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When someone tells you they have had a poor experience

Anyone who works for the HSE is required to deal with feedback from the public.

When someone raises an issue or tells you they had a bad experience, there is a process you must follow.

You must:

  • listen to them
  • make sure their immediate healthcare needs are met first
  • show the person you care and say sorry
  • try to find a solution immediately
  • know when to escalate it
  • record the details and actions you took to help

This is called Stage 1 Point of Contact. It is the first part of the HSE's Your Service Your Say process to listen and respond to feedback.

Information:

Everyone has a legal right to make a formal complaint. If that's what they want, advise them on how to make a formal complaint.

What to do when someone makes a compliment or a comment

How to be a good listener

Communication is not only about what you say.

You can show someone respect and that you care by listening to their words with your full attention. This is called active listening.

Active listening is when you:

  • listen and do not interrupt so they know they are being heard
  • understand not only the person's words but also their feelings and emotions
  • say back what you have understood to reassure them you are taking them seriously
Active listening tips

When actively listening:

  • encourage the person to talk
  • be attentive and look at them
  • use positive body language such as nodding, listening noises, eye contact
  • be genuine
  • show empathy - put yourself in their shoes so you can understand their feelings
  • use silence appropriately
  • be patient and interrupt only when necessary
  • do not express your opinion in words or your attitude
  • repeat back their main points to them
  • take in the whole picture
  • ask questions to clarify or find out more information
  • take notes if you can
How to ask questions well

When asking questions:

  • ask a question at a time
  • do not be afraid to ask a question again if you need to
  • gather information with open questions such as "tell me about"
  • clarify detail with closed questions such as "so you're saying"
  • do not use questions that trick someone into answering in a certain way
  • ask how they know a particular fact - to make sure it's accurate
What to say next

At the end of the conversation:

  • give a recap of what you are going to do
  • check if they are happy with your next steps
  • ask if they have any other questions
  • share your contact details in case they have any questions afterwards

Find communication skills training

Feedback you must escalate

You must escalate feedback to your line manager when:

  • it is serious and needs to be dealt with immediately by a complaints officer
  • it is about a near miss, harm or an incident - it will need to be investigated
  • it is too complex
  • you cannot find an immediate solution

Your line manager will try to resolve it within 48 hours.

How to escalate

Contact your line manager immediately with the details of the feedback or situation.

They will find a solution or send it to a complaints officer with the person's permission.

Apologising and how to

You are allowed to say sorry, apologise or express regret. It is the right thing to do.

Do

  • be sincere and empathetic

  • use the words “I am sorry”

  • acknowledge what has happened

  • accept responsibility if you are at fault

  • give a factual explanation

  • assure that everything will be done to stop it from happening again

  • reassure them there will be no negative impact for them by complaining

Don't

  • do not be afraid to apologise

  • do not blame anyone

  • do not speculate about what happened

When you make an apology you are not admitting liability.

More advice on apologies

Taking notes

Take notes straight away or as soon as you can.

Find out:

  • what happened and when
  • who was involved
  • the name of the service
  • what they want to happen

Take down the name and contact details of the person giving feedback. If they are doing it for someone else, get their name too.

Privacy and confidentiality

A person raising an issue or making a complaint has a right to privacy. You will need to include their details in a Point of Contact Complaint Resolution and Escalation Form.

Keep the details and their identity private. Do not talk about them with friends or family.

When someone wants to make an anonymous complaint

What to do with feedback and how to record it

You must always record the details of feedback you get.

For example, when someone raises an issue or tells you they had a bad experience. Do this even if you resolved it easily or quickly.

We learn from feedback. It helps us understand what is going wrong and what is going right.

To record feedback:

  1. Complete a Point of Contact Complaint Resolution and Escalation Form (PDF, 60KB, 1 page)
  2. Send the form to your line manager.

But when you escalate feedback you do not complete the Point of Contact Complaint Resolution and Escalation Form.

Your line manager completes the escalation section on the form if:

  • they cannot resolve the complaint
  • it has to go to a complaints officer

How to respond to and record compliments

Mind your wellbeing

You may find it hard to cope with handling complaints and negative feedback.

There are supports to help you.

These include:

Talk to the people you work with or your line manager. Ask them for advice, you may learn from their experiences.

Back to Handling feedback and complaints