Complaint Handling – Hints and Tips – third in a series of five

On receiving a letter of complaint….

• Date stamp it
• Read it through really carefully – do you understand all the issues? 
• Acknowledge its receipt within three working days (this is a ‘must-do’).  A telephone call is useful as it enables you to make sure that you understand all the issues – and whether there are more to be addressed.  It also provides the complainant with a human contact, demonstrating that the complaint is being taken seriously.
• Check that you have patient consent.
• Negotiate a time-frame for the response with the complainant.  This has to be realistic, especially if a key member of staff is not going to be present for a short while (for example if on leave), but you must endeavour to provide a response in a timely fashion.
• Keep the complainant informed regarding the progress of their complaint.
• Do you need help and advice regarding the response? Contact the Customer Services Team at:

East Kent – 0800 0856606 

West Kent – 08000850850

Medway – 0800 014 1641

• Once the letter of response is written, get someone else to proof read it.  Make sure the correct form of address has been used (for example Miss, Mrs, Ms) and make sure that the address is accurate.