Which? complaints report welcomed by the CQC

A report has been published today by the consumer group Which?, about how complaints are handled in the public sector.

The report, which was welcomed by the Care Quality Commission, projects that more than five million people had a poor experience with a public service last year without complaining.

The report went on to ask for better support to help people to complain. The CQC has also found too much variation in the way that complaints are handled.

Prof Sir Mike Richards, the CQC’s chief inspector of hospitals, said “The findings from Which? mirror our own recent investigation of the complaints system across health care in England. We found huge variation where people who raise concerns were often met with a defensive culture rather than one that listens and is willing to listen.

“A service that is safe, responsive and well-led will treat each concern as an opportunity to improve, will encourage its staff to raise concerns without the fear of any consequences and will respond openly and honestly to complaints. Our evidence suggests that services are not quite there yet, so more needs to be done to inspire an open culture where concerns are welcomed and acted upon.

“We consider various information; including the number of complaints, to help us decide when and where to inspect. Serious concerns raised to us can lead to unannounced inspections.

“We have a role in supporting this change through our inspections. We will continue to hold health care services to the high standards that people both expect and deserve.”

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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), Medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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