the dudley group of hospitals nhs trust complaints policy and ...

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absence, his nominated deputy). Other than in exceptional circumstances, the finalletter will be dispatched within 25 working days from receipt of the complaint. TheComplaints Co-ordinator will forward the draft response to the Business SupportManager (Complaints) who will organise signature by the Chief Executive. A copy ofthe signed response will be returned to the Business Support Manager (Complaints)for filing.The final response will invite the complainant to let the Complaints Department knowif they have any outstanding concerns. In such cases, consideration will be given toany further action which might resolve the complaint, including offering a meeting.4.8.2 Compensation and Ex-Gratia PaymentsThere may be occasions when, having investigated the complaint, the BusinessSupport Manager (Complaints) believes there are grounds for making an ex-gratiapayment (without accepting liability). An apology and gesture of goodwill may avoidsubsequent litigation and offers the opportunity to deal with certain circumstances ina fair and responsible manner. The Finance Director should approve all ex-gratiapayments, having regard to the Trust’s Standing Financial Instructions and StandingOrders.It is recommended that, before any compensation is offered in respect of a complaintinvolving a member of staff, that member of staff will be involved in the discussionswhen the subject of compensation is raised, to ensure that he/she does not feelcompromised by the decision to award compensation.4.9 Action following Complaints4.9.1 Action where the Complainant is Dissatisfied with the Final ResponseA further response from the Chief Executive will be sent to the complainant confirmingthe outcome of any further investigation and advising them of the independent reviewprocess. The Trust will always offer a meeting to complainants who remaindissatisfied with the Trust’s response to their complaint. Complainants will be askedto tabulate issues of outstanding concern and these will be discussed at a complaintsmeeting, if one is requested. A full explanation by the appropriate clinician/matron willbe provided to all issues raised.If the complainant subsequently remains dissatisfied, they may request anindependent review of their complaint by writing to the Healthcare Commission withinsix months of receipt of the letter of response. A copy of the complaints file will beforwarded to the HCC on request, together with a copy of the patient’s health records,if required.The Business Support Manager (Complaints) and the Complaints Co-ordinators willdiscuss to any issues with the Medical Director, Associate Medical Director, MedicalService Head or Matron the provision of the response raised by the HCC. They willalso co-ordinate a response to the complainant and forward a copy to the HCC.18
4.9.2 Changing PracticeWhen the investigation of a complaint identifies that local changes in practice arerequired, the Medical Service Head/Matron/Professional Manager will ensure theseare considered and implemented within a reasonable timescale. Lessons learnedfrom complaints and changes in practice wider than the local team will be reported tothe relevant operations directorate risk management meeting, the Patient SafetyGroup and the Integrated Governance Committee using the reporting mechanismsoutlined below.The Patient Safety Group is responsible for ensuring Trust-wide learning occursthrough specific initiatives and information dissemination, using such mechanisms asthe Trust newsletters and global e-mails. The Patient Safety Group will monitor actionplans of complaints that have undergone root cause analysis.The Integrated Governance Committee will decide on any opportunities for crossorganisationallearning from any complaints.4.9.3 Reporting ArrangementsThe Complaints Co-ordinators will attend monthly Operations Directorate riskmanagement meetings at which the relevant complaints are reported, any locallessons learned discussed and investigations and local action plans monitored. Dueto information from either individual or local trends of complaints, a risk managementcommittee may decide on undertaking a risk assessment on certain issues, which willbe placed on the appropriate risk register and monitored as per the Trust policy (seeTrust Governance Strategy). The Business Support Manager (Complaints) willpresent a Trust-wide quarterly report to the Patient Safety Group, which acts as asingle point of co-ordination for complaints, claims and incidents. Included within thereport will be numbers, types and severity of complaints together with a commentary.Due to information from either individual or Trust-wide trends of complaints, thePatient Safety Group may decide on undertaking a risk assessment on certain issues,which will be placed on the appropriate risk register and monitored as per the Trustpolicy (see Trust Governance Strategy).The Business Support Manager (Complaints) or Complaints Co-ordinator will attendmeetings held by Medical Service Heads on a quarterly basis.An annual report is also completed. This includes the numbers of complaints, by typeand severity together with changes in practice, the complaints answered within thenational targets and the complaints reported to the HCC/Health Ombudsman togetherwith a commentary. A copy of the report is discussed and presented at the following:• Patient Safety Group, Integrated Governance Committee, Trust Board19
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Page 3 and 4: 2.3 Communicating with the Complain
Page 5 and 6: Department simultaneously to addres
Page 7 and 8: determining the occasions when main
Page 9 and 10: (Complaints) will act as the liaiso
Page 11 and 12: Unreasonable, for example pursuing
Page 13 and 14: 4.7 Investigating and Responding to
Page 15 and 16: 4.7.5 Draft responsesWherever pract
Page 17: possible, they should have the oppo

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