In a new report by the Healthcare Commission, figures show that the NHS may not be doing enough to resolve patients' grievances locally. The report states that over 25% of complaints referred to the Healthcare Commission (second stage in the complaints process) are sent back to the referring trust because the Commission feels not enough has been done to resolve the complaint locally. To improve complaints handling, the Healthcare Commission is:
- developing new criteria for good complaints handling which will be used to assess trusts in their annual performance rating
- calling on strategic health authorities to manage the way trusts in their area resolve complaints more effectively
- providing advice on good complaints handling
- offering training for the trusts who send the Commission the greatest number of complaints to try to achieve local resolution.