“Robust timescales + quality = person-centred complaint handling,” is Kevin Rooney’s simple formula for supporting a listening and learning culture within NHS Lanarkshire.
Kevin, who is patient affairs and complaints lead, explains the importance of good complaints handling.
He said: “Complaints are based on the perception of a patient’s experience. Good complaints handling is about treating people as we would like our relatives to be treated in these situations. It should connect with people’s desire to provide good clinical care.
“In NHS Lanarkshire, we promote a fair, open, and honest culture where learning and improvement is at the heart of the complaint handling procedure. We should encourage feedback from all service users, whether positive or negative, as we can use this knowledge to make our services better.”
NHS Lanarkshire’s complaint handling procedure is based on the national best practice model. All staff can respond to and resolve complaints at stage one level, also known as the early resolution stage.
Kevin said: “You don’t need to escalate a complaint to a senior member of staff or patient affairs for handling, unless it is something you cannot deal with yourself. If you can offer an apology or take action to resolve the issue for the complainant, the complaint can be closed without passing it on to someone else to deal with.”
There are three situations where a complaint must be escalated to your local patient affairs team to be investigated as a stage two complaint.
- If you are unable to respond to the complaint within 5 working days (can be extended to 10 working days, but the complainant should be kept updated).
- If the complainant is unhappy with the response given at stage one, they can ask to escalate their complaint to stage two (investigation).
- Complaints which are complex and require detailed investigation such as a review of clinical notes or asking multiple staff to comment should proceed directly to stage two.
Kevin said: “It is always best to try to respond to the complaint at the earliest opportunity. The more a person must repeat their complaint, the longer and harder it takes to resolve their issues.
“Once a complaint has been received, make sure you understand the complaint and establish what resolution the complainant is seeking. Part of our learning is understanding if there is any difference between what happened and what should have happened.”
“Ask open questions such as: ‘Can you tell me what happened?’ or ‘Can you explain to me what you are concerned about?’. Let the person speak, even if you don’t agree with them, and continue to listen without interrupting or contradicting them.
“You should also express empathy and offer an apology. An apology is not an admission of guilt or wrongdoing. Accept responsibility and avoid negative phrases such as ‘Yes, but’, ‘To be honest’, ‘Leave it with me’, ‘In my opinion’ and ‘I can only apologise if.’
“It is important to record the complaint and update your local patient affairs team, as this helps us to identify themes or recurring issues and supports learning.”
The national Complaint Handling Procedure (CHP) states that stage two complaints should be responded to within 20 working days.
Kevin commented: “Concluding investigations within 20 working days can be challenging, but we need to avoid unnecessary delays, while maintaining a focus on quality. Making a complaint and being complained about can be very upsetting, and any delays in the process can create additional distress for both complainants and the staff involved.
“If you have been asked to provide a statement for a complaint, it is important that this is provided at the earliest possible stage to ensure a timely response. A statement writing guide and template has been developed to help make it easier for staff to provide the right information.
“The procedure does allow for extensions to the 20-working day timescale on a case-by-case basis, but these must be justified and unavoidable.
“A robust and learning focused investigation is critical for all involved – complainant, staff, and the organisation. This will lead to a more considered response for the complainant and learning for the organisation.”
In relation to examples of indicators of a quality response, Kevin added: “Our responses should explain decisions clearly and accurately, provide a meaningful apology and, as appropriate, take responsibility for learning and improvement actions. If we do all these things, then this reduces the likelihood of the complaint being investigated by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO).
“Our motto is robust timescales + quality = person-centred complaint handling.”
Further information, including support on being complained about, is available on FirstPort.
For a video on stage one complaints, click here.
