5962 Thematic analysis of complaints received in a paediatric district general hospital-A five-year study

Objectives Aim: Patient complaints have been identified as valuable for monitoring and improving patient safety. We undertook a study to identify the main themes of complaints in busy district general hospital. The average number of patients admitted to this ward is around 7000 annually, and 8000 children are seen in the assessment unit. On average, 10,000 children (0–16) were seen in outpatient departments barring 2020–2021(COVID-19). Methods Methods: A thematic analysis was done using the local software system 'Datix'. 922 complaints were recorded between 2016 and 2021. Each complaint was then categorised by who filled in the Datix, the severity, and actions taken. They were subcategorised into identifiable themes to analyse the complaint data. Results Results: Analysis of complaints found ten significant themes. These were: (1) Communication; (2) Appointments; (3) Attitude and behaviour; (4) Clinical treatment; (5) Delay in outpatient appointments; (6) Insufficient information; (7) Delay in treatment; (8) Delay in diagnosis; (9) Lack of treatment; (10) Incorrect information. Of the 915 recorded complaints, 25% were attributed to communication problems. 6% were attributed to attitudinal behaviours. Delayed appointments and treatment delays were the major themes during the COVID-19 pandemic Conclusion Conclusion: A range of communication, clinical, management and relationship issues underlies patient complaints. The systematic collation of our data on patient complaints highlights the need for targeted education and training on communication and attitudinal-related complaints. We have explored how such training can be delivered to staff to help identify measures to avoid common communication problems.