Writing and communicating your final response

This guide explains how to write a good final response to a complaint. 

It explains how to make clear in your letter:

• that you have understood the complaint and what the person wanted to achieve by complaining 
• what you have investigated 
• how you have investigated it 
• how you have decided whether something has gone wrong or not 
• that you have understood the impact of any failing 
• what will happen as a result of the complaint 
• if the person is not happy and wants to take the matter further, what they can do next.  

This guide is one of the Good complaint handling series, designed to help you meet the UK Central Government (UKCG) Complaint Standards. Read it alongside the Model complaint handling procedure and other Good complaint handling guides.

What standards and guidance cover government complaints? 

• The Complaint Standards set out expectations to help you deliver good complaint handling in your organisation.  
• Relevant statutory and national guidance sets out other important requirements and information. You can consult your organisation’s complaints policy to check what standards and processes you should follow.  

What the Complaint Standards say 

Giving fair and accountable responses  

• Organisations support and encourage colleagues to be open and honest when things have gone wrong or where improvements can be made. Colleagues recognise the need to be accountable for their actions and to identify what learning can be taken from a complaint. They are clear about how this will be used to improve services and support colleagues.        
• Wherever possible, colleagues explain why things went wrong and identify suitable ways to put things right for service users. Colleagues give meaningful and sincere apologies and explanations that openly reflect the impact on the service users concerned.     
• Organisations make sure service users are kept involved and updated on how the organisation is taking forward all learning or improvements relevant to the complaint.     
• Colleagues make sure they tell people about their right to escalate a complaint to the next stage if they are not satisfied with the response at the end of the organisation’s complaint process. This includes escalating to any independent second tier complaint handler or to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman via their MP.  

What you need to do  

Your final written response is important because it sets out your organisation’s position on the complaint. It should help the person who made the complaint understand what has happened before reassuring them either:   

• that having looked into the matter carefully, you have found that nothing went wrong, or   
• that you found something went wrong and you acknowledge and accept this.     

It is also your chance to:    

• show that you understand the impact any failings have had  
• explain how you will put things right for them and potentially for other users of the service.     

This will help the person see that making the complaint has been worthwhile and that your organisation listens and learns from what service users have to say.