To tell folk who have a complaint about the NHS..

[Ffsnosexallowed]

Don't, just don't.

We are all hanging on by a thread just now. We don't have the time to be investigating and responding to why your appointment 2 months ago was delayed. I'm trying to get ppe for staff visiting covid positive patients, and while I feel bad about the fact that someone in a clinic didn't hold the door open for you I just don't have the time or energy to respond to you within 5 days. I can't ask people who are desperately trying to get enough staff to visit dying people to take time to investigate why district nurses didn't arrive in time 3 months ago to change a catheter. I care about you, I really and honestly do. I want to provide a good service to you. But I can't do it all.

So don't, just don't.

YABU. They should make the complaint whenever they like/feel able to. If you can't offer your normal service in investigating that complaint right now, then just tell them that. In fact, your manager should already have made a plan to auto-respond to such emails and explain that.

Yanbu. I completely agree

I so agree, some people are never happy and nitpick over the smallest thing, now is not the time for it.

YANBU, and thank you for all you’re doing

But it’s not you doing it all. There is a specific department to deal with complaints.

If people are not getting the required service then, pandemic or not, they have a right to complain and find out why. Overworked is not an excuse for negligence or improper care.

No, complaints are passed to the correct people in a department to investigate. The sister, matron, department head etc. have to investigate complaints. Pals are the people who liaise, not the people who investigate.

If the level of care isn,t what it should yes complain. But yes be sympathetic to the current situation as well.

if a medical practitioner was negligent and that negligence resulted in complications or even , death, then a complaint needs to be raised.
A delayed appointment could have serious consequences.
Coronavirus does not exempt malpractice.

YANBU
So much bigger things to worry about right now. And no there won't be a complaints dept, some will be isolating and the rest will be redeployed. OP good luck for next few months xx

People need to start lowering their expectations. Fast.

@Floatyboat ....exact that

What Floatiboat said.

Some people just love to whine. They get a kick out of it. Try not to let the idiots get you down.

Normal service has stopped resuming in almost every part of the NHS. People need to take responsibility for their expectations, we're are in the middle of a pandemic. Nothing will be as you want it to be, but hopefully it means that some deaths can be prevented.

if a medical practitioner was negligent and that negligence resulted in complications or even , death, then a complaint needs to be raised

No, this would be a serious incident and would be investigated by a trust and/or by the GMC. What the OP is talking about is complaints, which under normal circumstances would be investigated locally and responded to appropriately. These are not normal circumstances.

If people are not getting the required service then, pandemic or not, they have a right to complain and find out why
You genuinely do not have a clue how bad things are already in some hospitals; or how bad they’ll get very soon.
Psychiatrists and pathologists are being called to look after critically ill patients. Retired clinicians are being drafted in. Do you think that is an everyday occurrence? There will be no routine services for quite some time, BECAUSE a of a pandemic. In my clinic we have had to cancel months of “non-essential” appointments. Of course they are important to both us and the patients, but there will not be any capacity in the system to deal with it for the foreseeable. Will people complain - undoubtedly, they have every right to do so. They’ll have a hell of a time getting a response as we will all be on the front line

I’m worried that the NHS view complaints as whining or time wasting.
Sure, some probably are.
Some will be very serious.
Some complaints are time sensitive.
A delayed appointment- not grounds to complain (ever, I would argue).
But there are things that happen, pandemic or not, that never should happen.
It isn’t right to say people shouldn’t complain about those things.

Agree with you, OP, people should not be complaining about the trivial right now.
Obviously, the more serious is a different matter (which I have no doubt gets addressed) but I find a lot of complaints made (in a healthcare setting) are fucking ridiculous. Common sense is replaced by self-absorbed entitlement.

The examples the OP gives are from some time ago. So even if they're only receiving the complaint now, it didn't happen during this period. So they should have lower expectations retrospectively?

No. Even if they can't deal with it in a timely manner because of the current circumstances, they don't get to excuse past issues with current ones.

And.. the Trusts have control over what does and does not fall under the Serious Incident Requiring Investigation policy.
I’ve experienced my Trust deciding not to investigate under that policy with no good reason.
The GMC will not investigate a death.
Or other complaint as it is not a complaints body.
It determines if a doctor/relevant HCP is fit to practice.
And for the GMC to become involved, someone has to raise a concern to it.

So if we don't feel we deliver the service we aspire to best stay at home right now?

It would take a lot for me to complain right now. Obviously serious issues will always be important, but the smaller ones, things overlooked, lateness etc etc.. it's not the time for that. Something happened to me today with a gp..I wouldn't have complained anyway but I might have moaned to my partner, instead I said nothing, these are awfully stressful times, people arent gonna be delivering a perfect service for some time.

If it’s trivial, totally agree. And we should lower our expectations. However, if it’s more serious, people shouldn’t be put off about complaining. I get that it’s not an ideal time, and I can imagine it will sit in someone’s in tray for months as they have much more important things to deal with.

My DD has birth injuries from a traumatic birth. I was going to complain as it could have been avoided and might stop some other family having the same consequence. I don’t think it’s right that I shouldn’t have the chance to still do this just because of the current crisis? Babies are still being born, mistakes might still be made.

Kittykel I consider those things different, its fine to complain, it sounds like it might be a helpful one, it might just take them a lot longer to get back to you than usual. Good you and your baby are ok

Its difficult for everyone. Having a perceived non essential appointment or investigation cancelled can lead to serious health problems for patients. People will suffer and die because of other illnesses and lack of beds and that is just as scary. Petty silly complaints are taking up valuable time.