Recently Which? commissioned a survey into how complaints were handled by the NHS – the results were shocking; 40% of people who experienced problems within the NHS didn’t complain and of those who did, more than half felt then were ignored, while 43% were dissatisfied by the outcome.
The recent public inquiry into the scandal at Stafford Hospital, saw complaints handling become a top priority for change and Which? are committed to not letting the government forget, so they are looking for 50,000 signatures on the #UNMUTE campaign which is asking the government to:
- Give people a role in triggering inspections by regulators through their complaints.
- Give people a unified public services ombudsman which can swiftly deal with their unresolved complaints.
- Give people a voice by allowing representative groups to make super-complaints in our public services, as they do in private markets.
The campaign is being supported by spoken-word artist George the Poet and music producer Jakwob, who have come up with a unique track in support and once the campaign reaches 50,000 signatures the full track will become #UNMUTED.
If you have ever felt unheard, please sign this petition - unmuteuk.com/
Written by
lynmynott
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This is a very serious problem as the culture is wrong, not only is it dangerous and vile for patients to complain, as I found out with my own family, the same applies to staff. 15.7 billion and rising in money wasted to litigation, imagine the extra staff and clinics that could be funded with that. Our institutions only safeguard their lucrative top layer salaries, usually he non medical ones. Whitewash Whitehall prefers box ticking exercises and also colludes with the GMC in terms of perpetuating dinosaur attitudes that keep patients in their place. A good example is the surgeon who whistleblew at Basildon recently, he has no job and was treated atrociously. One also has to ask why other doctors who whistleblew on behalf of patients are left in a position where they are institutionally set up so they can never have a career again. The culture must be challenged from both sides. Thanks for putting the petition on again.
So yes I did sign the petition above and circulate, but I will also continue to support medical whistleblowers as much as I can in my own way. We have to change the entire culture, often staff wish to speak out but it is at the cost of their entire careers!
My family including young children were subjected to institutional bullying from three ghastly institutions at once including the regulator and my path out of this gave me a birds eye view of both sides. I complained about a dire GP practice, which thanks to my unstinting efforts now has good staff, (not that I can use it), and my children now have the correct diagnosis, as do I, but no thanks to either my local PCT or Whitehall to get things back on track, my own efforts!
MaryF
Quite frankly the PHSO is not fit for purpose. I have found it to be dishonest, evasive and incompetent. It's inappropriate practices deny any complainant, accountability and justice when reporting the appalling standards to which they have been subjected.
Sadly, this culture is endemic within many areas of the NHS.
Katherine Murphy, Chief Executive of the Patients Association wrote in a newsletter to e-members newsletter last year:
“The NHS complaints system is rotten to its very core. The Government and NHS England need to stop wasting public money holding repeated reviews, what needs to be done is simple and clear, they need to get on and reform the Complaints system”
An editorial in the BMJ by Fiona Godlee editor “Towards the patient revolution” quotes:
-------- “With the new tools at their disposal patients will hold us all accountable in new and necessary ways,”
singed and sent reasons for signing ......... in my view its the way that complaints are handled ------ AT THE START ----- that are the major problems of the system , 'I'm not at fault - and if I am I've got to cover it up ' syndrome .....that way nobody will ever learn from previous mistakes and stop them happening again
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