BackOmbudsman Peter Tyndall wants to see more people complain about services provided by public bodies such as government departments, local authorities and the HSE. Launching his annual report for 2015 the Ombudsman said that complaints can be used to improve the delivery of public services.
Investigation into hospital complaints systems
In 2015 the Ombudsman conducted the Office’s first ‘own-initiative’ investigation into hospital complaints systems. In his report – Learning to Get Better - the Ombudsman noted the low level of complaints about hospitals that his office received. The Ombudsman said that people told him they were afraid to complain because of possible consequences for their treatment, or that they believed complaining would not make a difference. The Ombudsman’s wide-ranging report contains 36 recommendations aimed at improving hospital complaints system for patients.
Private nursing homes
Private nursing homes came within the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction in August 2015. The Ombudsman received 12 complaints about private nursing homes in 2015 and 13 in the first five months of 2016. As part of an engagement programme the Ombudsman’s Office designed a Model Complaints System for use by Nursing Home providers which can be adapted for use by all public service providers. The Model Complaints System is available on the Ombudsman’s website.
The Ombudsman also described some of the more significant cases dealt with by his Office during 2015:
Student asked to read from wrong paper when assessed for reading ability
In one complaint to the Ombudsman a student with Asperger’s syndrome was refused a ‘reader’ – a person to assist with reading an exam paper - for a Leaving Certificate examination by the SEC. The student was sitting three higher level subjects. The Ombudsman discovered from the SEC’s files that during his assessment the student had been asked to read from ‘ordinary level’ papers which did not reflect his reading difficulties. The Ombudsman highlighted the error to the SEC who provided a ‘reader’ in time for the Leaving Certificate examination. See page 36 - Section 4.8
Woman receives €28,000 after Department incorrectly said child was ‘not abandoned’
A woman was refused a ‘guardian’ payment for her granddaughter who she was rearing in the absence of the child’s parents. The Department of Social Protection was not satisfied that the child met the criterion of having been ‘abandoned’ by her parents. However after a complaint was made to the Ombudsman, the Social Welfare Appeals Office reviewed assessments on file from Department officials, and statements from the child’s mother and grandmother, which suggested the child had been abandoned. The Appeals Office decided that the guardian payment, together with arrears of €28,000, should be paid to the woman. See page 37. Section 4.11
Source: Office of the Ombudsman in Ireland
