When one complains to NHS bodies such as hospital trusts one is often fobbed off with half answers, non answers, and other tactics to bemuse and bewilder.
Complaining to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman is an even worse experience. Complex complaints that have to be taken in their entirety are broken into bite sized chunks and handled ineffectively. Findings ignore evidence or give undue weight to the NHS's side.
The current Ombudsman talks the talk, but fails to implement it by handling complaints effectively.
Please ensure that the NHS together with the ombudsman, supposed to be the final arbiter of complaints, are each held accountable. Of these two the ombudsman must be a high priority to fix. The PHS Ombudsman is broken and must be held to account and improved
Why is this important?
When we are treated in hospital or by another practitioner we need to be able to trust that we receive correct, well administered, well handled treatment.
When we complain we need to see clearly that our complaint is well handled, and, most important, that the outcome of the complaint is carried through in practice.
When we are forced, because of the closure of ranks, to complain to the Ombudsman we expect fair and even handed treatment of our complaint, with high professional standards.
This is about us, our lives and in some cases our deaths. We need to be able to trust hospitals, doctors and nurses. And, when it all goes wrong and we have to complain, we need to be sure that our complaint is given a fair hearing.
We need to be able to trust the Ombudsman. Today we cannot.
