Skip to main content

Digital

National Statistics
Publication, Part of

Data on Written Complaints in the NHS - 2014-15

National statistics, Accredited official statistics
Publication Date:
Geographic Coverage:
England
Geographical Granularity:
Ambulance Trusts, Care Trusts, Clinical Commissioning Groups, Hospital and Community Health Services, Hospital Trusts, Hospital Sites, Independent Sector Health Care Providers, Mental Health Trusts, NHS Trusts, GP practices, Regions, Dental practices
Date Range:
01 Apr 2008 to 31 Mar 2015

Summary

October 23 2015: The findings from an investigation into the data used to produce the KO41b Family Health Services (GP including dental) (FHS) shows that:-
Some practices have provided data against Subject areas but not for Service areas and
Some practices have provided data against Service areas but not for Subject areas
The impact of this are:-
The total number of all reported FHS written complaints in 2014-15 is an estimated 86,600 (previously published 84,500)
The Service area total is understated by just over 2,000 and the Subject area total is understated by just under 1,600.

All figures affected within this publication have been revised.

 

Please note this does not affect the KO41a hospital and community figures.

 

The NHS complaints procedure is the statutorily based mechanism for dealing with complaints about NHS care and treatment and all NHS organisations in England are required to operate the procedure. This annual collection is a count of written complaints made by (or on behalf of) patients, received between 1 April 2014 and 31 March 2015 and also includes experimental information on upheld complaints.

 

For Information: The HSCIC has recently consulted on proposed changes to the range and the frequency of the primary care side of the NHS Complaints statistical publication (KO41b).  The consultation closed on the 24th August 2015.  Details of the proposed changes will be available below

 

 

Highlights

 

Main findings in 2014-15:

 

Total complaints (Hospital and Community Health Services and Family Health Services)

 

Total number of all reported written complaints in 2014-15 was 207,000 the equivalent of 4,000 written complaints a week and equivalent to 568 per day .We are unable to provide comparisons with previous years.


Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS)

  • The total number of all HCHS written complaints has increased by 6,470 (5.7 per cent) from 114,000 in 2013-14 to 121,000 in 2014-15.
  • By profession, complaints for Trust Administrative staff have seen an increase of 23.2 per cent from 8,320 in 2013-14 to 10,300 in 2014-15.
  • The number of complaints for the subject area appointments, delay/cancellation (outpatient) has increased by 1,720 (19.1 per cent) from 9,040 in 2013-14 to 10,800 in 2014-15.
  • The biggest proportion of HCHS written complaints by profession were for the Medical profession (which includes hospital doctors and surgeons) with 45.4 per cent (54,900) of all HCHS written complaints.  Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting accounted for the second biggest at 21.1 per cent (25,400). For 2013-14 the proportions were 45.6 per cent and 21.7 per cent respectively.
  • 44.1 per cent (53,400) of all HCHS written complaints reported are for the subject area all aspects of clinical treatment.  This is a slightly lower proportion than last year's figure of 45.6 per cent (52,300).
  • The service area with the highest number of complaints was inpatient hospital acute services, with 34,600 (28.7 per cent), an increase of 200 (0.6 per cent) from 2013-14 (34,400).


Family Health Services (GP including dental) (FHS)

  • The total number of all reported FHS written complaints in 2014-15 was 86,600.We are unable to provide comparisons with previous years.

 

Resources

Last edited: 11 April 2018 4:07 pm