- Nhs Complaints Must Lead To Better Quality Of Care Baroness Jay. Department
of Health Press Release 98/025 Thursday 22nd January 1998
- Handling Complaints: Monitoring The Nhs Complaints Procedure England
1996-97 - Prepared By The Government Statistical Service. Department
of Health Press Release 98/026 Thursday 22nd January 1998
- Patient Voice Must Be Heard In Research - Baroness Jay. Department
of Health Press Release 98/035 Wednesday 28th January 1998
- Keeping Lawyers Out Of Hospitals, Keeping Doctors Out Of Court. Department
of Health Press Release 98/075 Thursday 26th February 1998
- Patients Must Be Given Greater Say In Nhs - Milburn. Department
of Health Press Release 98/084 Monday 09th March 1998
- Dobson To Tackle Rising Levels Of Litigation In The Health Service. Department
of Health Press Release 98/162 Wednesday 29th April 1998
- The chief medical officer (CMO), Professor Liam Donaldson, today set out
plans for the reform of medical negligence compensation, a move which
ministers hope will cap the spiralling legal costs of claims against the NHS.
David
Batty Guardian Society Wednesday August 29, 2001
- The government's health watchdog called yesterday for a national register
of NHS complaints, after exposing a "culture of complacency" that
had allowed a Leicestershire family doctor to abuse young male patients for
12 years. Peter Green, a Loughborough GP, was jailed for eight years
in July 2000 after being found guilty of nine charges of abusing five male
patients. John
Carvel, Social affairs editor Guardian Friday August 31, 2001
- Report attacks NHS complaints service. David
Batty Guardian Society Thursday August 30, 2001
- The value of advocacy in mental health is being recognised Linda
Steele Guardian
Wednesday September 5, 2001
- Health service anecdotes and analysis. Guardian
letters Thursday January 24, 2002
- Dog days for the health service. Guardian
letters
Friday January 25, 2002
- No-fault plan to cut NHS baby injury bill Lawyers fight alternative
to multimillion 'blame culture'. Guardian
Unlimited Friday January 25, 2002
- Guardian Saturday February 9, 2002. LSD patients win payout.
The NHS has agreed to pay a total of £195,000 in an out-of-court settlement
to 43 former psychiatric patients who were treated with the hallucinogenic
drug LSD between 1950 and 1970. End of report.
- Suing may soon involve an even bigger risk, says Richard Colbey. Guardian
Saturday March 2, 2002
- Hospital that blundered pays £4.5m to RAF man Botched surgery left
talented cadet with severe brain damage. Clare Dyer, legal
correspondent Guardian
Tuesday March 26, 2002
- Cost of NHS claims may hit £8bn David Hencke, Westminster correspondent Guardian
Wednesday April 24, 2002
- In need of intensive care. Guardian
letters Friday April 26, 2002
- Huge rise in medical negligence claims. James Meikle, health
correspondent Guardian
Monday June 3, 2002
- Parents invest in aid to NHS. James Meikle, health correspondent Tuesday
June 18, 2002 The Guardian
- Watchdog warns of gaps in waiting list deals. NHS patients left
'stranded' in private sector agreements. John Carvel, social affairs
editor Tuesday
June 25, 2002 The Guardian
- Errors of omission that gave cause for alarm. John Carvel Tuesday
June 25, 2002 The Guardian
- Compensation: Collapse adds insult to injury. As customers count the
cost of receivership at personal litigation specialists Claims Direct, Mary
O'Hara looks at growing concern over a shift towards US-style
thinking. Mary O'Hara Guardian
Saturday July 20, 2002
- Forty-two women who say they were raped or sexually assaulted by the
disgraced gynaecologist Rodney Ledward have launched a group action in the
high court against the former health authority that employed him.
