Model Complaints Handling Procedure (MCHP)

Model Complaints Handling Procedure

Our cohort focused on a single, vital theme throughout the programme: Complaints handling — a core responsibility in health and social care leadership. Through our QI work, we were fortunate to form a valuable partnership with the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman (NIPSO). This collaboration significantly enriched our learning and helped us explore new ways to improve the experiences of those accessing our care services.

The QI sessions were guided by NIPSO’s Model Complaints Handling Procedure for the Health and Social Care Sector, which served as both a learning tool and a framework for reflection. We were proud to contribute to the development of the MCHP Guidance and also a separate Guide, specifically for Care Homes and other commissioned services, thereby ensuring that our lived experience as care managers informed wider sector improvement.

During our MHL sessions, many of us shared a common feeling — that as managers in the care sector, we can often feel unheard and lacking agency in the broader decision-making processes that impact our work and the people we support. That’s why we were genuinely delighted to be invited to collaborate with NIPSO. At the heart of developing the new model for handling complaints, led by NIPSO, was a strong desire to work from the ground up, directly engaging with organisations across a wide range of sectors at a grass roots level.

This approach was vital in capturing the real-life challenges managers face when dealing with complaints. The collaboration between NIPSO and MHL is a great example of how this process was shaped by the realities on the ground—by the people doing the work, not just by policy.

This wasn’t a procedure created in isolation. It was a live, evolving process, one that genuinely valued our voices as managers. We weren’t just consulted, we were involved. We had agency.

There was a strong sense of value, ownership, and mutual respect throughout the process. We would like to extend our warmest thanks to the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman.

Our work with NIPSO allowed all of us care managers to reflect on how complaints were dealt with in our own setting. While, of course, there were variations in every setting the same themes and issues commonly reoccurred.

From an employee perspective, one of the most obvious and common themes is that complaints are difficult and not much fun to deal with. Complaints in a health and social care setting are wide ranging and can come from various sources. This adds an extra weight of complexity to the management of these complaints.

Throughout our discussions, one key theme emerged clearly: in many care settings, there is a perception among staff that complaints are solely a ‘management problem’.

Many team members shared the view that their role ends once they record or report a complaint, with little sense of ownership beyond that point.

As a cohort, we explored the importance of challenging this mindset. We recognised that effective complaints handling must be a shared responsibility – that complaints are ‘everybody’s business. Every team member — regardless of role — plays a part in how complaints are received, understood, and ultimately resolved. Embedding this collective approach is key to building a culture of openness, learning, and continuous improvement.

Being part of this journey gave us the opportunity to help shape a procedure that will have a real and lasting impact on our sector. And because we were active participants in its development, we’re now in a stronger position to put it into practice. We understand it. We can share that understanding. And we can support others with insight and confidence.

What was once a process we may have seen as complex, burdensome—even unwelcome—now feels more manageable, more meaningful, and ultimately more empowering.

From small acorns, mighty oaks grow — and we believe that the introduction of this Model Complaints Handling Procedure will help managers across the Health and Social Care sector reframe perceptions of complaints, turning them into opportunities for learning, growth, and positive change.