BackIrish Ombudsman and Second Vice-President of the International Ombudsman Institute, Peter Tyndall, was invited before the Irish Parliament to give his views on developing advocacy services to improve patient safety and standards in the health service.
The Ombudsman shared his experience of carrying out his Office's first 'own initiative' investigation into hospital complaints systems and his subsequent report - Learning To Get Better. The investigation found that many people were afraid to complain. The Ombudsman also highlighted the fact that 'clinical judgment' (for example the diagnosis and treatment of patients) was, unlike those of many European Ombudsmen, outside his jurisdiction. The Irish Minister for Health has recently proposed that the Ombudsman be given jurisdiction over clinical judgement following a number of calls from the Ombudsman for such powers.
The Ombudsman's full statement to the Parliamentary Health Committee is available on the ombudsman's website.
Source: Office of the Ombudsman, Ireland
