CD-Rom based Complaint Handling Training for Primary Care Staff in Wales

The human feelings and behaviours involved in complaints remain the same no matter how the processes change. If local resolution is ever going to work better, minimising expensive escalation to the Ombudsmen, then getting the human behaviours right will be at the heart of any success. Our view is that too many complaint handlers misdiagnose a complaint as a process – it is an emotion in disguise, wrapped up and hidden in a procedure.

So when we were commissioned to create a personal training resource to complement the prose of the original Guidelines that primary care staff could use themselves, we were sure that we wanted good case histories that made that point. We drew on our files and experience to devise 5 scenarios to be filmed using professional actors. Each scenario was then followed by a learning exercise that could be done in a group or by an individual.

The emotions on display on both sides come over strongly – the denials and lack of listening on one side of the encounter countered by anger and frustration on the other side when patients or their carers explode with rage when treated without understanding or empathy.

Scenarios

Mr Saigal wants the prescription filled urgently for his sick mother and cannot understand why the system does not allow this. Jim wants to talk to the practice nurse about his treatment being painful and ineffective and is roundly told off for his pains.

Mr Saigal's frustration

We especially liked the last line of a punchy little skirmish between a Mr Gareth Lloyd who had come a long way to leave his sample only to find he would have to make another two hour bus trip again tomorrow because the surgery would not take it in. As he stomped off to complain, the receptionist’s parting disdainful shot is the invitation to ‘Help yourself to a leaflet!’

Mr Gareth Lloyd's skirmish

The Risks of Anger

As the subsequent learning exercise makes clear, the receptionist has fuelled Gareth’s anger. Very risky and potentially dangerous if the sample had been thrown at her or Gareth gave her a punch on the nose. There so often seems a conspiracy in favour of escalation – a complaints process is only useful if it removes the complainant and their problem somewhere else – anywhere but here even if it does cost a fortune.

Take The Test

You can check your attitudes to complaints and complainants by taking the quiz we set as Exercise 2: Complaints and People Who Complain. No need to tell us how you did.

Statements	Strongly Agree	Agree	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
1. NHS users should be encouraged to complain if they aren't happy because we don't complain enough in this country
2. These days people seem to ready to complain about the smallest things
3. People who complain make me feel negative about the NHS
4. NHS patients shouldn't complain because its a freee service
5. We can learn from complaints if we take the time to understand why poeple are raising particular issues
6. Most people who complain are trying to put the blame on someone else and not face up to their own guilt
7. Patients aren't health professionals, so we shouldn't take their complaints too seriously
8. Most poeple don't know what they want when they complain
9. Some patients can never be satisfied so it's best to ignore them
10. We don't hear from people who really have something to complain about
11. Front line staff should not have to deal with complaints
12. The single purpose of a complaints procedure is to resolve things for the individual complaining
13. Concerns or complaints are often indicative of a wider problem

The CAAFI Table

Finally our CAAFI approach may help you develop that perfect complaint process and behaviours – see Summary of Complaints Process in the section ‘Conclusions’.

Summary of Complaints Process

Create your own learning package

Creating a package to go out on a CD-Rom need not be an expensive or complex process and the feedback from users has been very positive. Come and talk to us about meeting your training needs with an approach tailored to your environment and budget and delivered with creativity and imagination.

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M-A-C Practice
Some examples of our work in communication and consultation:

Assisting the City and Hackney Teaching Primary Care Trust as they consulted on how to provide Continuing Care on a basis that meets the needs of users and makes the best use of the money available. (completed April 2005)

Devising workshops for GP practice managers in the Wandsworth South locality of Wandsworth PCT on "Involving Users to Improve the Patient Experience" (ongoing)

SCOPE Patient and Public Involvement Forum Support Organisation in South West London commission to train FSO staff on public involvement issues (December 2004)