This good practice guide is for complaints managers working throughout the NHS in England. Many of you do not have teams to support you in your work, or may be very new to the job. So we have designed the guide to give you instant information, links to much more detailed information and where to go for advice.
Each of the sections gives concise information and links to the websites of organisations where you will find the detailed material that you may need to help you with the more difficult issues.
As you use these pages you will see that we have deliberately focussed on local resolution. We did this because the second stage is currently being revised. Also, a lot of information is already available on the second stage of the complaints process online and in publications. But if you focus on making local resolution work well, then the second stage becomes less important because you will have resolved the majority of complaints.
Handling complaints in the NHS is based on the existing complaints regulations and guidance that you are already using. But there are plans to review the procedures, and when this happens we will amend the website and explain how the changes will affect you.
The information and good practice we have used in the guide is grounded in people's direct experience of working with the current procedures. We did this by inviting practitioners, convenors, lay chairs, and complaints managers from around the country to take part in a series of workshops. We asked people to bring examples of good practice to the workshops or send them in, and we made cold calls to trusts. The search for examples of good practice will continue and we will add them to the website.
So, as legislation changes, and as more good practice in this field emerges, these pages will be updated to give you the very latest materials and access to relevant facts.
