By Vivienne Russell | 16 April 2013
Public sector complaints can help make services more innovative, according to a report published today by the charity Nesta.
Gripes, grumbles and grievances: the role of complaints in transforming public services, urges public sector organisations to listen to and act on what unhappy service users are telling them.
Nesta, which supports organisations to become more innovative, said there was a widening gap between what people expected from their public services and what they actually received. It warned that this could increase the number of dissatisfied consumers.
Jo Casebourne, director of public and social innovation at Nesta, said complaints needed to be regarded positively, as potential catalysts for change.
‘This is about looking at why people are disgruntled, what can be fixed, introduced or adapted to better align services with people’s needs and expectations,’ she said.
Casebourne added that people now had many more ways to register complaints, thanks to social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook.
‘Public services need to catch up and listen through the channels that consumers use,’ she said.
‘Aside from any public frustration, if public services don’t listen, then they can’t engage, can’t respond and can’t match services to the needs and expectations of the people they are there to help. Complaints – and how they are channelled through the system – are a good place to start.’
The report cites several examples of public sector innovation arising directly from complaints. These include councils’ use of the ‘Fix My Street’ web tool, which allows residents to upload photos of problems, and the Patient Opinion website, through which people can record complaints about the NHS and social care or share their good experiences.
