Enhancing the patient complaints journey V1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Enhancing the patient complaints journey: harnessing the power of language to transform the experience of complaining
IRAS ID
266628
Contact name
Catrin S Rhys
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Ulster University, Research Governance
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
researchregistry5049, Research Registry
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 2 months, days
Research summary
This project aims to make the experience of complaining to the NHS better for patients and improve the outcomes for the NHS. Complaints can be positive for the NHS because they help improve services. However, if a patient takes legal action, it is costly for the NHS and stressful for the patient. Evidence shows that what makes a patient resort to legal action is not the seriousness of the medical error but the experience of the complaints process.
NHS complaints policies recognise the importance of good communication in complaints handling but the focus is mostly on systems and procedures. Although the goals of the communication are identified (e.g. apology, empathy), they are often not met because there is not enough understanding of how to achieve those goals. Research tells us what patients want from the complaints process, but little research looks at what actually happens in the communication and how it goes wrong. This is the gap that this research aims to fill.
This project will record and analyse the communication between the NHS and the patient throughout the complaints journey from initial contact through to when the complaint is closed by both patient and Trust. As well as observing the actual communication, the project will use diaries and interviews to analyse how the expectations of the patient change (or not) with each encounter. This will allow us to understand how communication impacts on the patient’s experience of complaining. The two different types of data are essential because research shows that perceptions of a conversation and what actually happened can be wildly different.
The recordings and analysis of real conversations and letters/emails between patients and NHS complaints staff will be used to develop training materials that will help complaints handlers reflect on how their communication impacts on patients making complaints.
REC name
HSC REC A
REC reference
20/NI/0026
Date of REC Opinion
1 Apr 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion