Apologies should not be seen as an admission of guilt or wrong-doing

摘要

The RCN is to be congratulated for its excellent and straightforward 'Good practice for handling feedback' guide (News November 19).We are too often on the defensive when it comes to dealing with negative feedback and complaints. Apologies should not be seen as an admission of guilt or wrong-doing, or an acceptance of guilt.As the guide states: 'It's never easy to hear people say challenging things about the way we do our jobs.' But our focus needs to be on the active listening, taking in the feedback and learning from our mistakes or things we have overlooked or not had time for.We always need to bear in mind that most patients and relatives are reluctant to complain, often for fear of the conseguences or repercussions. This can create awkwardness.