BackComplaints are not often associated with innovation and creativity. When we think of complaints, we tend towards negative association - frustration, failure, poor service, something to be dealt with promptly and filed away. Receiving lots of complaints is seen as something to be wary of, not celebrated.
But getting complaints is much better than not getting complaints - they show that people think it's worth complaining and that they will be listened to, and that they believe that they have power to influence the system. They are a good sign of democracy in action.
This report looks at the role of complaints in transforming public services. It was published in April 2013. The authors are Richard Simmons, Co-Director of the Mutuality Research Programme at the University of Stirling and Carol Brennan, Director of the Consumer Insight Centre at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh.
