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Update (9 August 2023): The Learn from Patient Safety Events (LFPSE) service is a new national NHS service for the recording and analysis of patient safety events that occur in healthcare patient reporting of harm. NHS have announced a new Discovery Phase for the development of the LFPSE, which includes engaging patients. This is vital and unknown about, and needs urgent attention. I have already raised my concerns. There is more information in how to participate in the comments section below. I love and support the NHS. But when things go wrong for patients and service users, the system is often too slow to change or respond effectively. I have been through complaints, the Ombudsman and Inquest processes around the poor end of life care of my late mother. Those processes took years and were almost as stressful as those last few days of my mother’s life. I would not do it again. At the time, I reported the incident in detail to the CQC (inspectors), to the CCG (commissioners), to Healthwatch (local and national), but I noted no evidence of change. In fact, the CQC continued for years to report similar failings at the same hospital. Too many other patients and service users say the same thing. I met many of these patients/users when I was part of the user/patient led group PHSOthefacts. Then, my elderly friend and neighbour asked me to be their advocate around their wishes for end of life care and unfortunately things were not perfect at all. I was able, through connections I had made from the previous experiences I mention above, to get a meeting with senior managers involved with her care. However, sadly I do not think much came of that either. I believe others could go through the same suffering my friend experienced. There are immense pressures on the NHS. Hospitals have budgets to operate within, reputations to manage and targets to meet, as well as keeping patients and staff safe. While the system is under huge pressure, and many of the known ‘complaint’ processes are not designed to improve patient safety, the good news is there is a growing awareness of the need to listen and learn from patients and service users, drawing on the best safety science and using independent experts. Safety improvement rather than simply complaining (often seen as an administrative process) is what so many patients and families most want to see so others do not suffer the same way as their loved one. Fortunately, via a convoluted route, I did discover the Patient Safety team of NHS England who was able to take one of my concerns about care very seriously. I also learned about the development of the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB). So the good news is that as well as traditional routes like Complaints, the Ombudsman (PHSO) and reporting to formal bodies (perceived as inadequate by too many patients/users who have been through this process), there are four developments to note of NHS dealing with events when patients suffer harm or potential harm: 1. New guidance is being developed by NHS England to help hospitals and health services address safety concerns and involve patients in this. 2. HSIB, who carry out up to 30 independent investigations a year, is developing an exemplar model of involving the patient and family perspective in these investigations. It offers an exciting, new, more change-focused, learning-focused and system-focused way of understanding and addressing many of the harmful incidents patients' experience, aligned with service users and families who wish to embark on a journey resulting in learning. Watch this HSIB video 'Why it's important that we learn from incidents'. 3. There is increasing recognition of the role of patients in all health decision-making, which is well covered in the Patients Associations' 'Shared decision making: a reality for everyone'. In fact, I recently wrote a blog for the hub on a particular patient harm issue: 'Please don't undermine my pain relief! A call for learning and respect for patients with long tern needs', which I then shared via ENGLAND.shareddecisionmaking@nhs.net and I was put in contact with a relevant Clinical Improvement Team in NHSE/I who were interested to learn more. 4. Finally, patients, service users and families can log issues on the NHS England NRLS reporting tool – although no one will get back to you personally, the information you share could be used to improve safety for future patients. However currently it is vastly under used (50 patient/family reports a year) compared to the general NHS complaints system (over 100,000 a year). In contrast, the system also logs and analyses nearly 2 million NHS staff-reported harm or potential harm incidents a year, examined by a team of NHS-employed independent patient safety experts. It may contribute to vital learning in the future and it is currently reviewed and upgraded, but to my mind the process is going too slow with regard to patient and family reporting. I think the patient, service user and family voice should be heard loud and strong. There should be a reporting option for where patients and users can go if they do not want to go through complaints, Ombudsmen, Inquest, legal or other processes (e.g. to CQC or CCG), or indeed want to do something alongside these processes and want to ensure independent health safety experts are made aware of concerning incidents. Please let me know if you are interested about developments in this latter area as there will be working groups wanting to hear the patient, service user and family experience, and I will be involved and want to ensure other harmed patient voices and their advocates are heard. The patient, service user, family and carer voice must be heard and acted on to improve patient safety at these difficult times.

