Standard of complaints handling by the NHS assessed in first report
Summary
Health Service Ombudsman for England, Ann Abraham, comments on how the National Health Service (NHS) has coped with handling complaints in the year 2009-10.
'Listening and Learning: the Ombudsman's Review of Complaint Handling by the NHS in England 2009-10 (HC 482)’ details that the NHS is missing a rich source of free and readily available information about patients by failing to listen and learn from complaints.
The report reveals that 15,579 health complaints were closed in 2009-10; clinical care and treatment and the attitude of staff were the two most common reasons for dissatisfaction with the service.
The information presents a previously unseen perspective which provides a national picture of what happens when mistakes occur and the NHS fails to put things right. Also highlighted is the regularity with which the Ombudsman needs to get involved in order to ensure the NHS apologises when a mistake has been made.
Poor complaint handling can make a difficult situation worse for patients and their families. Poorly handled complaints can also escalate, creating unnecessary demands on NHS resources whilst resolving complaints effectively need not be costly.
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