NHS ombudsman in England criticises complaint handling
The NHS needs to get better at handling complaints The NHS in England is still failing to deal with complaints properly, with poor communication a major problem, the Health Service Ombudsman says.
The watchdog, which looks at cases that cannot be resolved at a local level, said too many minor disputes were being allowed to escalate.
Some GPs were removing patients who had complained from their lists, it said.
It handled more than 15,000 complaints in 2010-11 but two-thirds went back to the local area for adjudication.
On doctors striking off patients, the ombudsman said there were a small but increasing number of cases where this was happening without warning - something which was worrying bearing in mind GPs are to take charge of the NHS budget.
'Dissatisfied patients'Ombudsman Ann Abraham, who has the final say on complaints in England, said: "The NHS is still not dealing adequately with the most straightforward matters. Minor disputes over unanswered telephones or mix-ups over appointments can end up with the ombudsman because of knee-jerk responses by NHS staff and poor complaint handling.
"While these matters may seem insignificant alongside complex clinical judgements and treatment, they contribute to a patient's overall experience of NHS care.
"What is more, the escalation of such small, everyday incidents represents a hidden cost, adding to the burden on clinical practitioners and taking up time for health service managers, while causing added difficulty for people struggling with illness or caring responsibilities."
Left waiting for two years
Mr C made a complaint about the care his sister received after she died while receiving palliative chemotherapy.
His complaint was rejected by the trust so he then appealed to the ombudsman. His appeal was not upheld, but the way the trust handled it was criticised.
Records were not reviewed properly, statements were made that were not supported by information, documents left unsigned and undated and the trust used medical jargon when dealing with the individual, the ombudsman ruled.
Mr C said the process, which took two years to complete, had prolonged his suffering.
The trust apologised and now uses the case as an example of how not to handle complaints during training for staff.
Of the 15,186 complaints dealt with, 9,547 were referred back to the local health body because they had not completed the complaints procedure.
Only 349 were investigated with 79% (276) upheld with the others either withdrawn, falling outside the remit of the ombudsman or judged not to be justified.
Where individuals were unhappy with how their complaint had been dealt with, over a third cited either poor explanation or a lack of acknowledgement of a mistake.
In one of the most extreme cases Parliament was alerted after a dentist from Staffordshire refused to apologise to one of their patients.
Jo Webber, of the NHS Confederation, which represents trusts, said it was "absolutely essential" that the health service got better at dealing with complaints.
"We all know that things can go wrong in health care but where that happens people are entitled to be dealt with in a straightforward and respectful fashion."
But patient groups said the figures were concerning for other reasons. Both Patient Concern and Action Against Medical Accidents highlighted the fact that the ombudsman only took on a small number of complaints for investigation.
Joyce Robins, co-director of Patient Concern, said: "The ombudsman investigates a pathetic 2% of complaints reaching her office.
"There is no other right of appeal and the vast majority of dissatisfied patients are left at the mercy of trusts who are only concerned with watching their backs."
