alt="image"/> Refusing to accept a gift has the potential to damage relations with the patient. Accepting a patient’s gift can be beneficial; it can strengthen the friendly relationship between the nursing associate and the patient by acknowledging the patient’s autonomy, adding to the patient’s self‐worth and to reinforce trust.
Individuals might derive great pleasure from giving gifts, and if a gift is rejected, this has the potential to hurt or offend the person who is giving.
There is pleasure in both giving and receiving, and usually no harm is done; however, the nursing associate must always be cautious about accepting any gift. Organisational guidelines (local policy and procedure) may help to decide on the appropriateness or inappropriateness of receiving any kind of gift, monetary or otherwise. There are alternatives to gift giving, for example, the patients or their family could:
Make a donation to a charity
Make a contribution to the hospital, clinic, unit charity fund if there is one
Complete an employee recognition form or write a letter
Provide feedback via the Friend and Family Test
Touch Point
If you are given a gift (a tangible gift) regardless of value, you should politely refuse it. Always seek advice about accepting a gift from patients or their family.
Managing Complaints
Most of the time, the care that is provided to people in the NHS and by other care providers such as those in the independent and voluntary sectors is of a high standard with positive outcomes. However, things can and do go wrong from time to time and complaints are made.
The total number of all reported written complaints in 2017–2018 was 208,626. This is the equivalent to 4,012 written complaints a week or 572 complaints per day (NHS Digital 2018). The NHS has a single approach that deals with complaints allowing flexibility to respond and to learn from mistakes that may have been made.
The NHS Constitution (DHSC 2015) describes principles and values of the NHS in England and also provides information on how complaints can be made about NHS services. The Constitution has been updated and includes additions and developments associated with:
Patient engagement
Feedback
Duty of candour
End‐of‐life care
Integrated care provision
Complaints
Patient information
Staff rights, responsibilities and commitments
Dignity, respect and compassion
When a person is unhappy with the services they receive, it is important for the nursing associate to inform them (and, if appropriate, their family) of their rights. People have the right to make a complaint about any aspect of NHS care, treatment or service. The Local Authority Social Services and NHS Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 is the legislation that governs NHS complaints. These regulations make provision for complaints made on or after 1 April 2009; they introduced a revised procedure for the handling of complaints by local authorities, in respect of complaints about adult social care and by NHS bodies, primary care providers and independent providers in respect of provision of NHS care. The regulations united adult social care and health complaints processes into a single set of arrangements.
Each organisation will have arrangements for people to raise concerns or make complaints. Referral to the Patient Advisory Liaison Service (PALS) can help people navigate the complaints process. The creation of PALS was as a result of the NHS Plan (Department of Health 2000). PALS are intended to enable patients and the public to access information and raise concerns with their Trust; they offer confidential advice, support and information on health‐related matters. They provide a point of contact for patients, their families and their carers. PALS provides help in many ways, it can:
help with health‐related questions
help resolve concerns or problems when using the NHS
advise people how to get more involved in their own healthcare.
PALS are not a part of the complaint’s procedure; they can provide information about:
the NHS
the NHS’s complaints procedure, including how to get independent help if the person wishes to make a complaint
support groups outside the NHS.
Touch Point
If patients are unhappy with the services that they receive, they have the right to make a complaint about any aspect of NHS care, treatment or service. There is legislation in place that govern the complaints process.
NHS Complaints
A complaint or concern is defined by NHS England (2017b) as an expression of dissatisfaction about an act, omission or decision of NHS England, either verbal or written and whether justified or not, that requires a response. NHS England is expected to treat complaints with sincerity and ensure that complaints, concerns and issues that are raised by patients, relatives and carers are investigated in an unbiased, non‐judgmental, transparent, timely and appropriate way. The outcome of any investigation, with any resulting actions, has to be explained to the complainant by the investigating organisation.
Patients’ rights include:
Have their complaint acknowledged and properly investigated
Discuss the manner in which the complaint is to be handled and know the period in which the complaint response is likely to be sent
To be kept informed of progress and to know the outcome including an explanation of the conclusions and confirmation that any action needed has been taken on
Take a complaint about data protection breaches to the independent Information Commissioners Office if not satisfied with the way the NHS has dealt with this.
A complaint can be made by the person who is affected by the action, or it may be made by a person who is acting on behalf of a patient in any case where that person:
Is a child (under the age of 18 years):
In the case of a child, NHS England must be satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for the complaint being made by a representative of the child and, furthermore, that the representative is making the complaint in the child’s best interests.
Has died:
In the case of a person who has died, the complainant must be the personal representative of the deceased. NHS England has to be satisfied that the complainant is the personal representative.
Has physical or mental incapacity:
In the case of a person who is unable by reason of physical capacity, or lacks capacity as defined by the Mental Capacity Act 2005, to make the complaint themselves, NHS England needs to be satisfied that the complaint is being made in the best interests of the person on whose behalf the complaint is made.
Has given consent to a third party acting on their behalf:
In the case of a third party pursuing a complaint on behalf of the person affected, the following information needs to be collected:
Name and address of the person making