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An effective complaints system is a vital part of high-quality health and social care, helping services and individuals learn how to do better when things don't go according to plan. For people to speak up about their concerns, they need to be confident that the system will act in response. In order to build the trust the NHS needs to consistently demonstrate that they are taking people's complaints seriously. This report investigates how well NHS trusts across England communicate about their work on complaints and whether current effort are sufficient to build that public trust. Key findings from report Local reporting on complaints is inconsistent and inaccessible All hospital trusts are reporting to NHS Digital on the numbers of complaints they receive; however, only a minority of trusts report any more meaningful data at a local level. Analysis shows just 1 in 8 hospitals trusts (12%) are demonstrating that they are compliant with the statutory regulations when it comes reporting on complaints. Staff are not empowered to communicate with the public on complaints: All hospitals must produce an annual statutory complaints report but they are only required to make it available to people upon request. Yet we found that hospital complaints staff were often not aware of the reports or who could access them. Reporting focuses on counting complaints and not demonstrating learning: Only 38% of trusts make public any information on the changes they’ve made in response to complaints. Much of this reporting is still only high-level, telling us little detail about what has changed and only stating that “improvements were made”.

James Munro, Chief Executive of Care Opinion, argues that there is extraordinary, yet untapped value in patient feedback which is not being recognised in current policy and practice. His blog follows the launch of the National Institute of Healthcare Research's (NIHR) themed review on using patient feedback to improve care.  Gathering feedback from people who use health services sounds like a simple and straightforward matter. Doesn’t everyone love feedback? The NIHR themed review Improving Care by Using Patient Feedback highlights that this is a topic beset by complexity, uncertainty and disagreement. It’s also an area which can provoke strong emotions both from those offering feedback, such as: “why isn’t anyone listening?” and those receiving it: “why am I being attacked when I work so hard?”.

This quick guide from the NHS explains what to expect if you need to stay in hospital for a period of time.

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust devised this inforgraphic to assist with navigating the the complaints system within the Patient advice and liaison service (PALS).

This video by the charity Birthrights encourages women and birthing people to speak out when they experience poor quality care. It highlights the right to safe and appropriate maternity care that respects individuals' dignity, privacy and confidentiality and is given equally and without discrimination. In the video, three women tell their stories of poor care experiences in labour and after birth. They talk about racial discrimination, procedures that were done to them without their consent, and not being listened to when they knew they needed help. They highlight the importance of complaints in helping services improve. Suggested reading Birthrights Factsheet