Hundreds of complaints to Trust in 2018

Hundreds of formal complaints were made to the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay last year, figures reveal.
Hundreds of complaints were made to UHMBT in 2018.Hundreds of complaints were made to UHMBT in 2018.
Hundreds of complaints were made to UHMBT in 2018.

The Society for Acute Medicine says it is “vital” that trusts engage with and learn from complaints, and address concerns that patients bring up.

The University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust received 407 written complaints from patients and their families in 2018, according to the latest NHS data.

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More than half the complaints raised issues about medical treatment received while in hospital, and a further 9% were concerned about the attitude and behaviour of staff.

Trusts with limited funding can find themselves unable to resolve complaints, according to the Society for Acute Medicine.

The society’s president, Dr Nick Scriven, said: “You feel for staff under incredible pressure, doing their best but knowing it won’t please everyone.However, it is vital trusts engage openly with and seek to learn from the complaints process itself, and take appropriate action on complaints that are upheld.”At the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay, staff resolved 482 formal complaints last year, including some from previous years.

In 15% of cases, evidence was found to support the complaint and an admission was made by the trust, and 42% were recorded as partially upheld.

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The remainder were deemed to be unsubstantiated, frivolous or vexatious.

Patients’ rights group Healthwatch said its members complain because they want to improve quality of care in the future. Acute trusts across England recorded 76,500 complaints last year, up from 57,000 in 2015.

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