Complaints Handling for Non-Clinical Staff in Primary Care

This three-hour Complaints Handling workshop will equip participants with the necessary knowledge and skills to handle complaints effectively and efficiently. The workshop will cover various aspects of complaints handling, including ensuring practice policies are correct and managing persistent communicators/complainants within the practice. Additionally, there will be an update on the policy change since 1st July 2023, which now requires members of the public to contact their local Integrated Care Board (ICB) instead of NHS England to make any complaints.

By the end of this web workshop, delegates will be able to: 

• Understand the importance of effective complaints handling in the primary care setting.
• Comprehend the legal and regulatory framework surrounding complaints handling.
• Evaluate and update current practice policies to ensure compliance with the latest policy change (since 1st July 2023) of directing complaints to the local Integrated Care Board (ICB).
• Utilise active listening techniques and demonstrate empathy in their communication with complainants.
• Manage and de-escalate tense situations effectively, handling emotions with professionalism and respect.
• Identify and manage persistent communicators/complainants in a constructive manner, preventing escalation of complaints.
• Conduct fair and thorough investigations into complaints, maintaining confidentiality and involving relevant stakeholders appropriately.
• Implement strategies for resolving complaints, providing appropriate remedies and solutions.
• Establish follow-up procedures to ensure complainants' satisfaction and resolution.
• Utilise complaints as opportunities for learning and continuous improvement in the primary care setting.
• Engage in role-play exercises and analyse case studies to practice and improve complaints handling skills.

Guidance notes and will be provided to support this workshop and certificates of attendance are awarded after the workshop.

Programme

Introduction and Welcome

• Objectives of the training workshop
• Overview of the recent policy change: Contacting the local Integrated Care Board (ICB) for complaints

Open Forum: People’s experiences of Complaints

• Participants’ experience, examples and confidence in this area
• Personal objectives

Understanding Complaints Handling

• Definition and importance of complaints handling
• Legal and regulatory framework for handling complaints in primary care
• Key principles and best practices in complaints handling

Current Practice Policies

• Review and update on the existing complaints handling policy in your practice
• Identifying gaps and areas for improvement in your practices’ current policies
• Ensuring compliance with the updated policy change since 1st July 2023
• Update and produce letter templates

Effective Communication Skills

• Importance of effective communication in complaints handling
• Agree mechanisms for communication across team
• Active listening techniques
• Empathy and compassion in responding to complainants

Toolkit for Successful Conversations

• Managing your body language
• Speaking persuasively
• Structuring the conversation, four stage approach:
  • Getting off to an effective start
  • Understanding the situation and exploring issues and reasons
  • Exploring options and agreeing a way forward
  • An effective ending
• Active listening
• Asking questions
• Probing techniques

Top Tips for Handling Difficult Conversations and Responses

• Anticipating conflict
• Handling Emotional Responses
• Strategies for dealing with different responses
• Mutual respect
• Common ground
• Staying in control
• When to walk away
• When things don't work

De-Escalation and Managing Emotions

• Strategies for de-escalating tense situations
• Managing emotions, both the complainant's and your own
• Maintaining a professional and respectful demeanour

Handling Persistent Communicators/Complainants

• Identifying and understanding persistent complainants
• Dealing with difficult individuals and challenging scenarios
• Strategies to manage recurring complaints and prevent escalation

Investigating Complaints

• Steps to conduct a fair and thorough investigation
• Gathering evidence and maintaining confidentiality
• Involving relevant parties and stakeholders appropriately

Resolution and Follow-Up

• Approaches to resolving complaints effectively
• Providing appropriate remedies and solutions
• Follow-up procedures to ensure complainants' satisfaction
• Escalation and when its required

Learning from Complaints

• Using complaints as opportunities for improvement
• Feedback mechanisms and quality enhancement in primary care
• Creating a culture of continuous improvement

Case Studies

• Practical exercises to practice complaints handling skills
• Analysing and discussing case studies related to complaints

Q&As

Close