Tuesday November 12, 2002 The Guardian
- Compensation culture is costing Britain £10bn a year - equal to 1% of the
country's GDP - with around £2bn ending up in the pockets of lawyers
Patrick Collinson
Tuesday December 17, 2002 The Guardian
- Milburn eyes no-fault system for settling NHS claims. Kamal Ahmed
Sunday
December 29, 2002 The Observer
- More than 2,000 parents around the country are to bring a class action
against the health service, following the systematic stripping of organs from
their children for research purposes. Jo Revill, health editor
Sunday January 26, 2003 The Observer
- NHS pays £1.8m to man injured by brick. Clare Dyer, legal
correspondent
Tuesday February 18, 2003 The Guardian
- The health service has agreed to pay nearly £300,000 compensation to 16
women who accused a senior psychiatrist of sexual abuse. Only one claim was
proved in court but health officials admitted failure to investigate
complaints against the consultant over more than 20 years. Martin Wainwright
Thursday April 17, 2003 The Guardian
- A breakdown of trust between doctors and patients is causing tension and
uncertainty in the NHS, Alan Milburn, the health secretary, warned last night.
John Carvel
Wednesday May 21, 2003 The Guardian
- The health service ombudsman for England received a record number of
complaints last year, according to figures published today.
Thursday June 26, 2003
- Plans to speed-up NHS compensation claims. Patrick Butler
Monday June 30, 2003
- Reform of compensation for medical negligence. Clare Dyer, legal
correspondent
Tuesday July 1, 2003 The Guardian
- Price of patients. Counting the cost of medical negligence. Leader
Wednesday July 2, 2003 The Guardian
- All NHS trusts will set up joint investigation teams with the police to
speed up checks on doctors and nurses suspected of abuse and malpractice,
under measures to be presented at the Shipman inquiry. David Batty
Tuesday July 29, 2003
- A new computer system that spots unusually high patient death rates should
help prevent another serial killer like Harold Shipman striking in the NHS,
according to researchers at Imperial College, London. David Batty
Tuesday July 29, 2003
- Thousands of haemophiliacs in Britain are to get financial help from the
government to help cope with a hepatitis infection they contracted from
contaminated blood-clotting products 15 to 30 years ago. James Meikle, health
correspondent
Saturday August 30, 2003 The Guardian
- A man allegedly brain damaged by hospital treatment when he was two months
old won a £500,000 settlement from the NHS in the high court yesterday, nearly
40 years after he suffered the injuries. Clare Dyer
Tuesday October 28, 2003 The Guardian
- Widows and children of haemophiliacs who died from hepatitis infection
caused by contaminated blood products could be excluded from a government aid
package for infected patients, campaigners warned last night. James Meikle,
health correspondent
Wednesday October 29, 2003 The Guardian
- Simpler NHS complaints system to be unveiled. Tash Shifrin
Wednesday December 17, 2003
- Thousands of people infected with hepatitis C as a result of NHS treatment
will receive compensation worth up to £45,000, the health secretary, John
Reid, said today. David Batty
Friday January 23, 2004
- Haemophiliacs and others infected with hepatitis C through contaminated
blood products expressed outrage last night at the level of government ex
gratia payments and the exclusion of widows and families from help. James
Meikle, health correspondent
Saturday January 24, 2004 The Guardian
- Families who care for relatives with dementia in their own homes stand to
benefit from a health ombudsman's decision. Barbara Pointon complained to the
ombudsman after local officials decided that the 24-hour seven-day attention
she gave her husband Malcolm was not nursing care, so it would not be funded
when she took a rest. James Meikle, health correspondent
Monday February 2, 2004 The Guardian
- Compensation claims are starving the NHS of vital funds, and turning us
into a society that feasts on blame. Polly Toynbee
Friday February 20, 2004 The Guardian
- "Blame, claim and gain" culture is costing the NHS and schools money they
can ill afford, and should be curbed by the government, Stephen Byers said
yesterday. "Money is being taken away from saving lives and educating our
children to pay for a compensation system in which the real beneficiaries are
the lawyers and accident management companies," the former cabinet minister,
himself a lawyer, told a conference in Birmingham. Michael White
Wednesday March 10, 2004 The Guardian
- More than 170 people infected by hospital "superbug" MRSA are considering
taking legal action against NHS trusts, it has emerged.
