Government acts on Health Select Committee recommendation

Following the recommendations of the Health Select Committee – of which Valerie is a member – the Government has taken action to make the NHS complaints system more transparent.

Valerie said: “In our report on Complaints and Litigation, the Health Select Committee expressed its concern that participation in the agreed protocol by Foundation Trusts to provide complaints data remains voluntary. Currently one in seven of these bodies declined to supply this information.

“We called for participation in the reporting protocol to be a condition of the award of any NHS service contract as this sends an unacceptable message about the prevailing culture towards complaints. This is particularly the case with the duty of candour which all providers of NHS care should respect.

“I am pleased that the Government has taken steps to make it compulsory for all Foundation Trusts to provide complaints data. This is a small step towards making the NHS as transparent as it should be.”

A link to the letter from the Department of Health can be accessed here.