Definitions
We use the following definitions in the Complaint Standards:
Feedback: an opinion, whether invited or spontaneous, that can be positive, negative or neutral.
Complaint: an expression of dissatisfaction - either spoken or written - that requires a response. It can be about an act, omission or decision made, or the standard of service provided. These definitions should be considered within the context of ‘no issue is too big to be a concern and no issue is too small to be a complaint’.
Staff: all staff providing NHS-funded services who interact with people who use, or support others to use, their service. This covers all clinical and non-clinical staff who have a public-facing role. It also covers private healthcare providers when they are delivering NHS-funded healthcare.
Senior staff: those who are responsible for leading the NHS organisation and/or who have senior responsibility for how the organisation handles and learns from complaints.
Complaints staff: staff who have a specific responsibility to look into and investigate complaints. This may be as part of their existing role or dedicated complaint staff whose main responsibility is to handle feedback and complaints.
NHS organisations: any organisation that provides NHS-funded services, including private healthcare providers when they are delivering NHS-funded healthcare.