Lead Complaints Manager

Job details

• Job reference: 256718
• Salary: Band 7 (£52,845 - £61,466)
• Job closing date: 27/08/2026
• Job Type: Administrative Services
• Location: Ailsa Hospital
• Employment type: Permanent
• Hours Per Week: 36.00
• Job posted date: 13/08/2026
• Employer (NHS Board): NHS Ayrshire & Arran
• Department: Clinical and Care Governance Unit

NHS Scotland:

Who we are:

NHS Ayrshire and Arran are one of 14 territorial NHS Boards within NHS Scotland.

In support of our core purpose of Working together to achieve the healthiest life possible for everyone in Ayrshire and Arran, we are committed to a culture that is Caring, Safe, and Respectful. You will be required to work collaboratively in a safe, caring and respectful way.

To find out more about NHS Ayrshire and Arran please visit our website - NHS Ayrshire & Arran - Home (nhsaaa.net)

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Position:

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Lead Complaints Manager within the Clinical and Care Governance Unit at NHS Ayrshire and Arran. This is offered on a permanent basis.

We are seeking an enthusiastic, self‑motivated individual with extensive complaints management expertise to lead and manage the day‑to‑day operational activity of our complaints service. You will ensure that all complaints are handled professionally, consistently, and within the timescales set out in the NHS Scotland Complaints Handling Procedure (CHP).

If you are passionate about improving patient experience, driving high‑quality communication, and supporting teams to deliver safe, effective, person‑centred care, we would welcome your application.

Hours:

36.00 hours per week (Monday - Friday, Business hours to be arranged).

Job share / Part Time Hours will be considered for this post.

From 1 April 2026, the working week for NHS Agenda for Change staff in Scotland will be reduced. Full-time hours will reduce from 37 to 36 hours (pro rata for part-time staff) without loss of earnings.

UK Driving Licence:

A UK driving licence is essential for this role.

What you will do:

• Provide leadership and oversight of the complaints service, ensuring high‑quality, person‑centred responses
• Deliver performance management, monitoring, and analysis to support continuous service improvement
• Ensure the service operates within budget and meets national and local performance targets
• Manage Board‑wide support for patient feedback, including inpatient surveys and feedback received through platforms such as Care Opinion
• Demonstrate effective use of resources within the team
• Work closely with senior management teams, senior clinical leaders, and multidisciplinary teams across wards and departments to optimise complaint management and learning

For further information on the role please click the link below to view the job description.

Knowledge, training and/or experience required for this post:

• Strong communication and engagement skills, with the ability to work confidently with teams at all levels
• The ability to work independently, using initiative to manage a varied and demanding workload
• Extensive knowledge and experience of complaints management within a complex organisation
• Strong IT skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Office applications

For further information on the requirements for the role please click the link below to view the person specification.

If you would like to find out more about the role, please contact Stephanie.Frearson, QI Lead Patient Experience at Stephanie.Frearson@aapct.scot.nhs.uk.

Right to Work / Certificates of Sponsorship

To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service. Further information on what NHS Scotland Boards are required to do to check this as well as what your responsibilities include can be found within the attached Candidate Information Pack.

It is essential that you have checked that you either already have an appropriate right to work in the UK or that the post would be eligible to be sponsored before submitting your application form.

NHS Ayrshire & Arran may be able to offer visa sponsorship for certain roles, provided the post meets the minimum salary threshold and any other required criteria. When considering if a post meets the salary threshold for sponsorship, please note the salary advertised is based on a full-time contract and must be pro-rated for part-time positions. Sponsorship is not guaranteed and is assessed on a case-by-case basis following interview and at the commencement of pre-employment checks.

Please visit here for further information.

We are unable to provide sponsorship for Band 2 posts or bank contracts.