....... speak up if you have any concerns about hospital experiences. At our recent Ladies Day, a number of people expressed worries about experiences they have had in different hospitals around the country. Doctors and nurses reassured them that it is possible to speak to someone about it and most hospitals have a system in place for this. Any difficulties can then be discussed and action taken so that hopefully, other people won’t have the same experience. For example, Dr Tony Laurie said Salisbury NHS Trust is very good at dealing with people’s concerns. Chris Goard, CGDRT Chief Executive, and non-executive director of the Nuffield Orthopaedic Trust, later said that many NHS Trusts are similar.
Until recently, Salisbury operated a PALS (Patient Advisory Liaison System). This is now known as the Customer Help Desk but the aim remains the same: to enable people to raise any concern they have about any aspect of their hospital visit, free from anxiety that this may affect their care, and to give people confidence that their issue will be dealt with constructively.
Patients are encouraged to make contact by phone, post and email. Alternatively they can go to the Desk between 9 am and 4.30 pm, and chat through the problem. It could be anything from being unable to park to being unhappy about the way they have been spoken to, or about a concern about treatment. As well as the small number of formal complaints received, every concern and comment is logged, and these are reviewed. The NHS Trust Board receives a quarterly report of them all. Each person is contacted about their concern. In many instances, steps are put in place to remedy a problem, so that other people don’t have the same experience.
The Salisbury hospital staff feel this works well. For example, a ‘Gold Tray Initiative’ was introduced when a number of concerns were raised about patients who were unable to feed themselves. A practical solution was put in place: each patient who is unable to feed him/herself receives meals on a gold-coloured tray. This immediately flags up their need to staff.
Hayley Pozzi, Customer Care Department, said ‘We do take this very seriously in Salisbury. We view the process very much as a chance for learning. We make the service as accessible as possible to people, so that it is easy for them to contact us one way or another. We tell people in leaflets and oosters how to raise concerns and there are cards on the ward inviting people to ‘Tell us about your stay’. They can do this anonymously, which removes any anxiety they may have about their view having any impact on their care.’
Ask your local hospital for a leaflet on what to do if you have any concerns. Salisbury NHS Trust produces a good one called: Comments, Concerns, Compliments and Complaints; Listening, acting and improving. It explains: ‘Even though we work very hard to stop things going wrong, we recognise that they sometimes do. When this happens we would like to know so that we can try to put things right and stop the same sort of thing happening again to you, or to someone else.
We have an open and honest approach to dealing with complaints and ensure that they are investigated thoroughly and fairly to establish the facts. We work hard to learn from what people have told us to help us improve the services that we deliver.’
Your hospital leaflet should cover how to raise comments, concerns and complaints; what to do if your feel your complaints have not been resolved, what happens to complaints and how they are dealt with.
Importantly, do raise your concerns as soon as possible and do give as much information as you can.
For more information on this subject, you can visit http://www.pals.nhs.uk/cmsContentView.aspx?ItemID=932
IMPORTANT NOTE :
The information contained on this website is intended only as a guideline, not as a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your doctor if you or your child has any CGD symptoms or concerns.
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Registered Charity No. 1003425 email:cgd@cgdrt.co.uk
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