Re-establishing providers’ reputations with ‘I’m sorry’
Saying ‘sorry’ is sometimes difficult – particularly for aged care providers when an ‘error’ is made in the care of residents, writes Professor Tracey McDonald.
Saying 'sorry' is sometimes difficult – particularly for aged care providers when an 'error' is made in the care of residents, writes Professor Tracey McDonald.
The myths and legends around saying 'I'm sorry' in aged care are sometimes built upon fragments of historical information from other countries or anecdotal reports of dire outcomes for those who have honestly expressed their views about an adverse event.
These eclectic opinions have shaped the views of many service providers and managers in relation to what they should or should not say about errors, and whether it is appropriate for them to apologise to care recipients and families for mistakes they have made.
In Australia, an apology is not an admission of guilt or liability by a service provider and cannot be used in legal proceedings. An apology is also part of a service provider’s ethical responsibility towards care recipients who have been adversely affected by their actions or their failure to act.
An effective and ‘full’ apology is one where a service provider takes responsibility for the event, shows remorse and a desire to make amends in some way.
Amends can include ensuring that the same mistake does not occur again to another care recipient and by offering to help relieve some of the practical burdens arising from the mistake.
By attempting to make amends, a service provider shows understanding, sympathy and respect and is more likely to improve the level of trust with the individuals involved.
Mere expressions of regret are not effective in achieving such outcomes because they fail to acknowledge both fault and responsibility and worse, the opportunity to bring the dignity and status of the relationship back into balance is distorted.
Partial apologies imply defensive practice and may cause individuals involved in a complaint to become less inclined to accept the apology and be more inclined to seek the intercession of regulators and authorities. It is therefore unhelpful if service providers set up local policies and procedures that restrict staff from making a full and appropriate apology to complainants who have been harmed or disadvantaged by their actions or omissions.
When apologising, a service should communicate how it is committed to ensuring that the action that was the cause of the complaint, will not be repeated. A timely and appropriate apology can also help reduce anger and demands for retribution. Furthermore, an apology provides an opportunity for a service provider to re-establish their reputation from one who has made a mistake, to one who has acknowledged the error and apologised sincerely, showing that they have learned from the mistake.
An apology can be a healing and re-balancing process for the individuals involved in a complaint and can be an important step in achieving a successful outcome to a complaint.
This blog post is featured in the Aged Care Complaints Scheme's ‘Better Practice Guide to Complaint Handling in Aged Care Services’ which discusses ‘apologies’, and the benefits an apology can have in complaints handling and positively enhancing the relationship between a service provider, the care recipient and their representatives. Access the Better Practice Guide to Complaint Handling in Aged Care Services.
