Presentation by Linda Tomlinson, Liaison Manager, to the HC-UK conference on complaint handling 25 April 2017. Linda discusses the role of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), including how it works with others to use its casework insight to support real improvements in public services and complaint handling.

1. Getting it right first time -
what people want
Linda Tomlinson, Liaison Manager
25 April 2017
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2. Overview
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• Our role
• Our development
• NHS complaints performance
• Leadership - sharing good practice
• Making a complaint – what people want
• Sharing learning - what makes a good complaint
response
• National developments

3. Our role

4. Our development
1. Meeting demand – a more
balanced picture
2. Sharing what we see to
improve the complaint
handling & care
3. Being clear what people
can expect from us
4. Ombudsman reform

5. Fully and partly upheld complaints
2015/16
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38%
46%
35%
29%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
NHS overall NHS acute trusts Dentists GPs

6. Leadership – Sharing Good Practice
Leading the way:
• Ensure whole team feel involved and
are confident to speak up.
• As a team find as many ways as you can
to actively seek feedback and empower staff to act on it
• Ensure feedback and complaints are a part of every team
meeting when discussing ‘how are we doing’
• Deal with complaints as a team and support individuals
involved

7. Leadership - Sharing Good Practice
Leading the way:
• Help the team understand it is the
complainant’s complaint and something
that matters a great deal to them
• Promote how your team has listened and
learnt ‘you said we did’ and
‘patient stories’
• Ensure careful monitoring of all forms of feedback to
identify any themes or trends and take action that works
for your service and your patients

8. Making a complaint
What people expect
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9. What we look for
Good local response (1)
Response should set out:
• The issues raised and what complainant wants to achieve
• How you have investigated and the evidence considered
including:
– the complainant’s evidence
– staff/witness statements
– relevant extracts from clinical records
– opinion from an ‘independent’ clinician

10. What we look for
Good local response (2)
Response should set out:
• Explanation of what happened - with reference to the
evidence
• Explanation of what should have happened - quoting
relevant regulations, standards, policies, guidance or
established good practice and if they were met
• Your view of care/service provided in appropriate, clear,
empathetic language
• If there is a shortfall (between what happened and what
should have happened) an explanation of the
shortfall and the impact it has had

11. What we look for
Good local response (3)
Response should set out:
• If failings have caused injustice or hardship
– suitable apology and redress
• If appropriate, explain how it will be
put right for other service users
• Explain how the complainant will be updated/involved in
the changes
• Signpost to the Ombudsman service

12. National developments

13. Thank you
http://www.ombudsman.org.uk/
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