What Good Looks Like
FLI#5.1: Trust Behaviours
With extensive experience and ongoing analysis of emerging trends, ISCAS continues to categorise complaints to better understand their underlying causes and improve insight across the sector. Trust is a common theme in stage 3 adjudications, although not always obvious in a complaint.
Trust in healthcare is often described as intangible but in practice, it is built through very observable behaviours.
In clinical settings, trust is not a soft concept. It is earned through consistent, deliberate actions that shape the patient’s experience.
Key trust-building behaviours include:
- Explaining clearly, in language patients can understand
- Acknowledging uncertainty where it exists, rather than over-reassuring
- Following up appropriately and reliably
- Being accessible when patients need clarity or reassurance
These are not “extras” or optional enhancements to care delivery.
They are core clinical skills that directly influence confidence, satisfaction, and outcomes, particularly in environments where patients are making significant financial and emotional investments in their care.
When consistently applied, these behaviours reduce ambiguity, strengthen relationships, and support better decision-making on both sides.
Trust, ultimately, is not stated – it is demonstrated.