NHS Complaint Procedures

[jooms]

This is a complaint about NHS Complaint Procedures and the health services Ombudsman. One might also add the GMC and other so called government appointed advocates of the patient, including The Patients Association and AVMA. The Scottish Procurator Fiscals also seem reluctant to take on cases with the explanation "not in the public interest".
My story goes back to 1998 and the unexpected, sudden, and preventable death of my father. I followed the procedures for years, got nowhere, and decided to publish the story on a couple of websites plus http://www.freewebs.com/medicalneglect/It involves a GP, the ambulance service, and a hospital. With such complexity especially when it involves clinical evidence, the facts are more easily misinterpreted and confused and hidden. What evidence can non-medical complainants submit when physicians can present plausible explanations (whether true or not) and be backed up by others in the NHS. I also sumitted my comments during the public consultations for the Scottish Ombudsman Bill and the parliamentary review of the NHS Complaint Procedures. It is my opinion that they are a whitewash and the establishment gets what it intended anyway. The public consultation is only a facade to fool us into believing that we have an input into a democratic process.
My website has a list of other useful sites for those who find that they cannot get truth, accountability, or justice through the channels available.

My wife died a few months ago and another complaint is now on going.
One might believe that I am against the NHS. I am not. The NHS is the best thing in this country and while it kept my wife alive for many years there are parts of it at certain times that make mistakes. The problem is the secrecy that surround these mistakes and therefore the lack of accountability and therefore the mistakes are not rectified and are repeated on other patients. Because the NHS might save my life most of the time, does that mean that I have to be so grateful that I should not complain when it does cause me damage?
The NHS Complaint Procedures are not designed to help the patient but to limit the damage done on the NHS institution.

[craigwalsh]

I just read your posting. Enough to make my blood boil.

Welcome to this new forum.

If you don't mind, can you also re-publish the information from http://www.freewebs.com/medicalneglect/ (http://www.freewebs.com/medicalneglect/) here as well? I am advertising this forum using Google AdWords (I have a very minimal budget for doing this, coming out of my own pocket). I am hoping that as the amount of content here increases, Google and the other search engines will improve the page ranking of this site. If you need help re-publishing, please let me know and I will gladly oblige.

I am also not against the NHS. I've lived in the UK, and have paid considerable taxes in the UK, for over 20 years now. During the first 18 or so years I lived here, I was well --- and had very little need for the NHS. We travelled to the States frequently, and even had our medical examinations in the States.

I have always had BUPA coverage as well, so have tried my best to remove myself from the NHS to the extent possible.

But now that I have had need for the services of the NHS --- and even with BUPA, the NHS is the only game in town for emergency services --- I have been enormously disappointed by how the NHS has let me down.

I'm not paranoid. The NHS isn't picking on me. This, unfortunately, is the level of its service.

I just received a letter from the NHS today in response to my complaint about my horrible experience with the GP "out of hours" service run by the Worcestershire Primary Care Trust. What did the letter say?

Further to our letter of 26 September 2006 I write to let you know that our investigations will take a little longer than originally anticipated. This is due to unavailability of staff. We are anxious that this matter is resolved as quickly as possible and will ensure that you receive a full letter of reply from our Acting Chief Executive, Mr. Paul Bates, at the earliest opportunity.

No new target deadline is mentioned. I called, but only got voice mail. I left a message, but (as yet) no return call.

My message asked for some idea of when they would be able to respond to my complaint. And I asked for at least a preliminary, or partial, response.

I understand that on 1 September 2006 changes to the NHS Complaints Procedure Regulation came into force for complaints received by an NHS provider from 1 September 2006 onwards. Complaints made before that date must adhere to the previous regulations.

The changes include:

The timescale for the NHS provider to formally respond in full to the complainant is extended from 20 to 25 working days from the date of receipt of the complaint. This can be extended further, but only in agreement with the complainant. (In my case the NHS certainly didn't ask for my consent. Their 25 working days expire, by my count, on Monday 30 October 2006.)
The timescale for the complainant to refer their complaint to the Healthcare Commission for independent review is increased from within two months to within six months of the end of Local Resolution. End of local resolution is signified by receipt of the Final Response letter or final meeting given by the NHS provider. If Local Resolution is not completed by six months, the complainant still reserves the right to immediately refer their complaint to the Healthcare Commission.
NHS complaints that also relate to a Local Authority (i.e. involves in part social care) can be made to the NHS provider but they will seek permission from the complainant to give details to the Local Authority about the part of the complaint that concerns that authority. If the complainant agrees, the Local Authority will then handle that part of the complaint under the Social Care Complaints Regulations. Both the NHS provider and the Local Authority must cooperate to ensure the complainant receives a coordinated response, and so the parties will agree on one lead for the entire complaint.

