Complaints are about communication, not just care:
FLI#1.1: The Uncomfortable Truth – What patients complain about vs what clinicians expect
Most complaints in independent healthcare are not about clinical errors.
They’re about how we respond when something goes wrong.
As clinicians, that’s uncomfortable. We’re trained to focus on diagnosis, treatment, outcomes.
But patients remember:
- What we said
- How we said it
- Whether we listened
- Technical skill gets you through the procedure
- Communication defines the experience
Are we giving that equal attention?
Key ISCAS insights (FY 2025 – 2026):
- 61% of adjudicated heads of complaints related to non-clinical issues.
- 66% of those were about how complaints were handled.
- Over a third of all complaints focus on complaints handling itself.
- 76% of complaints handling heads of complaint were partially or fully upheld.
These figures suggest there’s significant room for improvement in how the sector manages complaints.
