The process for making a complaint about NHS services will be
made easier and simplified, Health Secretary today said.
Putting Things Right was introduced in 2011 as a
single process for people to raise a concern or complaint about
NHS care.
It was designed to enable immediate changes to made and for
investigations to be launched when something goes wrong with the
aim of making services better and safer; to help the NHS learn
and improve, and ensure incidents do not happen again.
Following a public consultation about proposals to
improve Putting Things Right earlier this
year, a series of changes will now be made, based on people's
feedback, including suggestions from many people with firsthand
experience of raising a complaint when their care – or a loved
one's – has gone wrong.
Putting Things Right will be simplified to speed up
the complaints process. This will include improving compassionate
communication, increasing transparency and trust, ensuring the
process is more inclusive, and updating arrangements to provide
free legal advice and medical expert reports.
Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care said : “The NHS works hard to
ensure the best possible care is available for everyone, but we
know that sometimes things can and do go wrong. “When …
… everyone who took part in this consultation. I know this must
have been a difficult process for many, but the experiences they
have shared have been vital in shaping the future of Putting
Things Right .”
