Dealing with Complaints in the Health Service

Duration

1 day

  

What is this course about?

Handling complaints in any organisation will present challenges.  For the Health Service there are added difficulties because the complaints may be from people who are ill or have ill loved ones, are emotionally upset or come from different cultures.

The aim of this workshop is to develop individuals' skills so that they are able to deal with any kind of situation to the satisfaction of the complainant.  It will focus, not only on the factual solution to a particular problem, but also on the handling of those in distress.

Who would benefit?

Anyone who is involved in the handling of complaints in the Health Service.

 

Objectives

By the end of the workshop, those who have attended will be able to:

• Identify exactly what the problem is from the complainant's point of view

• Put themselves in the complainant's position and demonstrate understanding

• Plan and prepare so that all issues are addressed

• Know what they react to emotionally

• Develop good opening and closing phrases that are constructive

• Check any written work for clarity, style, fairness and tone

• Confirm their use of the basics of English

• Develop a style that is human yet professional

• Select helpful words and phrases that give a good impression of the service

• Save time by getting it right first time

• Make sure that there is not a complaint about the handling of the original complaint.

 

 

Key topics covered

1. Policy

• What is defined as a complaint in the Health Service?

• Extent of complaints received in the Region concerned

• Current handling procedures

• Policy - National, Regional and Local

  
  

2. Overall strategy

• The part complaint handling plays in the image of the Health Service

• What impresses and what is remembered by complainants

• Identifying one's purpose in responding and what the recipient is looking for

• Understanding fully before responding

• Resolving a problem the first time and not leaving loose ends

• Specification for use of language and techniques for dealing with difficulties and criticisms

  
  

3. Preparation

• Dealing with emotion (theirs and yours)

• Responding rather than reacting

• Questions to ask yourself first

• Focussing on root causes

• Investigating and presenting information

• For emails and letters - templates and house style

• Developing structures to speed the process

  
  

4. Grammar, meaning and language

• Words, phrases, clauses, sentences, paragraphs

• Checking the basics

• Punctuation options

• Length and variety of sentences and paragraphs

• Cultural sensitivities

• Jargon - the obvious and the not so obvious

• Liability - protecting the organisation while respecting the complainant

  
  

5. Developing your style

• Your style and that of the Health Service

• Originality / creativity - avoiding bureaucratic language and trite phrases

• Editing and tightening up your style

• Use of the active and passive voice

• Preferred Health Service approaches

  
  

6. Tone

• Being straight, open and honest

• Communicating your effort, expertise and fairness

• Turning negatives into positives without affecting integrity

• Thanking the complainant - sincere acknowledgement

• Apologising when necessary and showing what you are going to do in the future

• What you can promise - what you can't

• Persuasion

  
  

7. Image and impact

• What impresses

• Presentation, forms of address

• Proof reading and checking written responses

  
  

8. Telephone complaints (optional module)

• Particular techniques when handling telephone complaints

• When would you initiate a call to the complainant?

• What to say and what to avoid

• The importance of the beginning and end of the call

• Your voice and word selection

• The power of the definite article

• The four types of sentence

  
  

9. Action

• What to continue doing

• What to develop / improve