Healthcare Commission deluged with complaints
One in five complaints received by the Healthcare Commission have been waiting more than half a year to be resolved under a deluge of cases. Latest figures released by the commission show that 19 per cent of complaints have not been closed within its own six-month deadline. A further 25 per cent have been with the commission for five or six months.
As HSJ reported in February, parliamentary and health service ombudsman Ann Abraham criticised the commission for amassing a backlog of 3,700 grievances.
And the number of complaints is continuing to soar with a record 922 flooding in throughout March - the highest since the commission took over the independent stage of the process in July last year.
Healthcare Commission head of operational development Marcia Fry said all complaints received up until mid-March had been risk assessed and this reduced the chances of a serious issue going unnoticed.
The commission has employed a private company to help and she said it was working towards clearing outstanding cases by the end of August.
'We are receiving more requests than were received in the previous system. It is partly because there is greater awareness of the system and confidence in our independence.'
However Ms Fry added that 900 complaints were closed in February and March compared with just 400 from July 2004 to January.
The commission has also released a table of trusts with the most complaints since July. Top of the list is Salford Royal Hospitals with 30 referrals - although the trust claims the actual figure is 20.
Trust executive nurse director Elaine Inglesby said the table punished trusts that promoted the commission to patients. 'We consider it best practice to point people towards it,' she explained.
Eastern Cheshire primary care trust, which was second, also queried the commission's table, claiming it had been referred on 25 and not 28 occasions as quoted.
A PCT spokeswoman said dissatisfaction from patients about their ineligibility for NHS-funded continuing healthcare made up most of its complaints.
Ms Fry said the number of complaints at the trusts was not a 'cause for serious concern'.
http://www.hsj.co.uk/nav?page=hsj.news.story&resource=2365744
As HSJ reported in February, parliamentary and health service ombudsman Ann Abraham criticised the commission for amassing a backlog of 3,700 grievances.
And the number of complaints is continuing to soar with a record 922 flooding in throughout March - the highest since the commission took over the independent stage of the process in July last year.
Healthcare Commission head of operational development Marcia Fry said all complaints received up until mid-March had been risk assessed and this reduced the chances of a serious issue going unnoticed.
The commission has employed a private company to help and she said it was working towards clearing outstanding cases by the end of August.
'We are receiving more requests than were received in the previous system. It is partly because there is greater awareness of the system and confidence in our independence.'
However Ms Fry added that 900 complaints were closed in February and March compared with just 400 from July 2004 to January.
The commission has also released a table of trusts with the most complaints since July. Top of the list is Salford Royal Hospitals with 30 referrals - although the trust claims the actual figure is 20.
Trust executive nurse director Elaine Inglesby said the table punished trusts that promoted the commission to patients. 'We consider it best practice to point people towards it,' she explained.
Eastern Cheshire primary care trust, which was second, also queried the commission's table, claiming it had been referred on 25 and not 28 occasions as quoted.
A PCT spokeswoman said dissatisfaction from patients about their ineligibility for NHS-funded continuing healthcare made up most of its complaints.
Ms Fry said the number of complaints at the trusts was not a 'cause for serious concern'.
http://www.hsj.co.uk/nav?page=hsj.news.story&resource=2365744
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