We can't respond to patient complaints using the one-size-fits-all approach

Complaints are, in most of the trusts that I have worked in, recognised as an important area of insight for quality improvement and learning. They are rich in representing the lens of the patient and/or their family, identifying issues that would not typically be picked up in internal monitoring systems.

The NHS receives more than 200 000 formal complaints each year. Failures to detect and respond to complaints that report harm and negligence have been illustrated across a range of high-profile public inquiries. Van Dael et al (2022) noted that, in acknowledgement of these failures, several reforms were introduced to improve learning from complaints, such as the regulatory requirements for hospitals to formally investigate and collect data from complaints. Yet, as the most recent inquiry at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust has unfolded, van Dael et al (2022) reflected that there appears to have been limited system-wide progress.