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Job summary

Main area
Clinical Governance
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 8a
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Part time - 18.75 hours per week
Job ref
357-LN-430-26-B
Employer
United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
United Lincolnshire NHS Trust
Town
Lincoln
Salary
£57,528 - £64,750 per annum £28,764 - £32,375 pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
20/08/2026 23:59

Employer heading

United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust logo

Clinical Complaints Lead - Band 8a

NHS AfC: Band 8a

We recognise that outstanding care can only be delivered through our people.  We want to attract people who can help us deliver our vision. We want in return to help people achieve what they wish in their careers in the NHS at ULTH.

We are always keen to welcome highly skilled, committed and compassionate individuals to our hospitals – people who put patients at the heart of everything they do and are ready to help us achieve our vision.

Our Group values guide everything we do. They are:

·       Compassionate - We care about people - Compassionate is the act of showing empathy, kindness, and respect to others, recognising their individual needs and circumstances. It involves listening, understanding, and supporting others in a way that makes them feel valued, safe, and cared for.

·       Collaborative - We work together as a team - Collaborative is working inclusively and respectfully with others to achieve shared goals. It involves open communication, valuing diverse perspectives, and building trust to create a supportive and effective team environment.

·       Innovative - We strive to improve - Innovative is the process of exploring new ideas, approaches, and technologies to improve care, services, and working practices. It involves creativity, curiosity, and a willingness to take risks in a safe and supportive environment.

If you believe in them too, then you are ready to join the ULTH team.

We’ve taken great pride in building working environments where staff always feel valued, cared for and part of a team. Without doubt this is a challenging yet very rewarding job that is at the centre of health and care in Lincolnshire - making a positive difference to our patients.

Our Trust is situated in the beautiful county of Lincolnshire and is one of the biggest acute hospital trusts in England, serving a population of more than 700,000 people. We provide acute and specialist services to people in Lincolnshire and neighbouring counties. We have an annual income of £710 million (22/23) and we employ nearly 8,600 people.

Our Group Board have recently agreed a new vision statement – “Caring and building a healthier future for all” – stating their ambition for our Trust and the wider group to be among the best.

We also have a five year Integrated Improvement Plan setting out how we will achieve our strategic objectives, for patients, services, people and partners, the last recognising that our future success depends on our ability to ensure the Lincolnshire healthcare system is successful in achieving its ambition to help people live healthier lives and provide care closer to where people live.

Our latest CQC report increased our ratings for being effective and well-led from ‘Requires Improvement’ to ‘Good’. Our rating for caring remained as ‘Good’.

This is in recognition of the huge amount of work that our amazing staff have done to improve the quality of care for our patients in recent years.

We are committed to helping our staff balance their work and home lives and ensure they feel supported, valued and appreciated.

So, what is in it for you?

  • Flexible working: Depending on the needs of your role, we will consider requests for flexible and/or part-time working for whatever reason you should need it. We recognise flexible working will not look the same for everyone, because it depends on the nature of the role and the needs of the individual.

Types of flexibility could include:

  • Part-time - less than 37.5 hours per week.
  • Off-site/remote working - working from home or other sites for part or all the week.
  • Compressed hours – usually full-time hours but over fewer days or shifts.
  • Staggered hours – having different start and finish times.
  • Set shift patterns – to allow for predictability
  • NHS Pension: A generous and flexible pension scheme with contributions from us as your employer fully protected against inflation and guaranteed by the government
  • Annual Leave: Starting at 27 days a year, rising to 33 days after 10 years plus eight bank holidays (for staff covered by Agenda for Change) For Medical Workforce positions (Consultant and Specialty Doctor), the full-time entitlement commences from 32 days per annum. For all other Medical Workforce positions, the full-time entitlement commences from 27 days per annum.
  • Bank working: The chance to work extra hours at enhanced rates and we will pay you weekly too, ideal if your income needs a quick boost.

In addition, there is more.

  • Family & Childcare: Including on-site nurseries at Lincoln County Hospital and Pilgrim Hospital Boston, maternity, paternity, adoption & shared parental leave following a set period of employment.
  • Health & Wellbeing: including counselling, mental health first aid, physiotherapy, eye tests.
  • Learning & Development including Lincolnshire Talent Academy, leadership training, medical education, clinical education, Lincolnshire clinical research
  •  Financial support and benefits including Cycle2Work, car lease scheme, home electronics. Free on-site parking and free tea and coffee and the ability to save and borrow through your salary.
  •  Rewards & Recognition including staff awards, long service awards, retirement awards, examples of excellence and staff lottery.

Enjoy a better quality of life in one of the UK’s most welcoming counties. Whether you’re taking the first exciting steps in your career, itching for a new challenge or searching for a better place to raise a family, Lincolnshire welcomes everyone. Discover a range of rewarding health and social care careers in a county that’s friendly, fascinating, affordable and brimming with everything you need to live a happy life.