Thursday April 8, 2004
- A man whose wife died after being accidentally prescribed an overdose of
drugs has successfully complained about the manner in which hospital managers
treated his attempts to find out what happened. The health ombudsman upheld
Maurice Jones's criticisms against the NHS trust running Watford general
hospital, in Hertfordshire, nearly 14 months after a jury returned a verdict
of neglect at the inquest on his wife, Joan. James Meikle, health
correspondent
Monday April 12, 2004 The Guardian
- Injured patients could lose the right to legal aid to sue the NHS, and
divorcing spouses on low incomes could be forced to borrow against family
assets under government proposals to shave £41m off the £695m civil legal aid
bill. Clare Dyer, legal correspondent
Friday
July 23, 2004 The Guardian
- David Davis, the shadow home secretary, resolutely continued yesterday
marching further into the legal quagmire he entered last week. Undeterred by a
recent report from the better regulation task force that suggested Britain's
growing "compensation culture" was a myth generated by the media, Mr Davis
insisted it was time to inject more personal responsibility and common sense
into the system. We agree with his goal, but disagree with both his analysis
and his solution. Leader
Tuesday
August 24, 2004 The Guardian
- Worried doctors opt for caesareans. Doctors admit they fear mothers will
sue after difficult births, despite 20 per cent fall in legal claims against
NHS trusts by patients. Jo Revill, health editor
Sunday October 24, 2004 The Observer
- The lord chancellor yesterday warned ambulance-chasing claims companies
which encourage frivolous accident claims that they must regulate themselves
or face a government crackdown. Clare Dyer, legal correspondent
Thursday
November 11, 2004 The Guardian
- Unresolved complaints from NHS patients have almost trebled over the past
10 months, the health inspectorate said yesterday. The Healthcare Commission
blames trusts for passing on grievances which they have failed to sort out
themselves. John Carvel
Friday
June 24, 2005 The Guardian
- Encouraging patients' "naked consumerism" in the form of complaints will
not benefit the NHS, a medical journal warned today. Instead, the most
important challenge facing modern medicine is the need to strengthen the
patient-doctor relationship, according to an editorial in the Lancet. Roxanne
Escobales and agencies
Friday
July 29, 2005
- Patients seeking compensation as a result of clinical negligence in the
NHS should receive a decision on their case within six months, according to
the NHS litigation authority chief. Hélène Mulholland
Friday
August 19, 2005
- Patients will no longer have to struggle with lawyers and courts to get
compensation for injuries they may have suffered in hospital, the government
said yesterday. Jane Kennedy, the health minister, said a scheme offering
quick settlements of up to £20,000 a time was "an important step in preventing
a US-style litigation culture". While the most serious cases would still end
up in court, thousands of lesser ones would be settled quickly without
recourse to lawyers. Sarah Boseley, health editor
Friday October 14, 2005 The Guardian
- The NHS has paid out more than £3.6m in damages to families affected by
the organ retention scandal involving their children, it emerged yesterday.
More than 1,270 claimants have successfully sued the health service in a
national group action after finding the organs of their relatives had been
removed without their consent. The claims relate to cases, many involving
children, at 146 hospital trusts across England. The agreed settlement follows
a legal battle which began in 2001 and culminated in a high court hearing last
year. Helen Carter
Tuesday
November 22, 2005 The Guardian
-
Veteran health service manager Ken Jarrold retires at the end of December, but
he is not going meekly. His
valedictory speech to the Institute of Health Management last week was a
powerful critique of the NHS under new Labour. Jarrold skewered Labour's
failings unerringly: policy incoherence, thoughtless structural change, and no
effective financial management. Most startling was his assessment of the
corrosive effect of targets: "There is bullying and harassment at all levels.
