Effective complaint handling


No one likes being on the receiving end of a complaint. Common responses include anger, fear, distress, guilt or plain incredulity. But it is important to stay calm and keep a few key goals in mind – to establish the facts of the complaint and work to repair the relationship with the patient while ensuring lessons are drawn from the experience.


Attitude and approach It is important to foster a positive attitude toward complaints in any public-facing organisation. No one is perfect – though patients may often expect this from healthcare professionals. Mistakes will happen and it is important not to resort immediately to finger-pointing and the apportioning of blame to individuals. Many medical errors involve system failures at least in part. The important thing is to learn from these errors. Feedback – good and bad – is a prime means of assessing and improving services.


The approach a practice or individual takes to a patient complaint most often determines the progress and outcome. Avoid being defensive in the initial shock of criticism. Responses such as “Jill is a valued member of our team” or “No one else has complained about this person/issue before” do not address the complaint and are likely only to further exacerbate the situation.


Be open and take the patient’s concerns seriously. Answer questions and explain policies; do not stonewall. Avoid also the temptation to blame the complainant or turn the complaint back onto them – for example, “If, as you say, I was rude, it was only because I felt you had been rude to me”. Although this may possibly be true it is not a helpful way to respond to a complaint. Be respectful and honest in tone.


Listening skills Most patient complaints involve a failure of communication – and it is only sensible to ensure that such failure is not perpetuated in efforts to resolve complaints. Here nothing is more important than the basic skill of listening.


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