In this month’s edition of the Ombudsman’s findings, we discuss complaints handling.
This month we published decision reports from ten complaints investigated by the Ombudsman. Eight these were about health services and two about local government. The outcome of these ten complaints were
- Fully upheld: 3
- Some upheld: 5
- Not upheld: 2
We made 15 recommendations for learning and improvement.
Complaints handling
Several of our cases this month relate to complaints handling.
In one case, we found that a health board failed to respond reasonably to a patient’s complaint about their GP practice. While the board provided regular updates and apologised for the delay in issuing a response, the response given was unclear and did not answer all the points the patient raised.
In another case, a GP practice’s response to a complaint about a late patient’s care was overly informal and contained some errors which we considered added to the family’s distress.
In a third case, we found that a health board’s complaint investigation did not identify all the failings in care and treatment given to a patient in the months before they died. The complaint response also contained inaccuracies.
In all of these cases we asked the organisations to apologise and take steps to improve their complaints handling.
Complaint investigations should follow the Model Complaints Handling Procedures, ensuring responses are accurate, comprehensive and address all the issues raised. Learning from complaints should be used to drive meaningful service improvements. Health complaints, in particular, are often complex and emotive which can make investigations challenging for all involved. However, it is important to provide an empathetic and thorough response. This helps to build trust and demonstrates a strong dedication to patient care.
Our website offers a wide range of resources to support effective complaint handling. We also provide training in Good Complaints Handling and Complaints Investigation Skills. Visit our website to learn more.
All our published decision reports can be read in full on our website.