Complaints Handling

Aim of the Course

This course aims to help frontline health and social care workers respond to complaints professionally, compassionately and within their responsibilities.

It develops the awareness required to:

1. Recognise complaints in different forms
2. Respond calmly and respectfully
3. Support accessible complaint-making
4. Record and escalate concerns correctly
5. Maintain confidentiality
6. Recognise safeguarding and safety issues
7. Avoid defensive or retaliatory behaviour
8. Contribute to learning and service improvement

Scope of the Course

This course is suitable for healthcare assistants, care assistants, support workers, senior carers and similar frontline workers in care homes, supported living, domiciliary care and related adult care services in England.

It provides role-appropriate awareness. It does not qualify learners to independently investigate formal complaints, determine legal liability, provide compensation, make admissions on behalf of the organisation or issue a final complaint response unless specifically authorised.

Learners must follow their organisation’s complaints policy, safeguarding procedure, incident-reporting process and management arrangements.

What This Course Covers

The course covers:

1. The meaning of complaints, concerns and feedback
2. Why people may find complaining difficult
3. Legal and regulatory expectations
4. Accessible and person-centred complaint handling
5. Listening and responding professionally
6. Managing verbal and written complaints
7. Supporting representatives and advocates
8. Confidentiality, consent and information sharing
9. Recording and escalating complaints
10. Complaints involving safety or safeguarding
11. Duty of candour and apologies
12. Unacceptable behaviour and staff safety
13. Investigations and fair responses
14. Learning from complaints
15. External escalation and the Ombudsman

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, learners should be able to:

1. Define a complaint and distinguish it from general feedback.
2. Recognise a complaint even when that word is not used.
3. Explain why people must be able to complain without fear of disadvantage.
4. Describe the main requirements of CQC Regulation 16.
5. Identify barriers that may prevent someone from raising a concern.
6. Support accessible and person-centred complaint-making.
7. Receive verbal and written complaints respectfully.
8. Listen actively without becoming defensive or argumentative.
9. Avoid making promises or admissions outside their authority.
10. Record complaints factually, accurately and promptly.
11. Escalate complaints through the correct organisational procedure.
12. Protect confidentiality and share information appropriately.
13. Recognise when consent or authority from a representative must be confirmed.
14. Identify complaints requiring immediate safety or safeguarding action.
15. Explain how complaints, incidents and safeguarding concerns may overlap.
16. Describe the relationship between openness, apology and duty of candour.
17. Maintain professional boundaries during challenging interactions.
18. Cooperate honestly with an authorised complaint investigation.
19. Explain how complaint findings can support service improvement.
20. Signpost people to the appropriate external escalation route.

Further Reading and References

1. Legislation: The Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 establish statutory complaint-handling arrangements for relevant NHS and local-authority adult social care functions. Read the Complaints Regulations 2009
2. Regulatory requirement: Regulation 16 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 requires an accessible complaints system, proportionate investigation and appropriate action in response to complaints. Read CQC Regulation 16 guidance
3. Independent escalation: The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman considers complaints about councils and adult social care providers, including care homes and home-care services. Read the LGSCO adult social care guidance
4. Good-practice guidance: The Ombudsman’s guidance supports fair, transparent and accountable handling of adult social care complaints. Read the adult social care complaints guidance

Important practice point: A complaint must never be dismissed because it was made verbally, expressed emotionally or described only as a “concern.” If it indicates immediate danger, abuse, neglect or unsafe care, staff must initiate the relevant urgent procedure as well as reporting the complaint.