How to Deal with a Complaint or Investigation

About this course

Receiving a complaint or a letter from a regulator is one of the most stressful experiences in a healthcare career. Many professionals feel shocked, anxious or defensive, and some make decisions in the first few days that make matters worse. This course explains what to expect and how to respond: how complaints and investigations work, what the regulators expect, how to respond to a complaint, how regulatory processes unfold, how to demonstrate insight, reflection and remediation, and how to look after yourself throughout.

The course is practical rather than legal. It does not replace advice from your defence organisation, indemnity provider, trade union or a regulatory lawyer, which you should seek early in any significant process. Its companion course, How to Avoid a Complaint or Investigation, focuses on prevention.

CPD Value and How to Record It:

This course is designed to provide approximately 2 hours of learning, including reading, the reflection points, the reflective account and the assessment. In the UK, CPD is generally recorded as the time actually spent learning, so you should record the time you genuinely spend, which may be more or less than the estimate.

How the course fits your revalidation or CPD requirements depends on your regulator. For example, the NMC asks nurses, midwives and nursing associates to record 35 hours of CPD over three years, of which at least 20 must be participatory; self-directed online learning such as this course usually counts as individual learning unless you complete it with others. The GMC expects doctors to reflect on CPD for appraisal and revalidation rather than setting a fixed number of hours. The HCPC, GDC, GPhC, GOC, GOsC and GCC each set their own CPD requirements, so check the current rules that apply to you. Always keep your certificate together with your written reflection.

What you will learn

• Explain how complaints, employer investigations and regulatory processes work in the UK.
• Describe what the regulators expect when a complaint is made.
• Respond to a complaint promptly, honestly and constructively.
• Understand the stages of fitness to practise processes and possible outcomes.
• Prepare for and cooperate with investigations and hearings.
• Demonstrate genuine insight, reflection and remediation.
• Recognise the emotional impact of complaints and seek appropriate support.

Who this course is for

All UK healthcare professionals, particularly those currently facing, or supporting colleagues through, a complaint, employer investigation or regulatory process.

Social workers: this cross-profession course covers principles that apply across health and social care; most worked examples come from healthcare settings.

Course content

9 sections · 2 CPD hours · 15 MCQs

Course facts

CPD value

Approximately 2 CPD hours (estimated learning time, including reflection and assessment)

Format

Self-paced reading with case illustrations, reflection points and a written reflective account

Standards covered

Regulators' standards on complaints and cooperation; GMC, NMC, HCPC, GDC and GPhC fitness to practise processes; NHS complaints arrangements; employer processes; insight, reflection and remediation

Assessment

15 scenario-based multiple-choice questions; pass mark 12 out of 15 (80%)

Questions about this course