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Public service complaints ‘too hard’, watchdog says

A report published by Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman on 13th June 2015 found that only a third of people who experience poor service from public bodies such as the NHS make a complaint, a survey of more than 4,200 people has found.

The research was commissioned by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, which deals with complaints about bodies including NHS England, who says the process should be simpler.

The most common reason not to complain was feeling it would be “pointless”.

The Department of Health said it had improved complaints procedures.

The research found:

  • 92% thought people had a right to complain
  • 27% had been unhappy with service they had received in the past year – but only 34% of these made a complaint
  • people did not complain because they considered it pointless (29%), more hassle than it was worth (14%) or too time consuming (9%)

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    Bristol and South Gloucestershire residents can use The Care Forum advocacy services which support people to make a formal complaint to the NHS to learn how click here