Manchester NHS receives record complaints
It has been revealed that written complaints about NHS services in Greater Manchester have reached their highest level since records began in 1997. Almost 6,000 were recorded for the period 2008/09 to 2009/10, an increase of nearly 15%.
The majorty of complaints, almost half, were regarding clinical treatment, followed by staff attitude, and delays and cancellations. Nationally the figure rose to 101,077 from from 89,139, an increase of 13%.
Katherine Murphy, the chief executive of the Patients Association, commented: “The rise in complaints is very worrying and is reflected in an increase in the number of people contacting us. We hear absolutely appalling stories of neglect, misdiagnosis and a distinct lack of care and compassion.
“We know many people receive good care but that doesn’t excuse the poor care received by others. Keep in mind many people want to complain but don’t and these figures will certainly massively underestimate the number of people that actually want to complain.”
These figures mark the last 12 months of the Labour government’s stewardship of the NHS. Despite the hard work of NHS staff, they demonstrate that, after 13 years of targets and tick boxes, more people than ever complained about their experience of the NHS.
The biggest annual rise in complaints in 12 years is the public’s verdict of the last government’s NHS record.
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