Restless inmates start to lodge complaints (8)
I believe the answer is:
ailments
'complaints' is the definition.
('ailment' can be a synonym of 'complaint')
'restless inmates start to lodge' is the wordplay.
'restless' is an anagram indicator (letters not resting).
'start to' indicates taking the first letters.
The first letter of 'lodge' is 'l'.
'inmates'+'l'='inmatesl'
'inmatesl' is an anagram of 'AILMENTS'.
(Other definitions for ailments that I've seen before include "Illnesses, complaints" , "Maladies of manliest sort" , "Nail stem produces illnesses" , "Minor illnesses" , "Diseases or disorders" .)