Healthwatch research finds patients unsatisfied with NHS complaints system
Healthwatch Haringey and other local Healthwatch fed into the research with some feedback we had received from patients. Healthwatch England also commissioned a poll to find out whether people know how to make complaints about their NHS healthcare and get support to do so.
The investigation found serious failings in how the service listens to and responds to patient feedback. It highlighted that “the patient voice is simply not loud enough. There are real problems in responsiveness of services to the people they are intended to serve."
Report: A pain to complain
Key findings
The poll, conducted by YouGov, found that out of 2,650 adults living in England who had a poor experience of NHS healthcare, over half, 56%, took no action about their care, and fewer than one in 10, nine per cent, made a formal complaint.
Among those who didn’t formally complain when they had a poor experience, research identified a number of key barriers to doing so, including:
- Around a third of respondents, 34%, didn’t believe the NHS would use their complaint to improve services.
- A third, 33%, thought NHS organisations wouldn’t respond effectively to their complaint.
Key recommendations
The NHS does not consistently welcome, handle, respond to or learn from complaints in a patient-centred manner. We need action to:
- Make the complaints process easier for patients and their families to navigate.
- Monitor and improve the performance of organisations that handle complaints.
- Develop a culture of listening to and learning from complaints.
