From transformative learning to social change? Using action research to explore and improve informal complaints management in an NHS trust

Background: The number of complaints concerning aspects of care from patients and/or carers have increased over time. Yet, in spite of a growing body of national and international literature on health care complaints there is a lack of knowledge around how nurses and midwives manage informal complaints at ward level, or staff needs in relation to this.
Aim: Using an Action research (AR) approach with mixed methods, four phases and four cycles, the aim was to explore informal complaints management by nurses and midwives at ward level. We discuss the AR process primarily in connection with learning and service change, drawing from the qualitative data in this paper.
Findings: The analysis of the collected qualitative data resulted in three main themes related to the complexities of complaints and complaints management, staff support needs and the existing ambiguous complaints systems which are hard for both staff and servicer users to negotiate. The AR approach facilitated learning and change in participants in relation to views on complaints management, and the main issues around complaints management in the collaborating trust.
Conclusions: The extant body of research on complaints does not sufficiently recognise the complexity of complaints and informal complaints management or the complaints systems in place. Needs based staff training can help support staff to manage informal complaints more effectively.

Final Accepted Version: This is a pre-copyedited, peer-reviewed version of the following article Odelius, A., Allan,H., Hunter, B., Bryan, K., Knibb, Shawe, J., (2015) From transformative learning to social change? Using action research to explore and improve informal complaints management in an NHS trust. International practice development journal, 5 (1), which has been published in final form at https://www.fons.org/library/journal/volume5-issue1/article6

Published Version: © FoNS 2015 International Practice Development Journal 5 (1) [6]. This article by Anki Odelius, Helen Allan, Billie Hunter, Karen Bryan, Wendy Knibb, Jill Shawe is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/