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Clinical risk management
Keywords
Ombudsman, Complaints, Training, Risk management
Abstract
Considers the role of the Ombudsman's office in the NHS. It also stresses that, whilst improvements have already been made in the format and style of investigation reports, these are still not being used to their full advantage as teaching aids for staff. An overall review of the publications issued by the Ombudsman highlights the poor dissemination of information to NHS staff. Also discusses the types of complaints dealt with by the Ombudsman and points out the small percentage of complaints which are referred to the Ombudsman or even upheld. Support and resources are the essential elements to improving service and the results of the Ombudsman's investigations are designed to assist in the ongoing development of risk management and clinical governance in the NHS.
During 1999 and 2000 the Ombudsman (The Health Service Ombudsman) received 2,526 complaints against NHS bodies and practitioners in the UK (The Health Service Ombudsman for England, 2000a, p. 1). According to the introduction in the report, 212 of these complaints were accepted for investigation and 128 investigation reports were completed. Of the completed investigation reports 98 (77 per cent) concerned matters of clinical judgement.
In addition to the annual report, a selection of investigations was published to highlight important issues and to allow public and professional scrutiny of the standards applied by the Ombudsman, his advisers and staff.
In turn, members of the profession and the public complained about the Ombudsman, in relation to the manner in which some of the investigations have been conducted, and in particular citing delays. It can take many months before an investigation is completed. The Ombudsman addressed these concerns in the final chapter of his annual report CMe Health Service Ombudsman for England, 2000a) and gave some feedback on a customer survey that was run throughout 1999 and 2000. It stated that "The main results emerging from this first report were that more than half of those who had had a complaint investigated were dissatisfied overall with our work. There is some evidence of a relationship between this response and whether or not the complaint was upheld."
The purpose of this article is not to look at the methods...