To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of NHS complaints.

The Department is committed to ensuring that the National Health Service listens to, learns from, and acts on feedback, including complaints, in order to improve the safety and quality of services.

We have worked closely with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman on his work to develop the NHS Complaint Standards, which set out how organisations providing services in the NHS should approach complaint handling. The standards place a strong focus on several aspects of complaint handling that are aimed at ensuring complaints are handled and resolved effectively by the NHS, reducing the need for the further escalation of complaints. This includes emphasising the importance of early resolution, actively listening and demonstrating a clear understanding of what the main issues are for the complainant as well as the outcomes they seek, being thorough and fair, and identifying suitable ways to put things right for people.