Receiving and Acting on Complaints In Care Course (Level 4)

Receiving and Acting on Complaints In Care (Level 4) – Online Course

Course overview
This online course helps learners understand how complaints should be identified, received, handled, recorded and responded to in a care setting. It focuses on CQC Regulation 16, which requires regulated care providers to operate an effective and accessible complaints system and to investigate complaints appropriately. Learners explore what the regulation requires, how people can make complaints, what counts as appropriate action and how complaints can be monitored. The course takes approximately one hour and is CPD accredited.

Please note: This is a knowledge-based course that supports practical workplace competence in complaint handling. It does not replace any role-specific training or the complaints procedures that an employer or regulated service requires its staff to follow.

What the course covers
• What Regulation 16 is, and Regulation 16 in full
• Making a complaint
• Appropriate action
• Accessible systems
• Effective systems
• Complaint monitoring
• Honouring the complainant
• The role of the CQC

Who is it for?
The course is suitable for healthcare and social care staff who may receive or respond to complaints as part of their role. This includes:
• Care assistants, support workers, nurses and healthcare assistants
• Care home teams, domiciliary care workers and practice staff
• Administrative staff, managers and customer-facing employees
• HR professionals, customer service teams, education staff and local authority employees
• Other workplace professionals who handle complaints or feedback

It can be used for induction, refresher training, awareness and knowledge enhancement.

Practical benefits
• Identify complaints and concerns that need an appropriate response
• Apply the principles of effective and accessible complaint handling
• Understand when complaints should be acknowledged and escalated
• Support fair, professional and proportionate responses to concerns
• Recognise how complaint monitoring can identify recurring issues and risks
• Use complaints to support service improvement and better outcomes
• Gain a CPD-accredited certificate for professional development

What learners will be able to do
• Explain the core principles and terminology associated with receiving and acting on complaints in care
• Recognise why the subject matters in day-to-day practice
• Identify common risks, concerns or situations relevant to the topic
• Understand individual responsibilities and role boundaries
• Apply good-practice principles in workplace situations
• Communicate effectively with relevant people when issues arise
• Recognise when advice, reporting or escalation is required
• Use the learning to support safer, more consistent practice

Is this training a legal requirement?
There is no general UK law requiring every employee to complete this specific course. However, legal requirements apply to complaint handling in regulated health and social care services. Under Regulation 16 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, regulated providers must operate an effective and accessible complaints system, investigate complaints and take necessary and proportionate action when failures are identified. For NHS services in England, the NHS Complaint Standards set expectations for effective complaint handling, including early resolution, fair investigation, appropriate responses and learning from complaints. Employers should therefore provide staff with appropriate training and make sure complaint procedures, responsibilities and escalation arrangements are understood. There is no single UK-wide legal interval for refresher training, so employers should decide this according to their policies, risks and staff responsibilities.

Assessment and certificate
Learners complete an online multiple-choice test. After successfully completing the assessment, they can download a CPD-accredited digital certificate straight away. The course is delivered online with instant access, so it can be studied on a phone, tablet or computer at the learner’s own pace.