The drive to deliver has become, in some places, an opportunity for
inappropriate behaviour. Performance management is not a value-free zone."
Patrick Butler Wednesday
November 23, 2005 The Guardian
- Hundreds of survivors of one of the worst medical disasters in the history
of the NHS are demanding millions of pounds of compensation from the
government to alleviate the acute poverty in which many of them are now
living. Haemophiliacs and other patients who were infected with HIV and
hepatitis by contaminated blood have presented a detailed case to the
Department of Health for one-off payments of up to £750,000 each and a rise in
monthly allowances they are already being paid. They say initial compensation
paid in the early Nineties, ranging from £21,000 to £80,000, was calculated on
the assumption - widely held by doctors then - that they were facing imminent
death. Lorna Martin
Sunday April 16, 2006 The Observer
- Got a pain? Don't complain. The NHS complaints system is so ineffective,
you would almost think those in charge didn't want to listen, says Sarah Head.
Tuesday
May 9, 2006 [See
Sharon Wilson index
for ICAS in action]
- NHS
'complaints' body criticised. The Healthcare Commission, which is meant to
deal with unresolved NHS complaints, is missing its own target. The commission
is meant to deal with 85% of complaints within 6 months. However over half of
current cases have been with staff for longer than that. When the Healthcare
Commission was set up it was hailed as a new element of independence within
the system; however it soon became clear that its target of dealing with all
complaints within six months was unachievable. It has now been revealed that
the commission is failing its revised targets of dealing with 85% of
complaints within six months, and 95% within a year. Summary by
Keep our NHS Public
of BBC Online 4
September 2006
- The NHS watchdog charged with investigating patients' complaints has a
huge backlog of cases, it emerged today. The Healthcare Commission is failing
to meet its target of completing 95% of its investigations into complaints
unresolved by local NHS trusts within six months, according to the BBC Radio 4
Today programme. The watchdog, which also directly investigates the
performance of NHS trusts, has a backlog of 3,000 cases - 55% of the total,
according to data gained under the Freedom of Information Act. Of those,
nearly 900 cases have spent more than a year waiting for review. David Batty
and agencies
Monday September 4, 2006 Guardian Unlimited
- The huge and rising volume of complaints from the public about the NHS and
the failure of hospitals to handle them properly may prompt a full-scale
investigation by parliament's financial watchdog, the National Audit Office.
Sir John Bourn, the head of the NAO, reveals in a letter to Conservative MP
Richard Bacon that the Health Commission, the body responsible for handling
serious complaints, is receiving up to double the number it expected to handle
when it was set up in 2004. At the time it was expected to handle between
3,500 and 5,000 a year. Up until June this year it has received 15,460. As a
result, Sir John says the commission does not have enough money or resources
to handle all these complaints and it has missed targets for investigating
cases causing "distress and distrust" among patients and their relatives.
David Hencke, Westminster correspondent
Friday November 10, 2006 Guardian Unlimited
- Curbing the ambulance chasers. A new act aims to tackle
compensation culture in the NHS. Rachel Brown explains the background - and
what it means for patients. The NHS Redress Act 2006 received royal assent
earlier this month; it could have serious implications for patients whose NHS
care has left them worse off, rather than improving their situation.
