Protection/ Confidentiality/ Caldicott / GDPR principles. - Actively promote diversity, including race diversity, across the Trust. Generate and sustain relationships that promote dignity, rights and responsibilities. Identify and take action to address discrimination and oppression. - To assist the team alignment in managing the workload between care groups and individuals including general office duties including, where required to get the job done in a timely way processing incoming and outgoing communication. - Communicate in an empathic manner with patients, relatives and staff, being aware of the sensitivity and complexity of the information and issues they may deal with. - Maintain and develops own professional expertise and ability to act as a role model for both their own team and wider to all staff in the Trust. - Assume a central role in problem solving and service co-ordination to ensure patients and carers receive high standards of seamless quality care. - Work in collaboration with the interdisciplinary teams throughout the Trust to support and compliment their care and the quality of the service provided. - To maintain up to date knowledge about the national best practice in NHS complaints practice, NHS England policy, NHS Complaints Regulations 2009, recommending changes as required in Trust policy in order to comply with these. - To chair local resolution meetings as appropriate, care group meetings and any other meetings as required. Teaching, Training and Research: - Participates in the delivery and evaluation of staff induction training, related to customer care and complaints management. - Participate in the delivery of in house complaints training Role Responsibilities: - Monitor and maintain the health, safety and security of self and any practitioners in work area. Identify risks in work activities and develops strategies to manage these effectively. Practice within risk management/ occupational health legislation and Trust procedures. - Develop own skills, taking responsibility for continuing professional development and performance. This job description should be regarded as a guide to the planned duties and responsibilities of the post.  The description is not exhaustive and will be subject to periodic review in consultation with the post-holder. ## Job Details An opportunity has arisen to join our team as a Deputy PALS and Complaints Manager. This is a very rewarding role with a chance to make a real difference to the lives of our service users. If you are someone who has outstanding communication skills, excels in helping others, with a natural affinity for networking and building relationships, and capable of showing genuine compassion and empathy, we would love to hear from you. ## Job Description Manage, monitor and ensure the maintenance of the Datix system, ensuring all records are accurate, enabling efficient management of the complaints/PALS department and the complaints/PALS processes. Maintain accurate and contemporaneous records on the Trust’s DATIX system Plan, organise and take full responsibility of your workload, acting independently within appropriate guidelines and where necessary referring to PALS and Complaints Managers Undertake thorough, impartial investigations and draft complex response letters, to a high standard of written English, ensuring the principles of being open and duty of candor are applied and recommendations or actions are included Support and advise staff, at all levels, when responding to complaints/PALS to ensure the complaints and concerns are appropriately investigated and responded to in a timely fashion as outlined in the NHS regulations Communicate 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 Monitor the complaint response times, as directed by the Complaints Manager Respond to all complaints within the timescale set by the Trust and agreed with the complainant, utilising the Trust’s escalation process if a complaint response becomes delayed. ## Responsibilities Work collaboratively with the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman’s office. Deputise as appropriate for the Complaints and PALS Managers. To be the first point of escalation for enquirers, when junior staff members are unable to assist and enquirers are asking for the concerns to be escalated. Line management responsibility for junior members of staff, as appropriate. Ensure that the Complaints and PALS processes adhere to Data Protection/ Confidentiality/ Caldicott / GDPR principles. Actively promote diversity, including race diversity, across the Trust. Generate and sustain relationships that promote dignity, rights and responsibilities. Identify and take action to address discrimination and oppression. To assist the team alignment in managing the workload between care groups and individuals including general office duties including, where required to get the job done in a timely way processing incoming and outgoing communication. Communicate in an empathic manner with patients, relatives and staff, being aware of the sensitivity and complexity of the information and issues they may deal with. Maintain and develops own professional expertise and ability to act as a role model for both their own team and wider to all staff in the Trust. Assume a central role in problem solving and service co-ordination to ensure patients and carers receive high standards of seamless quality care. Work in collaboration with the interdisciplinary teams throughout the Trust to support and compliment their care and the quality of the service provided. To maintain up to date knowledge about the national best practice in NHS complaints practice, NHS England policy, NHS Complaints Regulations 2009, recommending changes as required in Trust policy in order to comply with these. To chair local resolution meetings as appropriate, care group meetings and any other meetings as required. Teaching, Training and Research: Participates in the delivery and evaluation of staff induction training, related to customer care and complaints management. Participate in the delivery of in house complaints training Role Responsibilities: Monitor and maintain the health, safety and security of self and any practitioners in work area. Identify risks in work activities and develops strategies to manage these effectively. Practice within risk management/ occupational health legislation and Trust procedures. Develop own skills, taking responsibility for continuing professional development and performance. This job description should be regarded as a guide to the planned duties and responsibilities of the post. The description is not exhaustive and will be subject to periodic review in consultation with the post-holder. ## Person Specification ### Essential **Essential** - Displaying an approachable, confident and diplomatic manner - Confident at working independently and handling challenging situations **Desirable** - Evidence of Continuing Professional Development - Experience of working with distressed/bereaved service users ### Experience **Essential** - MS Office literate with excellent written skills - Ability to problem solve efficiently and to provide guidance to others - Confident handling data and creating spreadsheets in Excel ## Documents - [staff benefits (pdf, 139.1kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?edoc=603) - [job description (pdf, 264.6kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?vdoc=10266186) - [relocation policy (pdf, 572.4kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?edoc=1764) - [person specification (pdf, 536.5kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?vdoc=10266187) - [behaviours framework 2022 (pdf, 2.9mb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?edoc=2970) - [probation policy & procedure (pdf, 559.4kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?edoc=1640) - [leadership behaviours framework (pdf, 1.0mb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?edoc=2718) ## 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.