Learning and information from complaints
Overview and scrutiny committees and Local Healthwatch should have access to detailed information about complaints, although respect needs to be paid in this instance to the requirement of patient confidentiality.
- Health Overview and Scrutiny Committees (HOSCs) have powers under the Local Authority (Public Health, Health and Wellbeing Boards and Health Scrutiny) Regulations 2013 to require NHS bodies to provide information, including information about complaints. HOSCs can require NHS commissioners and providers to attend and answer questions, and can access information necessary to carry out their scrutiny function (SI 2013/218).
- The PHSO's NHS Complaint Standards (July 2022) state that organisations should share learning from complaints with relevant partners and stakeholders. Complaints data, appropriately anonymised, should be available to support local scrutiny and accountability (NHS Complaint Standards, PHSO, July 2022).
- CQC publishes information about complaints it receives and how they inform regulatory action. Local Healthwatch organisations can share intelligence about complaints trends with CQC through established information-sharing arrangements (CQC/Healthwatch information sharing).
How was this evidence gathered?
Response
Accepted
Response
AcceptedThe government published "Hard Truths: the Journey to Putting Patients First" (Cm 8777) on 19 November 2013, responding to all 290 recommendations of the Francis Report. This followed an initial response "Patients First and Foremost" in March 2013. Key reforms included a new Chief Inspector of Hospitals, strengthened Care Quality Commission inspection regime, a statutory duty of candour, and the fit and proper person test for NHS directors. Volume 2 (Cm 8754) contains the government's detailed responses to each of the 290 recommendations. See: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7cd486ed915d63cc65d167/34658_Cm_8777_Vol_1_accessible.pdf
Published Evidence
Published assessments of progress from inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Source type badge indicates whether each assessment is independent or government self-reported.
Research published 2023 marking ten years since the Francis Report found mixed results. Structural and legislative changes largely delivered (duty of candour, FPPR, CQC overhaul, revalidation, Freedom to Speak Up Guardians). However, cultural change not fully embedded; understaffing, fear of speaking up, and poor complaint handling persist in parts of the NHS.
PHSO developed NHS Complaint Standards framework providing consistent approach to complaint handling across NHS. Piloted 2021-2022, introduced across NHS from 2022. Applies to all NHS organisations and independent healthcare providers delivering NHS-funded care.
Government published "Culture Change in the NHS" (Cm 9009) reporting progress on all 290 recommendations. Key achievements: 19 hospitals placed in special measures; those trusts recruited 109 additional doctors and 1,805 additional nurses; 129 board-level changes made; excess avoidable deaths fell by 450 in less than a year.
Government published "Hard Truths: The Journey to Putting Patients First" (Cm 8777) in two volumes. Vol 1 set out new actions; Vol 2 provided detailed response to each of the 290 recommendations. Approximately 204 of 290 recommendations were fully accepted.
Ann Clwyd MP and Professor Tricia Hart published review of NHS hospital complaints handling on 28 October 2013. Key recommendations: Chief Executives must sign off complaint responses; Trust Boards must scrutinise complaints; trusts must publish annual complaints reports in plain English.