[DrJohnCrippen]

The NHS complaints procedure is a disgrace. It drives me to distraction.

It is now so "Nu-Labour" it has been rebadges as the PALs deparment in most hopitals. There is, of course, a glossy brochure, telling you how to complain, and which forms to fill in and so on. Patient's relatives often start off NOT wanting to complain, but genuinely to find out "what happened". They are sucked into the system and end up getting so cross that they do complain.

It stinks.

I have just done an article on the tragic case of Mr Ooms. I hope it gets it some more of the attention that it richly deserves

The Death of Dirk Ooms

(http://nhsblogdoc.blogspot.com/2006/10/death-of-dirk-ooms.html)

BW


John

NHS BLOG DOCTOR

[craigwalsh]

I have just spent half an hour reading the NHS Blog Doctor (http://nhsblogdoc.blogspot.com/) website and found it very informative.

I've added this site as a link on the www.nhs-sucks.com (http://www.nhs-sucks.com) main page and hope others visit it as well.

Welcome to the forum, Dr. Crippen.

http://www.aquarena-springs.com/images/Dr-Crippen.jpg

[straightwhiteteeth]

Ah, a waiting list for compalints now. :(

[gp2]

just wait. there will eventually be a waiting list to get on the waiting list.

[keef]

So you make a NHS complaint, go through all the procedure, at the end of the day you get a result, all I've got is recommendations, doesn't mean that the NHS Trust will take notice of them.

[jenny]

The NHS Complaints Procedure is just another way to waste tax-payers money while defending sub-standard treatment. The medico-legal route is equally unsatisfactory, unless you are a lawyer or a medical expert witness. Take a look at the SIN web-site (Sufferers of Iatrogenic Neglect). They seem to have got right to the heart of the sick puppy that is the NHS.
www.sin-medicalmistakes.org
The lack of accountability has lead to a continual lowering of standards - spot on. This is so true. The health service has become "self servicing". Until patient care is put back into the heart of the service, it will continue to offer poor health care.

[Mike]

I would like to know: What exactly is the purpose of the PALS scheme? I have used it following the premature and unnecessary death of my aged mother in a North West NHS Hospital (she was unsupervised post surgery, fell out of bed, or self mobilised and broke her femur, and died subsequently under morphine). Nothing ensued after I was referred to PALS. It was a useless procedure.
I am a great supporter of the NHS ideal but the reality is not good. I do not want to get old and end up in NHS care. There is apprantly no such thing as a geriatric ward any more. Just a lot of old people waiting for or getting over surgery and mumbling (or worse!). This stinks!

[craigwalsh]

What exactly is the purpose of the PALS scheme?

I have no idea.

I took the time to file formal complaints with both the hospital trust and the primary care trust. I did my research -- obtained copies of all of my medical records using the Data Protection Act, etc. -- and wrote detailed and, I thought, unemotional letters.

The hospital trust lost my complaints (in the Chief Executive's office), and then said they'd reply to them --- and did nothing. I heard nothing back.

The primary care trust sent me brief letters --- almost form letters --- and that was pretty much it. They asked me if I wanted a meeting with a "lay conciliator," and I said yes (having no idea what a "lay conciliator" was, or what they'd do). That was in early January, and I'm still waiting. I sent a follow-up e-mail the other day. I suspect nothing will happen.

As far as my complaint about the out-of-hours service, I did have (at my request) a meeting with the doctor who heads it up. He said he thought the real problem lay with how my original telephone call was triaged. But when I asked him if he'd listened to a recording of that call, he admitted he hadn't. In other words, let's blame the call --- but without the burden of any of the facts.

He confirmed that all calls were recorded, and so I requested a copy (and offered to pay all reasonable expenses in producing this copy). I am still waiting --- over two months have passed.

A long, long time ago I worked for a huge insurance company in the States. If someone wrote to the President of the company, it went into something called the "Presidential Complaint Unit." (Always sounded a bit Stalin-esque.) The "Unit" was filled with a bunch of folks who were sort of a cross between insurance company executives and the SAS. They'd send a lurid, fluorescent "Presidential Complaint Unit" sheet over with the file, and we had 24 hours to provide all of the details, and explain (justify?) what we'd done.

The insurance company would give us (as employees) the benefit of the doubt, but if we'd made a mistake it would be promptly corrected and we were given "further training to prevent a re-occurrence."

In the NHS, the complaints procedure seems to be as broken as the rest of the system.

Has anyone tried the next step --- the Medical Ombudsman?

[limmy]

I had PAL what a utter waste of time they are not for the Patient but for the NHS what a utter waste of tax payers money