Concern at ‘spiralling’ health complaints to ombudsman

A record number of complaints have been made about health services in Wales over the last year.

Public Services Ombudsman for Wales Nick Bennett said the “spiralling” number of complaints were a “real concern”, as 41% of all cases he deals with relate to health.

There were 927 complaints about health boards, trusts, GPs and dentists in 2017-18, up 7% on the previous year.

The Welsh Government said many more people were treated than complaints.

Delivering his annual report, Mr Bennett said: “Spiralling health complaints are a real concern and they now make up more than 40% of my office’s total caseload.

“Many healthcare complaints are complex, sensitive and significant, often involving harm or the death of a family member. They often take longer to investigate than other complaints due to the seriousness of the matters raised and the need for clinical advice.

“When my office finds an injustice, we expect bodies to take on the learning from my investigations – only if they do this are we likely to stem the flow of complaints.”