Can I Help You? Guidance for handling and learning from feedback, comments, concerns or complaints about NHS health care services.

Principles for handling feedback, comments, concerns and complaints

This guidance is for NHS Health Boards, Special Health Boards, the NHS National Services Scotland¹ (hereafter referred to as relevant NHS bodies) and their health service providers, which will in the main be Primary Care Service Providers² , to assist them in handling and responding to feedback, comments, concerns and complaints raised in relation to health care in accordance with the Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011. The guidance sets out best practice for relevant NHS bodies and health service providers to ensure, their frontline staff are trained, supported and empowered to deal with feedback, comments, concerns and complaints in whatever form this takes where it is appropriate for them to do so.

The key points to note from this guidance are that local process and procedures should be developed to ensure that they:

• encourage, welcome and view feedback, comments, concerns and complaints as opportunities for ensuring the NHS provides person centred care
• promote learning and improvement from all forms of feedback received
• are credible, independent, transparent and easy to use for members of the public and staff
• are effective, fair and consistently applied
• are well publicised and accessible to all and that information is available in other formats where this is appropriate
• ensure that everyone, regardless of their race, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender or any disability or sensory impairment, has the support they need in order to access the services
• promote the additional independent support services such as the Patient Advice and Support Service (PASS), advocacy, communication, translation and alternative dispute resolution services
• provide staff with the training and support to consistently display sensitivity and understanding to everyone who uses the NHS and in particular to understand that people may feel vulnerable and stressed
• empower staff to listen to and act upon feedback, comments, concerns and complaints given
• ensure that people who use NHS services can see what action is being taken to improve the patient experience and empower staff and patients to contribute to this