In NLJ this week, Davey says many GP practices fail to inform patients of their legal right to have complaints independently investigated by Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) rather than by the practice complained about. He traces the problem through decades of reform intended to promote ‘transparency’ and a ‘duty of candour’, yet notes that complaints have now risen above 250,000 a year.
The article criticises regulators and oversight bodies alike, pointing out that many ICBs do not check whether surgeries properly publicise complaints procedures, while the Care Quality Commission tolerates widespread ‘misrepresentation’ of patient rights. Davey also attacks the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s cumbersome 17-page model complaints process, asking how distressed or bereaved patients are supposed to navigate it.
His conclusion is stark: ‘Complainants cannot exercise a right unless they know that they have that right.’
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