Greater improvement needed in complaints handling, says Health Select

The Complaints and Raising Concerns report, also identifies the need to simplify the confusing complaints system by creating a single gateway for both health and social care complaints, which we called for in our recent report Suffering in Silence.

Responding to the report our Chief Executive, Dr Katherine Rake, said:

“Despite increased scrutiny of the NHS and social care services in recent years and a focus on facing up to mistakes, it is clear there is still a long way to go before we have a system that deals effectively and compassionately with those it has failed.

“Our research shows that a quarter of a million incidents of poor care go unreported every year because the whole process is so complicated and so long-winded that people simply give up. And of those that do persevere, fewer than half ever receive an apology.

“A single gateway for handling all health and social care complaints, combined with a properly resourced support service for those who need help making their voice heard, would help refocus the whole process around giving patients and their families what they need and reassure them that lessons have been learnt.”

“To make this a reality the next government must make legislative reform of the complaints system a top priority post-election.”