Service recovery and hospital complaint-handling are not a favorite subject among healthcare employees. Yet, if we learn to reframe complaints, we can embrace them as a second chance to make things right for the people we serve. And the fact is, every employee is the first point of contact for one complaint or another. Ideally, every person in your organization should be adept at handling complaints, so they can nip complaints in the bud. This booklet is a straightforward guide to handling complaints effectively. Designed for the frontline employee, it explores the basics of identifying the problem, listening, exploring options, following through and getting the right people involved. This is a great tool for managers and educators to use with staff to develop positive attitudes and concrete skills for turning dissatisfaction into satisfaction through effective communication.

Using a clear, straightforward approach, this book provides a patient-oriented approach to complaint handling that can be used by all staff in an office, clinic, or system. Readers will learn how to develop a system for documenting patient complaints and comments, As well as strategies for monitoring and analyzing the information documented by patient claims. Other tools include a mechanism for changing behaviors of health care providers and improving delivery systems, strategies for dealing with difficult and abusive patients, and sample scripted transcripts for dealing with the most common types of complaints heard by health care practitioners. With a solid service recovery system in place, health care organizations and practices can meet accreditation agency standards for grievance processes, and, As a result, greatly reduce risk management claims. Resolving Patient Complaints: A Step-by-Step Guide to Effective Service Recovery provides managers, physicians, and employees with the skills and tools necessary to implement a service recovery process to respond to and review patient complaints and concerns about quality of care. Author Liz Osborne draws on her 15 years of experience as manager of a patient relations department in a large HMO to give expert advice on addressing patient dissatisfaction appropriately and effectively.

Conciliation is the term used in the National Health Service to describe a particular form of dispute resolution that is used in relation to the complaints process. Conciliation has uses beyond the resolution of complaints. It can be of value in any situation where the clinical relationship has broken down. Equally, it may be used in an attempt to restore relationships as part of conflict management, either within the NHS or in other organisations where conflict or disagreement exists. This concise, practical guide clearly sets out the role of conciliation, and dispels the many misconceptions surrounding procedures and expectations. Conciliation in Healthcare provides invaluable resources for all healthcare staff involved in complaints, either from an operational, strategic or academic perspective. This includes conciliators themselves and those involved in their training, and staff with specific responsibilities for implementing complaints procedures, both in the public and private sectors. It's also highly recommended for those who provide advocacy and support for complainants, as well as those against whom complaints have been made.

There are currently two separate statutory processes for handling complaints about health and social care services. NHS organisations are accountable to the Department of Health and social care services are accountable through their local authority, whilst adult social care rests with the Department. There are differences in the numbers of stages and timescales involved, and in the arrangements for advocacy support and independent investigation. The Health Service Ombudsman is responsible for the ultimate review and decision on NHS complaints and the Local Government Ombudsman for social care complaints. The NAO is this report (HCP 853, session 2007-08), has undertaken an evaluation of existing performance, capability, capacity and costs of complaints handling in both health and adult social care. The NAO has set out a number of findings and recommendations, including: that where people are dissatisfied, there is a low number who make formal complaints; that navigating the complaints systems is not straightforward, partcularly for health service users; only a small proportion of NHS complainants are aware, or receive national advocacy support; that the culture and attitudes of the organisations are often a barrier to responsive complaint handling; neither the health or social care organisations know the cost of complaints handling; that pursuing a complaint requires considerable time, determination and resilience.

A&P

Renegotiating Health Care Since the first edition of Renegotiating Health Care was published in 1995, new treatments, technologies, business models, reimbursement methods, and regulations have tangibly transformed the substance of health care negotiation. This thoroughly revised and updated edition of Renegotiating Health Care offers a practical guide to negotiation and conflict resolution in the health care field. It explores why unresolved conflict can hamper any organization's ability to make timely, cost-effective decisions and implement new strategies. The book focuses on the complex interactions between those who deliver, receive, administer, and oversee health care. It defines negotiation techniques and conflict resolution approaches that can improve efficiency, quality of care, and patient safety. Renegotiating Health Care outlines strategies and methods to resolve the myriad thorny issues encompassing the health care enterprise. It should be required reading for students and professionals in health services management, clinicians, leaders, policy makers, and conflict resolution experts working in the health care field. Praise for Renegotiating Health Care "An outstanding book! I learned their principles of meta-leadership while at the CDC and continue to use them at ABC News. This book is a must for anyone in leadership: practical, intuitive, and priceless." Richard E. Besser, MD, chief health and medical editor, ABC News "This book is a must-read to assist today's health professional navigate the ever-changing health care delivery system. Leadership will be the key to success." Pat Ford-Roegner, RN, MSW, FAAN, senior health consultant and former CEO, American Academy of Nursing