Comments & Complaints

You have a duty to make sure that each individual knows that they have a right to complain or comment about their care or support.

It is important that this is able to happen quickly and in a positive way.

Ask your employer to tell you about what to do when someone wants to complain or comment.

The Local Authority Social Services and NHS Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 are the legislation for complaints in health and social care.

The Department of Health also published the NHS Constitution, which tells you about guiding principles and patients’ rights.

Complaints and comments should be taken seriously and explored so that any learning can be used to keep doing the right things or to make improvements.

There should be a recorded process to follow which may differ depending on the type of workplace and have a time limit in which the complaint has to be made after the situation happened.

If someone wants to make a comment or complaint you should deal with it in line with your organisation's agreed ways of working.

What may this include?

Answer

Depending on where you work this may include:

Arranging to talk in private
Making sure the individual knows that you may need to pass on information if there is a risk to the safety of themselves or others
Listening calmly and actively, assuring them that you are taking them seriously
Not judging or becoming emotional
Offering your support but not trying to answer the issue before the agreed way of working has taken place
Explaining what will happen next, who the complaint will be passed to and when the person will get some feedback

Remember to thank them, tell your manager what has been said, and make a record as soon as possible.

Often an organisation has one named person who deals with complaints.

Depending on the size of the organisation there may be a complaints section such as the NHS’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).

You should ask who is the ‘responsible person’ or ‘accountable officer’ for your workplace.

Smaller workplaces might not have anything in writing but will still have agreed ways of working for when complaints are made.

Team XL ask all Suggestions, Comments, Complaints and Compliments are directed to Shared Services

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