Course Description

Making formal complaints takes courage. It is a stressful process at the best of times. It can be especially difficult for people within residential services or in accommodation provided by the mental health services. A fear that some form of retribution might result from a strongly-worded complaint was expressed by many participants in the focus groups. The actual complaints system was not clear to many people, and few understood the role and remit of other statutory bodies such as the Office of the Ombudsman.

Equally important is a process for giving honest feedback on the services being received and an opportunity to suggest practical ways of improving the service currently offered.

Work on complaints systems is ongoing in many areas of our lives, as the importance of customer satisfaction as an important factor in measuring outcomes is beginning to be accepted. We hope that the complexity of issues involved may be clearer after the completion of this course.

Before deciding whether or not to make a complaint one should talk it over with trusted others, and consider whether or not to use an advocate to pursue the matter with you. Before making a complaint it is a good idea to make some notes (or have them made for you). Who was involved? What happened and when? What are you upset about? Have you done anything else to try to resolve the matter? And what outcome do you expect from the process? Stressful as this may be, as a general rule you should begin the process at the lowest level and work upwards.

Background Reading

healthcomplaints.ie

HSE Your Service, Your Say