BackSystemic problems leading to missed opportunities to learn from mistakes and make National Health Service (NHS) hospitals better are highlighted in The NHS hospital complaints system. A case for urgent treatment?, published today.
A 2012-13 analysis of the main reasons why patients, their families and carers brought their complaint to the Ombudsman after their hospital has failed to deal with it include poor explanations, no acknowledgement of mistakes, inadequate financial remedy and unnecessary delays.
The Health Service Ombudsman’s report comes in the wake of the report by Robert Francis QC on the appalling failings at the Mid Staffordshire Foundation NHS Trust (published in February 2013). The Francis report said: "It [the Board] did not listen sufficiently to its patients or its staff or ensure the correction of deficiencies brought to the Trust’s attention."
Far from Mid Staffordshire being an isolated case, the Ombudsman’s report shows systemic problems with NHS Hospitals’ failing to listen and learn from patients. It gives insight into the problem using the organisation’s unique perspective as the service people turn to when hospitals have failed to handle their complaint properly.
You can download the complete press release and the report below.
SOURCE: PARLIAMENTARY AND HEALTH SERVICE OMBUDSMAN
