1.4 Explore attitudes and approaches that ensure comments, concerns and complaints can prompt continuous improvement of the service

This guide will help you answer 1.4 Explore attitudes and approaches that ensure comments, concerns and complaints can prompt continuous improvement of the service.

Listening and responding to comments, concerns and complaints is part of high-quality adult care. These responses can drive improvement and better outcomes. As a leader or manager, you set the tone and create the culture that influences how feedback is viewed and actioned.

Positive Attitude towards Feedback

A positive attitude to all types of feedback encourages people to speak up. This includes comments, concerns, and complaints. Staff, people using the service, and their families feel more comfortable sharing their honest views. If leaders act defensively or ignore feedback, improvements stall and trust drops.

A positive attitude might look like:

• Thanking people for raising comments or concerns
• Making it clear every voice matters
• Showing willingness to listen, learn, and act
• Avoiding blame and focusing on solutions

By expecting and accepting feedback, managers show they value learning over being ‘right’.

Creating a Learning Culture

A learning culture means everyone sees feedback as a chance to grow and get better, not as a personal attack or threat. This attitude encourages open discussion of mistakes and successes so the whole team learns.

You foster a learning culture by:

• Treating mistakes as learning opportunities, not reasons for punishment
• Celebrating when someone identifies an area for improvement
• Using team meetings to discuss trends in feedback openly
• Supporting staff to learn new skills or try different approaches

When teams share learning from feedback, best practice spreads and future problems reduce.

Openness and Transparency

Openness is about being honest about how feedback is handled and what changes result. Transparency removes suspicion and makes everyone feel safe when raising concerns. This is especially important in care settings, where trust is very important.

Ways to encourage openness and transparency:

• Regularly report back to staff and people who use the service about action taken as a result of feedback
• Present both positive and negative feedback to show fair, balanced reporting
• Publish statistics on complaints and outcomes
• Make it clear how someone can make a complaint or suggestion

Openness builds trust and shows that the service takes feedback seriously.

Person-centred Approach

A person-centred approach means putting the individual at the heart of all actions and decisions, including how feedback is handled. This respects people’s preferences, cultures, beliefs, and communication needs.

This approach includes:

• Giving people choices about how they provide feedback (face-to-face, written, phone, anonymous)
• Helping those with communication needs to express their views
• Involving the person or their representative in investigating and resolving complex complaints

Putting the person first increases satisfaction and can highlight issues management might not otherwise spot.

Accessible Feedback Systems

Easy access to feedback systems encourages more people to comment or share concerns. If the process is too complex or intimidating, many will keep their views to themselves. Systems should be visible, simple, and available to everyone, regardless of ability.

Good practice in accessibility:

• Using plain language in forms and signs
• Providing information in different formats, such as large print or other languages
• Making sure feedback can be given confidentially or anonymously if preferred
• Training staff to support people who might find it hard to complain

Regularly checking that feedback systems work for everyone can reveal barriers you may not have seen.

Proactive Approach

A proactive manager looks for potential concerns before they become complaints. This approach identifies emerging issues early, preventing harm or dissatisfaction.

Proactive steps:

• Asking for feedback regularly, not waiting for problems to surface
• Observing practice and noting potential issues
• Carrying out audits or surveys of people who use the service and staff
• Monitoring trends to spot patterns in concerns or complaints

Taking action before issues escalate drives improvement and keeps people safe.

Non-judgemental and Respectful Attitude

Responding to feedback without judgement or defensiveness encourages openness. People who raise concerns should feel respected and never blamed.

Apply this attitude by:

• Listening fully to what someone is saying before responding
• Remaining calm and professional, no matter how critical the comment
• Thanking them for sharing their experience
• Avoiding making excuses or shifting blame

A non-judgemental response protects relationships and makes people more likely to share concerns in future.

Prompt and Thorough Responses

Handling concerns and complaints quickly and properly inspires confidence. People want reassurance that their input matters. Fast, fair resolutions show commitment to improvement.

A typical thorough process:

• Acknowledge receipt of feedback promptly
• Investigate fully, gathering facts from all sides
• Keep the person informed of progress and outcomes
• Apologise if something went wrong, explaining how it will be put right
• Record all actions and follow-up

Timely handling of issues drives improvement and prevents issues from being repeated.

Reflective Practice

Reflective practice means regularly thinking about what went well or what could be improved. It helps managers and teams learn from experience, including feedback and complaints.

Ways to promote reflective practice:

• Holding debriefs after incidents or significant complaints
• Encouraging self-reflection among staff (what worked, what could change)
• Using supervision sessions to discuss recent feedback
• Maintaining reflective logs or journals

This approach builds skills and confidence to handle similar issues better in the future.

