Complaints about the NHS rise by 8% in a year

Many complaints related to mistakes in care not being acknowledged and inadequate apologies being offered

The number of complaints made to the Health Service Ombudsman increased by 8 per cent in a year, figures show.

Between 2011 and 2012, 150,859 complaints were received. Of those, 16,337 patients or family members were dissatisfied with the way the NHS tried to resolve their concerns and referred the complaint on to the Health Service Ombudsman. GPs fared particularly badly. The ombudsman said that despite issuing a warning about GPs unfairly or hastily striking off patients from their practice lists, the number of such cases has risen by 16 per cent since last year.

Almost 100 people said they had been unfairly removed from GP practice lists after a dispute or disagreement. Health Service Ombudsman Dame Julie Mellor said: 'Our casework tells us there needs to be a clear shift in the attitude and practice of some GPs towards complaints. 'Our concerns about how GPs are handling complaints about their practices need to be addressed as a priority. As the new NHS begins to take shape, GPs and other providers, GP-led Clinical Commissioning Groups and the NHS Commissioning Board will need to work to embed good complaint handling across the NHS.'

Elsewhere, there were 1,523 complaints about the NHS not acknowledging mistakes in care, according to a report by the ombudsman. And more than 1,600 people complained about inadequate remedies being offered, including inadequate apologies. Dame Julie is also calling on the NHS to improve the way it deals with complaints on the ground. 'All too often the people who come to us for help are unhappy because of the careless communication, insincere apologies and unclear explanations they’ve received from the NHS,' she said. 'A poor response to a complaint can add to the problems of someone who is unwell, struggling to take care of others or grieving. The NHS needs to get better at listening to patients and their families and responding to their concerns.'

 

Another complaint involved a surgeon calling a male patient a 'baby' when he expressed anxiety about having a general anaesthetic

In one of the cases highlighted in the ombudsman’s report, a bereaved daughter was told 'death is rarely an ideal situation for anyone' and that 'truth be told your mother probably said her goodbyes long before the final moments'. Another case details how a surgeon called a male patient a ‘baby’ when he expressed his anxiety about having a general anaesthetic. Health Minister Dr Dan Poulter said: 'The vast majority of NHS patients are happy with the care they receive, but if things go wrong, some NHS organisations respond to complaints better than others. This is something that the NHS must improve. That is why, under the NHS constitution, we have proposed introducing a new right for complaints to be acknowledged within three days and stronger rights to make sure complaints are handled openly. We want to see a patient-centred NHS where patients have a stronger voice. This means making the NHS more accountable for the quality of care it provides for patients. The Government has set up the new patient champion HealthWatch, which will argue on behalf of patients and help drive improvements in the quality of health and social care services.'


Source: Daily Mail UK 

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