Responding to a family complaint after unexpected death — CASC communication station

Station brief

Format. Communication station, approximately 7–10 minutes active time after reading. You are a psychiatry consultant meeting a bereaved parent who has submitted a formal complaint. [1]

Candidate instructions. The parent believes the assessment was rushed and dismissive, and that staff did not listen. Listen first; acknowledge grief and the seriousness of the complaint; explain that you will be honest about known facts (open disclosure stance); outline next steps for review without promising outcomes you cannot control; avoid defensive argument, blame-shifting, or inventing legal section numbers; do not pressure them to withdraw. [1][2]