Collaborative Working

Collaboration means working together with others to resolve issues and bring about change. This could involve teamwork between staff or working with outside professionals or agencies. When tackling complaints, involving all relevant parties leads to better solutions.

Examples:

• Including health, social care, or advocacy services in investigations
• Sharing learning across departments or teams
• Creating action groups to manage service development from feedback

Collaborative solutions are often more sustainable and creative.

Staff Training and Development

Staff need confidence and skills to handle feedback well. Managers should provide regular training on communication, complaints handling, and conflict resolution.

Areas for training:

• Active listening techniques
• Understanding body language
• De-escalation methods for challenging situations
• Legal responsibilities about handling complaints
• Recording and reporting procedures

Well-trained staff deal with comments, concerns, and complaints respectfully, increasing satisfaction.

Use of Data and Trend Analysis

Quantitative and qualitative data from feedback can show areas for improvement. Regularly reviewing data ensures issues are spotted and addressed early.

Steps to use data well:

• Collate all feedback and complaints in a central place
• Analyse for patterns in time, people, departments, or types of concern
• Set clear actions and timescales for addressing recurring issues
• Review the effectiveness of changes and adjust as needed

This approach means learning from every piece of feedback.

Recognition and Reward for Feedback

Recognising and rewarding staff for raising concerns or making suggestions encourages ongoing feedback and innovation. Public praise or small incentives foster a culture where improvement comes from within.

This could involve:

• Thanking staff in team meetings who highlight areas for development
• Offering ‘staff suggestion scheme’ rewards or certificates
• Including positive feedback in appraisals and supervision

Reward systems keep improvement high on the agenda.

Policy Review and Development

Policies must reflect good practice in responding to comments, concerns, and complaints. Regular review ensures they stay up-to-date with the law, statutory guidance, and experience.

Policy review steps:

• Schedule regular reviews of complaints and feedback policies
• Involve staff, people who use the service, and families in reviews
• Adjust policies when new themes or risks come up
• Communicate changes clearly to all staff

Clear and accessible policies support consistency and fairness.

Closing the Feedback Loop

Feedback only creates improvement if results are shared and seen to make a difference. The ‘feedback loop’ means telling people what has changed because of their input. If people see action, trust grows and more feedback follows.

Close the loop by:

• Sharing examples of improvements made because of feedback (bulletins, displays, newsletters)
• Telling individuals who raised issues how their input caused change
• Using case studies (with permission) to showcase learning

This reinforces the value of feedback and keeps people engaged.

Legal and Regulatory Context

UK law and statutory guidance set out requirements for complaints handling and learning. The Health and Social Care Act, Care Act, and CQC regulations all expect care providers to use complaints for improvement. Failing to act can lead to sanctions from commissioners or regulators.

Key legal highlights:

• The Health and Social Care Act 2008: Requires providers to respond to complaints properly and use them to drive improvement.
• CQC Fundamental Standard 16: Emphasises handling of complaints and learning from them.
• Duty of Candour: Requires openness when things go wrong, including apologising and explaining actions taken.

Knowing the law means you can keep practice safe, lawful, and person-centred.

Barriers to Effective Use of Feedback

Several barriers can stop feedback from leading to improvement:

• Fear of blame or punishment among staff
• Lack of time or resources to investigate properly
• Poor communication with people using the service or families
• Language or cultural barriers
• Management resistance or lack of interest

Leaders play a key role in removing these barriers, for example by promoting openness, investing in training, and advocating for enough resources.

Examples of Attitudes and Approaches in Practice

Scenario A:
A family member complains about meal quality. The manager thanks them, logs the complaint, investigates kitchen processes, and shares findings at the next residents’ meeting. Menu choices are reviewed and residents are invited to ‘taste test’ new options.

Approaches used:

• Positive attitude to feedback
• Person-centred
• Collaborative working

Scenario B:
A support worker spots an unsafe practice but hesitates to report it, fearing blame. The manager introduces anonymous reporting, reassures staff that learning, not blame, is the goal, and discusses outcomes in supervision.

Approaches used:

• Non-judgemental attitude
• Accessible feedback systems
• Reflective practice

Continuous Improvement Cycle

Turning feedback into improvement is an ongoing cycle:

1. Gather comments, concerns, and complaints
2. Analyse and discuss findings
3. Take action to address issues
4. Evaluate results and share learning
5. Update policies and practice

This approach ensures the service is always moving forward.

Final Thoughts

Attitudes and approaches toward comments, concerns, and complaints shape the quality of care provided. A focus on respect, openness, and learning builds a culture where everyone feels safe to speak up. By adopting positive, proactive, and inclusive methods, leaders make sure that feedback leads to meaningful improvements. In adult care, this means better outcomes, higher satisfaction, and a safer, more person-centred environment for all.