NHS complaints system is letting patients down
http://www.100md.com
《英国医生杂志》
The NHS is failing to learn from its mistakes and offers a poor complaints procedure for patients. It is difficult to understand and often intimidating, says the health service ombudsman for England, Ann Abraham. In her annual report, Ms Abraham criticised the complaints system for poor leadership and for failing to put patients at the centre of its service.
Fragmentation of the complaints system, with separate procedures for health and social services, makes it even more difficult for patients who use both services to raise grievances. They often have to go through three different organisations.
"In our view, it is quite wrong that there is no overarching joined-up complaints framework which attempts to address these issues . . . those who receive services both from the NHS and social services are among the most vulnerable members of society. Such a convoluted system seems to work against the aim expressed in the NHS Improvement Plan 2004 to 憄ut people at the heart of public services,? says the report.
Instead of being easily accessible, the current system can deter patients from complaining because many patients find that the first person that they have to approach is often the one about whom they have a complaint.
What patients want when they complain about their treatment or care is to know who is dealing with it and what will happen. They also want an apology and a change in practice so that what happened to them will not happen to someone else. But often what they get is a drawn out process that takes a lot of time and energy to resolve. This drives many people to seek compensation even though that is not what they intended when they started out.
The report recommends that the department of health takes the lead in creating a better core standard for handling complaints that are met by all NHS and social care providers. The new system should adopt a culture of openness and leadership by senior managers and of following-up of complaints to ensure that mistakes do not recur, says the report.
"Many fine words have been spoken over the years about the need for a truly patient focused complaints system, but it has still not become a reality. The fifth report of the Shipman inquiry gives us an opportunity to reflect on why the NHS complaints system is still failing patients. We must not lose this opportunity to make change happen at last," said Ms Abraham.
"All NHS bodies need to be responsive to complaints and value the feedback they provide. To do so they need competent, trained, and motivated staff using robust local procedures. Dealing with complaints should not be a standalone activity. The lessons from them must feed into improvements in the service delivered to patients."(Zosia Kmietowicz)
Fragmentation of the complaints system, with separate procedures for health and social services, makes it even more difficult for patients who use both services to raise grievances. They often have to go through three different organisations.
"In our view, it is quite wrong that there is no overarching joined-up complaints framework which attempts to address these issues . . . those who receive services both from the NHS and social services are among the most vulnerable members of society. Such a convoluted system seems to work against the aim expressed in the NHS Improvement Plan 2004 to 憄ut people at the heart of public services,? says the report.
Instead of being easily accessible, the current system can deter patients from complaining because many patients find that the first person that they have to approach is often the one about whom they have a complaint.
What patients want when they complain about their treatment or care is to know who is dealing with it and what will happen. They also want an apology and a change in practice so that what happened to them will not happen to someone else. But often what they get is a drawn out process that takes a lot of time and energy to resolve. This drives many people to seek compensation even though that is not what they intended when they started out.
The report recommends that the department of health takes the lead in creating a better core standard for handling complaints that are met by all NHS and social care providers. The new system should adopt a culture of openness and leadership by senior managers and of following-up of complaints to ensure that mistakes do not recur, says the report.
"Many fine words have been spoken over the years about the need for a truly patient focused complaints system, but it has still not become a reality. The fifth report of the Shipman inquiry gives us an opportunity to reflect on why the NHS complaints system is still failing patients. We must not lose this opportunity to make change happen at last," said Ms Abraham.
"All NHS bodies need to be responsive to complaints and value the feedback they provide. To do so they need competent, trained, and motivated staff using robust local procedures. Dealing with complaints should not be a standalone activity. The lessons from them must feed into improvements in the service delivered to patients."(Zosia Kmietowicz)