Job summary
- Main area
- Administration
- Grade
- Band 8a
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 363-CP7913274
- Employer
- East London NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Trust HQ - Robert Dolan House
- Town
- LONDON
- Salary
- £66,274 - £73,496 Per annum inc HCA
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 26/04/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Head of Complaints & PALS
Band 8a
ELFT has long been recognised as a centre of excellence for mental and health care, innovation and improvement. So it is a very exciting time for you to come and work for us. Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
Job overview
Are you an experienced senior leader with a strong background in complaints, patient experience, governance or quality improvement? Do you have the skills to lead a high-profile service that sits at the heart of learning, responsiveness and service improvement?
We are looking for a Head of Complaints and PALS to lead our corporate Complaints and PALS function. This is a key leadership role, responsible for ensuring that concerns and complaints are managed effectively, compassionately and in line with national standards, while also helping the Trust learn from feedback and improve the quality of care we provide.
Main duties of the job
You will lead the Complaints and PALS Team, provide expert advice to senior leaders, and work in close partnership with clinical and operational services across the Trust. You will help ensure a consistent and responsive approach to local resolution, formal complaints, thematic learning and service improvement.
We are looking for someone who is highly organised, politically astute and able to manage complex and sensitive issues with professionalism, empathy and sound judgement. You should have significant experience of working with senior managers, handling complex concerns, producing high-quality reports, and using data and intelligence to drive improvement. Experience in governance, investigations, mediation or quality improvement would be an advantage.
This is an exciting opportunity to lead an important function, influence improvement across the Trust, and make a real difference to patient and carer experience.
Working for our organisation
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
If you are someone with a passion for improving the patient experience and can evidence drive, initiative and enthusiasm, then we would like to hear from you.
For questions about the job, please contact
Evah Marufu on:
Contact: 07908140309
Person specification
Education/ Qualification/ Training
Essential criteria
- • Degree level qualification or demonstrable experience in relevant areas
Desirable criteria
- • Evidence of commitment to on-going continual professional development
- • Post Graduate Degree level of education in relevant subject or demonstrable
- • Equivalent experience
Experience
Essential criteria
- • Significant experience of working with senior management including functions and procedures
- • Experience of working and engaging with staff at all levels in a high-volume transactional environment
- • Supervisory experience
- • Demonstrable evidence of successful multi-disciplinary team working
- • Experience in dealing with patients and the public
- • Demonstrable experience of internal and external partnership working
- • Experience in investigation techniques, patient safety, concerns, risk or management, using a range of complementary tools, Root Cause Analysis, and Incident Decision Tree
- • Facilitation/Mediation experience
- • Experience of using and managing information to determine priorities and demonstrate service levels across the organisation including presenting to meetings.
Desirable criteria
- • Experience of working in a Clinical Governance environment
- • Demonstrable evidence of facilitation skills in managing/ handling difficult, contentious or sensitive issues as well as handling conflict
- • Demonstrable evidence of effective management of internal / external investigation of concerns
- • Budget management experience and achieving a balanced budget position
Knowledge and Skills
Essential criteria
- • Excellent time management skills and ability to work to deadlines.
- • IT literate including analysis of highly complex data
- • Project Management skills
- • Report writing skills
- • Analytical skills - ability to make judgements about highly complex facts or situations
- • Ability to analyse information, prepare reports and utilise information to inform decision making
- • Ability to learn from experience and adapt to changes and new challenges
- • Committed to the continuous development of staff and self
- • Ability to prioritise tasks and manage competing demands on time, ensuring all deadlines are met.
- • Strong planning and organisational skills across a broad range of complex activities and difficult situations
- • Ability to remain impartial with empathy and understanding for others
- • Understand the NHS
- • Knowledge of the patient safety and quality agenda and policy direction for the NHS
- • Knowledge and understanding of the principles of clinical governance and quality improvement
- • Understanding of the Health Board structures and strategies
Desirable criteria
- Quality Improvement skills
- Formal presentation skills
- Budget management
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Evah Marufu
- Job title
- Director of Nursing – Mental Health
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07908140309
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