What drives me

My name is Jane Eldridge

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My career has been devoted to health complaints, from every side. When I was a Registered Nurse and Midwife, I cared for patients. As a lawyer and medico-legal adviser, I supported health practitioners through distressing and sensitive complaints made about them in the course of their work. In health practitioner regulation, I saw what happens when complaints escalate.

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This has shaped an unshakeable belief that complaints and culture are closely connected. The way a complaint is handled matters as much as the complaint itself: handled well and early, many can be resolved and trust can be restored. Complaints also provide valuable insight into how a workplace is tracking, and a healthy culture, where people feel heard and supported, drives high performance and safer care.

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Patients, families, staff and employers want the same thing, and that’s absolutely achievable when people feel heard. That means listening early, both to the person raising a concern and to the team behind the service, and acting on what you learn.

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This is why independent reviews and investigations, conducted by a trusted third party who listens to understand, are a valuable leadership tool. They establish what’s really going on and give you a solid foundation from which you can shape a resolution that delivers the best possible outcome for everyone involved.

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This is why I love this work.