09.11.12
NHS fails to communicate effectively – Ombudsman
The number of complaints concerning unprofessional behaviour of GPs has drastically increased, warns the new Health Service Ombudsman report.
‘Listening and learning’ includes numerous examples and case studies of complaints about the NHS with the aim of improving the way in which it handles patients’ issues.
The Health Service Ombudsman emphasised that half of complaints stem from an inability of the GPs to communicate effectively with patients and their families.
The overall number of complaints has risen by 8% this year and the report urges the NHS to look at how GPs communicate and apologise for poor communication.
Julie Mellor of the Ombudsman asserted: “The NHS needs to get better at listening to patients and their families and responding to their concerns.”
There is an increasing trend of GPs quickly and unjustly striking off patients from their practice lists, the report indicates, with complaints rising by 16%. Patients often feel that decisions have not been explained properly or are overwhelmed by jargon and false apologies, which can result in conflicts that GPs cannot adequately resolve.
Examples of poor practice listed in the report include failure to explain causes of death to bereaved families, inability to diagnose and thus treat correctly on numerous occasions, and an instance of a man dubbed as a ‘baby’ when indicating his concerns over receiving general anaesthetic.
The report stresses the necessity for “a clear shift in the attitude and practice of some GPs towards complaints” as a priority, as Julie Mellor expresses in her foreword to the report.
Chief executive of the NHS Confederation Mike Farrar confirmed that the findings must be carefully considered.
He said: “Of the 16,337 complaints the Health Ombudsman received, over two thirds were sent back to local organisations because they had not completed the NHS complaints procedure. This suggests that we are not doing enough to resolve things at an early stage and communicate with people about how they can raise their concerns.”
For more information about the report, please see: www.ombudsman.org.uk/listening-and-learning-2012/overview/foreword
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