Interesting reading the comments, good and bad! There will always be cases of poor practice in healthcare unfortunately (not saying that's the case in the OP but certainly from some of the testimonies posted later!).
I do feel that there is a growing problem with HCPs becoming burned out and suffering from compassion fatigue: increasing pressure to always be performing and facing complaints takes its tole. It's also not just as simple as 'well if they feel like that they should quit', people have mortgages to pay + there are huge staff shortages already.
Considering the nurse in the original post, say they were watching Britain's got talent whilst there was a lull in work/or clerking etc, how well do you think they're going to perform after hearing that one of the patients/relatives has taken the time to lodge a complaint against them and they've had a slap on the wrist? Do you think they're going to be rushing about smiling and going the extra mile for the patients? Or does it concern you that it may contribute or cause a problem? We spend an ever increasing amount of time writing elaborate statements for the most nonsensical of complaints!
A recent example of a complaint against me is the following (anonymised!) account: Whilst working on an ambulance car I was dispatched to assess an elderly patient whom had fallen at home and couldn't get up, the job was about 3 hours old and it was a very busy night. on route I was diverted to a patient in their twenties whom had called 999 to say they couldn't breath. When I arrived I was met by a pt that said they were having one of their panic attacks and needed a paper back to help breath - We don't carry paper bags, and either way this is an old wives tale treatment and doesn't help - I spent nearly two hours on scene coaching them into a calm state, talking them through some breathing exercises and talking about their past/what let to them having this attack whilst also performing a thorough exam to rule out other causes despite their instance it was one of their panic attacks and then documenting the history and examination. I made no mention to them of the elderly patient I knew would still be alone in part because of them. I was kind and patient and took the time to avoid an unnecessary hospital admission whilst hopefully enabling them to manage themselves more appropriately in future. Shortly after this incident I found this patient had lodged an official complaint against me for refusing to give them a paper bag. When some older hands heard about it there were many comments along the lines of 'dont waste time helping those whom can't be bothered to help themselves' and deriding me for not telling the patient they were a time waster and walking out the door the minute they said they were having one of their panic attacks. Whilst that's not a way I'm happy to treat people the complaint certainly allowed me to better understand how people get that way!
Compassion fatigue leading to apathy is a very real problem, I think most working in healthcare will see examples of it and I think this is why we need to protect and defend those working in hospitals as they are at the greatest risk. Protect them so they can better protect us!