Thursday November 23, 2006 SocietyGuardian.co.uk
- Referrals to NHS watchdog soar. A child who was given the wrong
vaccination because of a mix-up over names and a new mother who almost bled to
death following poor treatment at an acute hospital are among complaints
received by England's health watchdog, its first report on patients' concerns
reveals today. The number of complaints referred to the Healthcare Commission
has almost trebled since August 2004, when it took on the role of adjudicator
in cases that cannot be resolved between NHS trusts and patients. Some 8% of
complaints - 8,500 a year - are referred to the commission because they cannot
be resolved. Over half (54%) of complaints relate to the way in which NHS
staff treat death. Almost a quarter of complaints concern patient safety, with
the most serious including children having problems with immunisations. Lost
notes, elderly people being placed on mixed wards, and hospital-acquired
infections are among other common concerns. Sarah Hall, health correspondent
Thursday February 1, 2007 The Guardian
- 'NHS cuts will
cause rise in negligence claims'. Health campaigners have warned that
plans to cut medical staff will lead to a huge rise in negligence claims as it
emerged that £539m was spent on settling claims against hospitals. The NHS
Litigation Authority revealed that there was £8bn in claims outstanding across
the country. Sue Sulis, secretary of the Community Care Protection Group said:
"There will always be errors made where risky procedures are involved. The
government is not making life easier for trusts trying to make cuts in nursing
staff and doctors. This will only lead to an increase in negligence claims due
to insufficient staff being put under enormous pressure."
Summary by
Keep our NHS Public of Hackney
Gazette 2 February 2007
- Hospital fined £80,000 over legionella death. A hospital has been
fined £80,000 after a man who had recovered from leukaemia died after
contracting legionnaires' disease just days before he was due to be
discharged. After months of chemotherapy, Daryl Eyles had been told he was in
remission and could plan to leave hospital when he contracted legionnaires'
disease from a hospital shower head and died. Yesterday
Bath's Royal United hospital, which later admitted liability for Mr Eyles'
death after an investigation found that basic maintenance of its water system
had not been carried out, was fined £80,000 for ignoring safety guidelines.
Judge Richard Bromilow said at Bristol crown court that the trust had been
guilty of failing to comply with a series of safety guidelines when Mr Eyles
died in 2004. He described the penalty as an "awful irony" because it would
have an impact on health services provided by the hospital. Lee Glendinning
Friday
March 30, 2007 The Guardian
- It's not all about money. Huge fines imposed against hospitals and
rail companies can only be counter-productive. Roy Hattersley
Monday April 2, 2007 The Guardian
- NHS patients get help to make complaints. Many patients still
struggle to voice their concerns and complaints about the NHS in
Scotland,
campaigners warned yesterday. Citizens Advice Scotland looked at the
experiences of people who have complained about the NHS since April 2005. They
said that the level of formal complaints made against the NHS was likely to be
"an underestimate of the true level of dissatisfaction".
Care & Health 14 September 2007
- Patients do not see point of complaining, survey finds. Half the
patients treated in NHS hospitals are dissatisfied with the standard of care,
a survey by the consumer organisation Which? reveals today. But it found few
patients complain to NHS staff about inedible food, lack of cleanliness or
poor organisation on the wards. Among those who were dissatisfied, over a
third thought raising an issue would not make any difference. Almost a quarter
said nothing because they "expected their hospital stay to be like that" and
12% feared that a complaint would provoke reprisals and compromise their care.
Which? said doctors, managers and politicians interpreted the low level of
complaints as evidence of patient satisfaction. But the survey suggested they
were fooling themselves. John Carvel
Friday
October 5, 2007 The Guardian
- 'Silent
suffering' in hospitals. More than one in ten hospital patients refuse to
complain about poor care or cleanliness for fear it will compromise their
treatment. Gordon Brown has backed a campaign by Which
? magazine, which conducted a survey that led to the findings, to
communication between hospitals and patients. The magazine's survey found that
12% of patients were prepared to put up with failings for fear of
repercussions. It also found that 49% were generally unhappy with an aspect of
their care but over a third did not raise their concerns because they thought
it would make no difference. Nick Stace, the director of campaigns at Which
?, said: "We've identified a deadlock in the system that's led to a
real complacency culture existing in the NHS and a service which doesn't
tackle the issues that matter to patients. The NHS now needs a complete
culture shift." Summary by