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join United Lincolnshire NHS Trust Complaints & PALS Team as a Clinical Complaints Lead.

The team work closely  with patients and their families to support  resolution for complaints raised, and investigate formal complaints in line with NHS complaints standards.

We are looking for someone with significant experience in Customer Relations (or equivalent role) who has a thorough understanding of the NHS Complaints regulations and national guidelines.

The  Team receive a high volume of contact from a variety of stakeholders including service users, senior managers within the organisation, advocacy providers and governing bodies such as the CQC. For this reason we are looking for someone who has excellent communication and interpersonal skills; and an outstanding use of grammar and English language. Due to the nature of the contact we receive the successful candidate must be also be able to work well under pressure, and remain calm and compassionate no matter what the situation.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will handle and manage complaints directly, via all communication channels providing timely, sensitive, and accurate responses that address the issues raised, maintaining a high degree of professionalism and confidentiality throughout the complaint process.

The successful candidate will engage across the Trust with the Care Group teams to empower the early resolution of patient concerns helping to embed learning and drive improvement.

This role is diverse, stimulating, and offers a unique opportunity to learn in depth about the variety of services provided by the Trust. We are looking for an experienced and enthusiastic member of staff who is eager to improve the service we provide whilst upholding our Trust values.

Working for our organisation

Lincoln is a thriving university city and with the opening of the medical school, the Trust provides all major specialties and a 24-hour major accident and emergency service.

The Trust has been granted teaching hospital status, after demonstrating evidence to significant teaching commitment. From now on it will be known as United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Pilgrim Hospital is situated in beautiful countryside and serves the communities in the South Lincolnshire area. It provides all major specialties and a 24-hour major accident and emergency service.

Grantham and District Hospital serves the communities of Grantham and the local area. It provides ambulatory paediatric and accident and emergency services.

Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS) and United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) have come together in a Group arrangement, with the goal of improving the care provided to patients across the county.

This will not constitute a formal merger of the two organisations, but will bring the Trusts together under a single Board and Executive Leadership Team, with the goal of improving the care that is provided to patients both in the community and in hospitals across Lincolnshire. Both Trusts will retain their separate statutory names and legal obligations.

The Group will be known as Lincolnshire Community and Hospitals NHS Group (LCHG).

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For further information about the main responsibilities please view the attached job description and person specification.

·       Communicate highly complex/ highly sensitive and highly contentious information to a diverse group of individuals where there may be significant barriers, which requires comprehensive negotiating, persuasion and listening skills

·       Challenge staff regarding the findings of a complaint investigation, using influence, tact and diplomacy to achieve the required outcome

·       Be able to recognise service failures or shortfalls and ensure that learning has been identified by the directorate(s) wherever possible

·    Independently manage a large caseload of highly complex complaints

·    Meet with complainants / speak with complainants to help resolve their complaints.

·    Liaise with senior Trust staff (including Consultant medical staff, heads of department and Senior Clinical Nurses), in order to obtain appropriate and comprehensive responses in a timely manner

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Clinical professional qualification in relevant health care related subject.
  • Masters or equivalent experience
  • Evidence of continued professional development.
Desirable criteria
  • Customer care /communication skills Qualification/Training

Previous Experience

Essential criteria
  • Extensive management experience gained within a large organisation.
  • Significant NHS experience in a senior role.
  • Strong administrative and organisational skills including accurate records management.
  • Experience of investigating and supporting investigations within a healthcare setting.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
  • The ability to extract and analyse complex data from business management IT systems and databases.
  • Skilled in the use of Microsoft Windows based applications including Word, Excel and Powerpoint.

Knowledge - Skills - Aptitudes

Essential criteria
  • Knowledge of complaints regulations
  • Knowledge of Patient Safety Incident Response Framework, complaints and claims management information requirements.
  • Demonstrable ability to negotiate and influence at a senior level.
  • Awareness of NHS / public sector governance and regulatory frameworks
Desirable criteria
  • Extensive knowledge of NHS governance and regulatory requirements.
  • Knowledge of information governance regulations and requirements as they relate to healthcare service providers.

Specific Requirements

Essential criteria
  • Self-motivated and committed to improving the quality and safety of healthcare services within the Trust.
  • Understanding of and commitment to the Group’s values
Desirable criteria
  • An understanding of the regulatory framework applicable to the delivery of healthcare services in an acute hospital Trust.

Skills/Competencies

Essential criteria
  • Demonstrable ability to negotiate and influence at a senior level.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Veteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyAge positiveImproving working livesArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerNHS Rainbow badgeStep into healthBronze Trailblazer by Race Equality MattersHappy to Talk Flexible WorkingOne Workforce Lincolnshire ICS

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.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Bernadine Gallen
Job title
Head of Clinical Effectiveness & Complaints
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07740780837
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