Why we need the Complaint Standards
Complaints offer a valuable source of learning to help improve services for everyone. Good complaint handling builds a direct and positive connection between those who provide services and the people who use them.
This is particularly true for NHS organisations providing services that so many people rely on, often at critical times of need.
However, there is no single set of guidelines for managing complaints in the NHS. This means it can be difficult for staff to deliver good complaint handling because:
- some organisations do not actively promote a learning culture where complaints are welcomed and used as a valuable source of learning
- staff handling complaints do not always get the right training and support
- managers and leaders approach learning from complaints in different ways.
This can lead to a culture which fears or ignores complaints, rather than embracing them. As a result:
- staff can feel unsupported in this important and complex area of work
- people making complaints do not get a consistent, positive experience and may feel their concerns are not taken seriously or properly addressed.
The NHS Complaint Standards are the first step towards addressing these issues. They set out a single vision for staff and NHS service users (and people who support them) of what should happen when someone raises a complaint.
The Standards promote accountability and openness, leading to better communication between providers and the public, and bringing about service improvements. They provide guidance to make sure:
- organisations promote a learning culture which welcomes complaints and handles them well
- staff have the skills and experience they need to be confident in handling complaints
- people making complaints about NHS services get a consistent, positive experience each time and they:
- know how to give feedback or make a complaint o can get support to do so when they need it
- are confident that organisations will take any issues raised seriously and take action to address them
- staff being complained about are supported and involved throughout the process.
The Complaint Standards are supported by a model complaint handling procedure and detailed guidance on how they can be applied in practice. These will be used to develop a training and support programme for all staff delivering NHS services, so that complaint handling is recognised as a professional skill.
The Standards, training and further guidance will see more NHS organisations following similar processes across the country. This will provide a better, more consistent approach to complaint handling that meets the goals set out in My Expectations.
By adopting the Standards, NHS staff will be able to address, resolve and learn from more complaints at the earliest opportunity, which will benefit everyone involved. It will also mean fewer complaints become legal claims or get referred to the Ombudsman, saving both financial and emotional costs.
The Complaint Standards guide NHS organisations of all sizes to put the right structures and systems in place to capture, analyse and act on learning from complaints. They will enable more effective complaint handling that uses insight gained from people’s shared experiences to help improve NHS services for future users.