About the NHS Complaint Standards
The NHS Complaint Standards set out how organisations providing NHS services should approach complaint handling. They apply to NHS organisations in England and independent healthcare providers that deliver NHS-funded care.
The Complaint Standards will support organisations to provide a quicker, simpler and more streamlined complaint handling service. They have a strong focus on:
- early resolution by empowered and well-trained people
- all staff, particularly senior staff, regularly reviewing what learning can be taken from complaints
- how all staff, particularly senior staff, should use this learning to improve services.
The Complaint Standards are based on My Expectations, which sets out what patients want to happen when they make a complaint about health or social care services. The Standards and the guidance modules describe how staff can meet those expectations.
They should be used alongside other NHS complaint handling requirements.