This course is suitable for anybody who deals with complaints as part of their job role, or anybody who may have to handle a complaint. This includes dedicated complaints teams & customer support teams and managers. The programme includes a section on handling complaints regarding COVID-19 - understanding the standards of care by which the NHS should be judged in a pandemic. A highly interactive and effective workshop to improve confidence and consistency in handling complaints. A simple model to facilitate effective responses will be shared and delegates will have the opportunity to practise the use of our unique AERO approach. With complaint volumes increasing, and individual complaints rising in term of conflict and emotional impact, especially following COVID-19, early resolution and de-escalation are key objectives within healthcare complaints. Mediation is a highly effective alternative dispute resolution approach, and the skills deployed by mediators provide useful tools for diffusing complaint situations arising at the point of delivery/interaction. Developing the skills and confidence to explore perspective, seek to understand the root and true cause of the patients concerns (the complaint ‘iceberg’) and introducing resolution techniques empower teams to increase the chances of achieving a resolution with less detrimental impact on their own and the healthcare team’s wellbeing. Mediation techniques also produce a clearer understanding of the complaint and why the situation escalated. The masterclass explains how mediation works and how techniques can be used effectively within local complaint resolution to develop a person-centred process (for both patient and healthcare professional). Within these key areas, the course will explore how unconscious bias plays a role in complaints and their resolution. A mediation inspired approach to complaint resolution produces invaluable insight to help reduce recurring complaint situations, develop training and development plans and support the teams on the frontline. Key objectives: Improved confidence in using mediation techniques to resolve challenging customer complaints. Use of a methodology to improve consistency in successfully addressing challenging customer concerns. Personal Action plan to take back to my role and my team. Register hub members receive a 20% discount. Email info@pslhub.org for discount code.

This virtual masterclass will build confidence in compassionately engaging and involving families and loved ones to work within the requirements of PSIRF and the Complaints Standards Framework. But more than this, the masterclass will support staff to go beyond compliance to understand the issues and emotional component on a deeper level; to have real authentic engagement and involvement with patients and families. New frameworks such as PSIRF are now in place, but how do we not only comply with these, but go beyond compliance to have real authentic compassionate engagement and involvement with patients, families and indeed staff to make a real positive difference? Connecting new knowledge with emotions can really support long term learning, which is an important part of this masterclass. Knowing things may have gone wrong can feel a heavy burden and a complex emotional situation to be managing. Often, we avoid visiting difficult emotions in others, as well as ourselves, because we don’t feel confident or skilled, or we feel fearful of not doing it perfectly. This one-day masterclass will look at the new PSIRF and the Complaints Standards Framework and through real life content, bringing the human focus for the patients, loved ones, and indeed staff to the forefront. It will support staff to explore what compassionate engagement looks like, feels like, and how to communicate it authentically and meaningfully. In a supportive and relaxed environment, delegates will have the opportunity to gain in depth knowledge of the emotional component, relate to, analyse and realise the significance of and believe in their own abilities in creating practices that not only support the PSIRF but go beyond compliance to be working in a way that supports gaining an optimum outcome for patients, families and staff, in often a less than optimum situation. Key learning objectives: Feel, analyse, and explore the presence and absence of compassionate engagement within life, trauma, and a healthcare incident and how empathy is the gateway to compassion. Seeing perspectives and understanding emotional motivations and the emotional component recognising vulnerability in others and self. Seeing the bigger picture and having an enquiring mind to understand the story and how the ‘Funnel of Life’ can impact on our ability to engage. Build confidence in the positive impact of compassionate engagement and really being authentically interested in the emotional component to be able to create an optimum outcome in often a less than optimum situation. Explore and have a good grasp of how internal unconscious belief systems, can link through to the outcomes we achieve. We know what works with compassionate engagement, but why do we so often struggle? Explore and analyse biases, judgments, and how a lack of compassionate engagement not only has the potential to cause psychological harm, but can prevent optimum outcomes for the organisation. Realise the significance of authenticity rather than feeling fearful of not doing things perfectly. Examine where can we get emotional information from to support us, even if we are not aware we are doing it! Identify the importance of an enquiring mind and a hypothesis as we try and understand the story that we are aiming to compassionately engage with. Develop understanding of Safeguarded Personal Resolution (SPR ®) to formulate compassionate engagement under PSIRF and the Complaints Standards Framework. Develop awareness on personal wellbeing and resilience. Register hub members receive a 20% discount. Email info@pslhub.org for discount code.