Keep our NHS Public of Telegraph
5 October 2007
- NHS patients who complain risk victimisation, say inspectors. NHS
patients who complain about a poor standard of care are at risk of being
victimised, health inspectors warn today after the first national audit of the
complaints system in England. The Healthcare Commission said it launched the
review after becoming increasingly concerned about how hospitals and primary
care trusts respond when patients criticise the behaviour of staff or
conditions in hospitals or GP surgeries. After a risk assessment of all
trusts, it identified 32 hospitals, ambulance services and primary care trusts
which appeared to have the least satisfactory arrangements. Inspectors found
none had comprehensive safeguards to ensure that people who complained could
be confident their care would not suffer as a result. They identified
"significant lapses" at nine of the audited trusts. "The main concern was an
absence of systems to monitor whether care had changed in any way as a result
of a complaint," the commission said. Few trusts were using complaints to
learn how to improve the service. The commission named 12 trusts where it
found "significant lapses" in one or more of the national standards for
managing NHS complaints. It said this would affect their marks in the annual
performance tables. Another six were given formal warnings and 12 were told to
make improvements. Only two got a clean bill of health. The commission
investigates about 8,000 appeals a year from patients who have complained to a
hospital or primary care trust and are dissatisfied with the response. Its
report concluded: "Processes can be fragmented and applied inconsistently
within individual trusts and across the NHS ... the emphasis remains on the
process rather than seeking to find resolution for the person raising a
complaint." It criticised trusts for doing little to help people from ethnic
minority communities or patients with learning difficulties. Anna Walker, the
commission's chief executive, said: "Given that the NHS provides 380m
treatments a year, the number of complaints - 140,000 - is relatively small.
But when someone does complain, trusts need to respond well. Patients want
complaints resolved quickly and locally." The report praised one of the
largest and busiest acute hospitals in the north-west for learning from a
complaint about a patient who died after an MRSA infection. Relatives
expressed concern about staff wearing uniforms outside the hospital, risking
contamination. The trust devised a new dress code and invested in facilities
for staff to change clothes. Peter Walsh, chief executive of Action against
Medical Accidents, said: "This audit is further evidence, as if we needed it,
that the way many NHS organisations handle complaints adds insult to injury
and there is an urgent need for improvement."
John Carvel, social affairs editor
Monday
October 8, 2007 The Guardian. [The list is incomplete as it omits NHS
bodies in the
York area, despite the prolonged neglect of
Sharon Wilson.]
- NHS patients 'see no point' in complaining. Only one in six
patients who have a bad experience of the NHS complain because most see no
point, new research shows. Just 17 per cent of people dissatisfied with the
service at a hospital or GP practice bother to make their feelings known,
according to Which?, the consumers organisation. Of those who did not
complain, 57 per cent did not do so because they thought it would make no
difference and 32 per cent because they feared any future care they might need
would be affected. Among those who did complain, only 27 per cent were
satisfied with how their concerns were handled and a mere 15 per cent were
happy with the eventual outcome. 'The NHS needs a complete culture shift so
that patients are encouraged to provide feedback throughout their time in
hospital and are assured that their comments will make a difference,' said
Which? health campaigner Frances Blunden. Denis Campbell
Sunday
October 21, 2007 The Observer
PETITIONS
- We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to provide that persons
injured, distressed or subjected to unnecessary pain or suffering during care
by the National Health Service may be awarded
fair compensation without
having to prove negligence on the part of the NHS; to define eligibility
for compensation; to establish a Medical Injury Compensation Board and to make
other provision for assessment of eligibility and payment of fair
compensation.
(updated 7 May 2007)
- Petition to: Call for a
National Investigation into The NHS TRUSTS' COMPLAINTS PROCESS. As many
people have found out the NHS COMPLAINTS SYSTEM is designed to protect members
of staff rather than offer apologies or Justice to justifiably aggrieved
patients. In consequence of the BIASED scandalous way in which COMPLAINTS ARE
handled for a lot of people there is no ACCOUNTABILITY. I humbly submit this
petition on behalf of those whose Humans Rights have been Neglected, Violated
and Abused. In line with Article 13 -The Right to an effective remedy
(ECHR)
(updated 6 July 2007)
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