Listening and Responding to Feedback

• Responsiveness
• Principles of Best Practice Complaints Management
• Open Disclosure
• Apology
• Redress
• Legislative Requirements
• Standards/PPPGs/Frameworks
• Overview of the Complaints Process
• The Complaints Process
• Timeframes
• Complaints in relation to Clinical Judgement
• Anonymous Complaints
• Vexatious and Malicious Complaints
• Risk Assessment
• Communication

Introduction

Effective handling of Service User feedback is fundamental to the provision of a quality service.  Service users who provide feedback, especially in the form of a complaint, must be listened to and treated with dignity, courtesy and empathy.

The HSE welcomes feedback and is receptive to complaints and sees them as an important source of constructive feedback, and therefore complaints are treated as a matter of priority.

Complaints should be investigated within policy timeframes, thoroughly, honestly and openly.

Communication with Service Users should be maintained throughout the complaints management process.

• The organisation encourages a culture of responsiveness.
• Open Disclosure is adopted within the organisation.
• Staff have a positive attitude towards dealing with feedback and are receptive to complaints.
• All feedback is responded to with comments and compliments forwarded to the relevant service / staff member with any learning shared.
• Complaints are dealt with in a timely manner.
• Each complaint is received and investigated on its own merit.
• The needs of all Service Users and staff are met within the complaints management process.
• Service users are involved in the complaints management process.
• Communication with Service Users is open, honest, transparent and responsive to their needs.
• Service users are informed of the outcome of a complaint and subsequent agreed actions which may arise.