New Professional Standards Authority Research
From the Professional Standards Authority in the UK:
"The PSA has published new qualitative research exploring the barriers and enablers to making a complaint to health and social care professional regulators and Accredited Registers.
We commissioned this study to better understand the real world experiences of those who have and have not made a complaint, including both members of the public and healthcare professionals. The findings will inform the changes we will be making to our Standards for the regulators and Accredited Registers we oversee (read more about this here) and support practical improvements to make complaints processes more accessible, transparent, and fair.
Barriers to complaints uncovers the experiences of people who want to complain about their care but struggle to do so because of poor communication, limited support and other significant barriers. The research identifies common challenges such as lack of awareness, complexity of processes, and fear of repercussions, as well as enablers like clear guidance, emotional and practical support, and anonymous reporting options. It also sets out recommendations for regulators and Accredited Registers, including:
• Raising awareness of regulators’ roles and independence.
• Setting expectations for what kinds of complaints can be investigated and explaining the process.
• Improved communication with complainants.
• Better accessibility of complaints processes and more support for those making a complaint.
• Signposting people to the right organisation to raise a complaint.
• Working with employers to shift the narrative and reframe complaints as a mechanism for improving patient safety rather than blame.
We hope this research will be a valuable resource for regulators, Accredited Registers and wider stakeholders in shaping systems that encourage people to speak up and feel safe."
Melanie Venables and Polly Rossetti will be presenting about the findings at the CLEAR Annual Educational Conference