As reported by The Impartial Reporter, a growing number of people are choosing not to report poor NHS care due to a lack of confidence in the complaints process, a watchdog warns.
A lack of confidence in the NHS complaints process means some people are taking no action when they experience poor care, according to the patient champion. There is also “little evidence” that complaints being made to the health service are being used to improve services, Healthwatch England said.
It comes as a poll showed more than half of those who made a complaint to an NHS organisation were not satisfied with the process or outcome. The survey of 2,650 adults in England, carried out by YouGov for Healthwatch, found almost one in four (24%) had a poor experience with the NHS in the last year. However, 56% of these people took no action, with fewer than one in 10 (9%) making a formal complaint.
Louise Ansari, chief executive of Healthwatch England, said: “We know that public satisfaction with the NHS is at record low levels, with too many patients receiving poor care.
“When patients feel their complaints are not taken seriously or don’t take any action due to a complex system, services miss out on vital information to help them improve.”
An NHS spokesman said: “Every patient deserves high-quality care, and NHS staff are working tirelessly to respond to the increasing demand for services – with a record number of patients coming forward in both primary care and hospitals in the past year.
“The NHS takes patient experiences very seriously and we are committed to listening to patients and rolling out initiatives like Martha’s Rule, which is already having a transformative effect in some cases.
“This report highlights that there is still more to do to listen to patients, respond to complaints and improve services, which is why the NHS is working closely with the Government on this year’s 10-Year Health Plan to help us transform services to provide the best quality care for patients.”
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