Guide to Complaint Handling in Health Care Services

Dealing with difficult
situations
Some complaints are not easily dealt with. Being confronted
with someone who is angry or emotional can
be personally quite hard. Different staff members will
have a different response, depending on their individual
personalities, life experience and the other pressures
they are dealing with at the time. Nevertheless, it is
important to try to remain calm and not get caught
up in the heat of the moment. The conflict will be
resolved more quickly if the staff member keeps a
clear head.
There are a variety of reasons why people might
be upset or difficult to deal with in a health setting.
For example, they may be frustrated at delays, they
may be worried about what’s happening, they might
be in pain, and they might be confused. Some people
have a ‘short fuse’ and are quicker to react to these
feelings – sometimes this is based on previous bad
experiences.
They may also be struggling with language difficulties
and not understand what is being said. Even if
their first language is English, people may not understand
technical medical language.
Whatever the reason, don’t assume the ‘difficult’
person is being unreasonable. Apply the same standards
of communication to them as you would to
anyone asking a question or expressing a concern
calmly. Very often, all that is needed is someone to
take time to talk to the person, listen to their concerns
and tell them what is happening.
focussing on the person’s emotions or behaviour and
how to control it.
Using assertive language to manage
aggression
Another strategy for dealing with someone who is
being aggressive is to use assertive language. This is
not the same as being aggressive in response.
Sometimes the staff member will need to manage
their own anger.
One way of doing this is to use neutral language
while you are speaking to the aggressive person. Also,
be clear about how you can help – tell them what you
can do, not what you can’t.
Being assertive involves:
• Use neutral tone and pitch.
• Avoid emotive words and labelling the other
person.
• Avoid sentences beginning with ‘you’ or words like
‘should’ or ‘must’.
• Don’t become apologetic.
Get help if needed
There will be occasions when someone becomes
physically threatening. If this happens the staff member
will need help from other staff. Occasionally staff
will need to call security or the police. The organisation
should have clear protocols about when security
should be called and how this happens.
Using empathy to diffuse anger
Empathy is the ability to understand another person’s
thoughts and feelings from their perspective. Often
people are angry because no one has listened to them
properly – they may be hurt or frustrated under their
anger. It is therefore important to listen without
interruption to what the person is saying – even if
they are swearing or being incoherent at times.
Once the person has had a chance to express their
point of view, you may need to ask questions to
clarify. Remember, however, that tone of voice is
extremely important. Try not to make the person feel
that you are cross-examining them – rather, make it
clear that you are asking questions out of a desire to
help.
Some useful phrases are:
• ‘Yes, I see’ (while listening).
• ‘I appreciate what you are saying’.
• ‘I just want to check that I have understood you
correctly’ (repeat or paraphrase back to them).
However, it is most important not to simply placate
an angry person. Treat their complaint seriously
and try to focus on the issue at hand rather than
Complaint handling skills 27