This National Virtual Summit focuses on the New National NHS Complaint Standards which will be used by PHSO from April 2023. Through national updates, practical case studies and in depth expert sessions the conference aims to improve the effectiveness of complaints handling within your service, and ensure that complaints are welcomed and lead to change and improvements in patient care. The conference will also reflect on managing complaints regarding Covid-19 – understanding the standards of care by which the NHS should be judged and responding to complaints regarding delayed treatment due to the pandemic. For further information and to book your place visit https://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/conferences-masterclasses/nhs-complaints-summit or email kate@hc-uk.org.uk. hub members receive 20%. Email info@pslhub.org for discount code. Follow on Twitter @HCUK_Clare #NHSComplaints

This course is suitable for anybody who deals with complaints as part of their job role, or anybody who may have to handle a complaint. This includes dedicated complaints teams and customer support teams and managers. The programme includes a section on handling complaints regarding COVID-19 - understanding the standards of care by which the NHS should be judged in a pandemic. A highly interactive and effective workshop to improve confidence and consistency in handling complaints. For more information visit https://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/conferences-masterclasses/complaints-resolution-and-mediation or email kate@hc-uk.org.uk. hub members receive a 20% discount. Email info@pslhub.org for discount code.

This National Virtual Summit focuses on the National NHS Complaint Standards published by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. Through national updates, practical case studies and in depth expert sessions the conference aims to improve the effectiveness of complaints handling within your service, and ensure that complaints are welcomed and lead to change and improvements in patient care. The conference will also reflect on managing complaints regarding Covid-19 – understanding the standards of care by which the NHS should be judged in a pandemic and in particular responding to complaints regarding delayed treatment due to the pandemic. For further information and to book your place visit see https://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/conferences-masterclasses/nhs-complaints-summit or email kate@hc-uk.org.uk. hub members receive a 20% discount. Email info@pslhub.org for discount code. Follow on Twitter @HCUK_Clare #NHSComplaints

RegisterThis course is suitable for anybody who deals with complaints as part of their job role, or anybody who may have to handle a complaint. This includes dedicated complaints teams & customer support teams and managers. The programme includes a section on handling complaints regarding Covid-19 - understanding the standards of care by which the NHS should be judged in a pandemic. A highly interactive and effective workshop to improve confidence and consistency in handling complaints. A simple model to facilitate effective responses will be shared and delegates will have the opportunity to practise the use of our unique AERO approach. Key objectives: Improved confidence in using mediation techniques to resolve challenging customer complaints. Use of a methodology to improve consistency in successfully addressing challenging customer concerns. Personal Action plan to take back to my role and my team. Complaints Resolution & Mediation (healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk) hub members receive a 20% discount. Email info@pslhub.org for a discount code.

This on-demand conference focuses on supporting staff who have been involved in patient safety incidents, or are the subject of complaints or claims. Involvement in an incident, complaint or claim can have severe consequences on staff who may experience a range of reactions including stress, depression, shame and guilt. This conference will enable you to: Network with colleagues who are working to support staff following incidents, complaints or claims. Understand national developments including the requirements in the 2020 Patient Safety Incident Response Framework. Reflect on how we can better support staff experiencing these issues through Covid-19. Deliver a just culture that supports consistent, constructive and fair evaluation of the actions of staff involved in patient safety incidents. Reflect on a healthcare’s professionals personal experience of being the subject of an incident investigation. Improve immediate support and debriefing when an incident occurs. Develop your skills in providing the staff member involved in a patient safety incident specific individual support or intervention to work safely. Understand how you can improve processes for ensuring candour and supporting staff. Identify key strategies for interviewing staff and taking statements and preparing staff for Coroner’s Inquests. Ensure you are up to date with the latest developments in psychological support for staff including building resilience. Self assess and reflect on your own practice. Gain CPD accreditation points contributing to professional development and revalidation evidence. For more information https://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/on-demand-training/patient-safety-incident-complaint-claim or email kerry@hc-uk.org.uk hub members receive a 20% discount. Email info@pslhub.org for discount code. Follow on Twitter @HCUK_Clare #SupportingClinicians

This course is suitable for anybody who deals with complaints as part of their job role, or anybody who may have to handle a complaint. This includes dedicated complaints teams & customer support teams and managers. The programme includes a section on handling complaints regarding Covid-19 - understanding the standards of care by which the NHS should be judged in a pandemic. A highly interactive and effective workshop to improve confidence and consistency in handling complaints. A simple model to facilitate effective responses will be shared and delegates will have the opportunity to practise the use of our unique AERO approach. For further information and to book your place visit https://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/conferences-masterclasses/complaints-resolution-and-mediation or email kerry@hc-uk.org.uk. hub members receive a 20% discount. Email info@pslhub.org for discount code.

This one day masterclass will focus on a toolkit to allow organisations to use patient experience and incident to improve patient safety. The Toolkit uses 3 phases: planning, implementation and review. The Francis Report showed that the NHS had stopped listening to the needs of its users. Patient experience is still an underutilised tool in the armoury of a healthcare organisation and commissioners. The toolkit uses the priorities of the Francis Report to improve patient experience and patient safety. These include putting patients first, openness, candour, accountability, complaints handling, culture of caring and compassionate leadership. For further information and to book your place visit https://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/conferences-masterclasses/patient-experience-and-learning-from-incidents-to-improve-safety or email aman@hc-uk.org.uk. hub members receive a 20% discount. Email info@pslhub.org for discount code.

This National Virtual Summit focuses on the New National NHS Complaint Standards that were published in March 2021 and are due to be introduced across the NHS in 2022. Through national updates, practical case studies including NHS Complaints Standards early adopters sites, and in depth expert sessions the conference aims to improve the effectiveness of complaints handling within your service, and ensure that complaints are welcomed and lead to change and improvements in patient care. The conference will also reflect on managing complaints regarding Covid-19 – understanding the standards of care by which the NHS should be judged in a pandemic and in particular responding to complaints regarding delayed treatment due to the pandemic. For further information and to book your place visit https://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/conferences-masterclasses/nhs-complaints-summit or email kate@hc-uk.org.uk hub members receive 20% discount. Email info@pslhub,org for discount code Follow on Twitter @HCUK_Clare #NHSComplaints

This conference, chaired by Simon Hammond Director of Claims Management NHS Resolution will update clinicians and managers on Clinical Negligence with a particular focus on current issues and the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact on clinical negligence claims. Featuring leading legal experts, and experienced clinicians the event will provide an update on current claims the conference will discuss why patients litigate, and responding to claims including claims regarding Covid-19. There will be an extended masterclass on trends in clinical negligence claims and responding to claims followed by an extended focus on maternity claims, and also claims related to medication error. The conference will close with a case study on the advantages of bringing together complaints, claims and patients safety investigation, and practical experiences of Coronavirus complaints at claims at an NHS Trust – including understanding the standard of care on which services should be judged, and a final session on supporting clinicians when a claim is made against them. For further information and to book your place visit: https://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/conferences-masterclasses/clinical-negligence or email nicki@hc-uk.org.uk We are delighted to offer 3 free places for hub members. Email info@pslhub.org for the discount code. Follow on Twitter @HCUK_Clare #clinicalnegligence

This National Virtual Summit focuses on the New National NHS Complaint Standards that were published in March 2021 and are due to be introduced across the NHS in 2022. Through national updates, practical case studies including NHS Complaints Standards early adopters sites, and in depth expert sessions the conference aims to improve the effectiveness of complaints handling within your service, and ensure that complaints are welcomed and lead to change and improvements in patient care. The conference will also reflect on managing complaints regarding Covid-19 – understanding the standards of care by which the NHS should be judged in a pandemic and in particular responding to complaints regarding delayed treatment due to the pandemic. This conference will enable you to: Network with colleagues who are working to improve complaints handling. Update your knowledge on the March 2021 NHS Complaint Standards and how it will change complaints handling for the better. Understand how to manage complaints regarding Covid-19. Reflect on the perspective of a complainant who has been through the system to understand what person centred really means in practice. Learn how to bring kindness and compassion into complaints management, investigation, responses and learning. Understand what PHSO and the CQC look for in a good complaint response. Self assess your service against the NHS Complaint Standards. Improve the way complaints and investigations involving serious incidents are handled. Develop your skills in complex complaints handling including disputes, vexatious complainants and complaints across organisations. Understand how you can improve frontline resolution of complaints in real time. Develop your skills in de-escalation and conflict and dispute resolution. Support staff through the complaints process including inquests. Identify key strategies for ensuring change occurs as a result of complaints. Ensure you are up to date with the latest legal issues including ensuring adherence to the duty of candour. Self assess, reflect and expand your skills in complaints handling. Supports CPD professional development and acts as revalidation evidence. This course provides 5 Hrs training for CPD subject to peer group approval for revalidation purposes. Register