Improving the Patient Experience of Making an NHS Complaint

Report - 21 October 2016

In response to local feedback about complaints processes, as well as Healthwatch England's report 'Suffering in Silence', we launched our own research into how complaints handling works locally, and what could be improved.

Background

Since Healthwatch Hertfordshire’s inception in 2013, we have consistently received feedback and enquiries from the public with regards to complaints. Analysis of this feedback showed the public contacted us mostly to:

  • Request information on how to make a complaint against a particular NHS provider.
  • Find out what to do when they are dissatisfied with the outcome of the complaint. e.g. how and who to escalate complaints to.
  • Understand what a patient, carer or complainant should expect when making a complaint.
  • To find out what rights, patients have when making a complaint.

What We Did

To improve the patient experience of making a complaint about a health or social care service in Hertfordshire, and to improve transparency and communication with regard to complaints processes and patient rights, we engaged with:

  • 10 major Health and Social Care providers and commissioners within Hertfordshire
  • 705 residents of Hertfordshire via face to face interviews 
  • 75 Young People (16-21 years) via online survey
  • 86 complainants via telephone interviews

What We Found 

  • Only 2 out of 10 Trusts and Commissioners had an easy read version of their complaints process on their website.
  • 9 out of 10 organisations stated that they receive little to no complaints directly from Children and Young People. With 5 out of 10 organisations noting this as a gap in collecting feedback.
  • Nearly half of all complaints stated they found the NHS complaints process complicated and complex.
  • More than 50% of people wouldn’t know to whom they can complain.
  • Compared to the 6% who had made a complaint in the last 12 months, double that had wanted to make a complaint but not done so. 45% stated the reason for this was they didn’t feel it will make a difference; 23% felt they didn’t have the support and 19% were worried it would have an adverse effect on their care or treatment.
  • 49% of Young People stated they had wanted to complain but not done so. This group was shown as less likely to complain compared to adults, citing similar reasons as the adults, but also stressed ‘not feeling listened to (33%).
  • Complainants highlighted that organisations did not comply to their own established procedures when dealing with a complaint, which made things more confusing.
  • Complainants’ experiences of the complaints process contradicted the way complaint handling should work.
  • People wanted more publicity and information around complaints.

What Happened Next

Using the data collected, we made the following 10 recommendations for Providers and Commissioners to consider:

1. Ensure your complaints policy and/or information on what complainants can expect from the complaints process are made available on your website; without the potential complainant having to request this from the organisation.

2. Ensure that information on their complaints process is made accessible to vulnerable groups and people with complex needs.

3. Adopt a ‘You said, we did’ approach to publishing the outcome of complaints, lessons learnt and providing evidence that changes have been made. This information to be easily visible and accessible to the public.

4. Ensure collection and triangulation of patient feedback from a variety of sources, to further inform data from the formal complaints route.

5. Make it clear to the public how they can feedback concerns without always having to go through the formal complaints process.

6. Those organisations that use a Patient Advice and Liaison Service: To ensure that it is made clear to the public what PALS stands for, what it does and how to access the service.

7. Further explore ways of collecting comments, concerns and complaints through mediums such as social media.

8. Ensure advice and advocacy services are promoted and made aware to the complainant before or at the initial stages of making a complaint; consider providing this information on your website.

9. All organisations to promote independent organisations - such as Healthwatch - so that people have a way of raising a concern whilst feeling confident that it won’t impact on their care or treatment; consider providing this information on your website.

10. Consider the introduction of a six monthly, or 12 monthly independent audit of complaints handling.

Read the full report here

The Patient Experience of of the NHS Complaints System in Herts
Download (PDF 1.7 MB)

If you require this report in another format, please get in touch.

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