Unhappy With Your NHS Complaint?
Are you unhappy with the way your complaint against the NHS was handled? If so, you can take the issue to the Health Ombudsman. You may also want to speak to a medical negligence solicitor, as you could be entitled to sue those at fault.
Dissatisfied with NHS complaint
If you are unhappy with the care you have received from a GP, hospital or other healthcare organisation, you have the right to make a formal complaint. Every NHS service has their own complaints process, but whatever the procedure, your complaint must be investigated and a response given. This response should aim to explain what happened to you and why.
Unfortunately, many people are not satisfied with the response they receive. Many people feel that their complaint was not taken seriously, not investigated properly or that there was no admission of fault. This can leave patients and their families even more angry and frustrated, as so many questions will remain unanswered.
NHS investigations inadequate
The poor quality of NHS complaints investigations was recently confirmed by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is an independent body that patients can go to if they feel their NHS complaint has not been handled adequately. The Ombudsman will then review the complaint and investigation.
In a review, the Ombudsman found that 40% of NHS complaints investigations had not even found out what had happened. In 73% of cases, the Ombudsman found failings where the hospital Trust had not. In 41% of cases, the patient and their family was given an inadequate explanation as to what had occurred during their care. Additionally, 70% of serious incidents were not identified as being serious.
The review concluded that: “the process of investigating is not consistent, reliable or good enough.” It also said that: “staff are not adequately trained to carry out investigations” and there are “doubts about the ability of NHS Trusts to reliably identify when something has gone seriously wrong and why.”
What other action can you take?
With the quality of NHS complaints investigations being so poor, it is not surprising that many people are unhappy with the response they receive.
If you are not happy with your NHS complaint, you can ask the Ombudsman to carry out a review. You can also speak to a medical negligence solicitor, as you could be entitled to pursue a medical negligence claim. Many people say this offers a sense of justice, and it can also help to improve the care offered to future patients.
Contact us today
To talk to a medical negligence solicitor about the medical care you received, please get in touch with us at Glynns Solicitors.
Please call us free on 0800 234 3300 (or from a mobile 01275 334030) or complete our Online Enquiry Form.
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