Protesting patients: a study of complaints submitted to a Family Health Service Authority

Abstract

The issue of complaints is a topical one. It is of interest to the Govemment who espouses a consumerist philosophy and to health care consumer groups who are keen to ensure that effective mechanisms for the redress of grievances are in place. The complaints machinery is currently being reviewed and debated by interested parties and the main suggestions for change are set out in this paper. It is suggested that the factors which impede reform are professional self regulation, which limits lay involvement in the assessment of matters complained about, and the new managerialism which, through its emphasis on consumerism, has the paradoxical effect of reinfordng the control of managers. If complaints procedures are to be reformed it is paramount that we have an insight into what people complain about. To this end this paper presents an analysis of the letters of complaint submitted to one Family Health Service Authority in the early 1990s.

General practitioners' experiences of patients' complaints: qualitative study

“…This system was complex and cumbersome and both patients and general practitioners were dissatisfied with it. 3 6 In 1996 after publication of the Wilson report Being Heard 2 a new complaints procedure was established whereby patients were encouraged to complain directly to the practice, and the general practitioner was expected to resolve the complaint within a specified period if possible.…”

Pathways, Pyramids and Icebergs? Mapping the Links Between Dissatisfaction and Complaints

“…The majority of these relate to knowledge and organisational barriers to complaining. Critics of complaints systems in the NHS have drawn particular attention to the number and complexity of procedures for dealing with complaints; their narrow jurisdiction; lack of publicity; and attitudes of staff (Prescott-Clarke et al 1988, NAHAT 1993, NHSE 1994, Nettleton and Harding 1994 and criticisms of this kind continue to be made despite recent changes to hospital and GP complaints systems (see, for instance, Health Service Commissioner 1995-6, NHSE 1996. Non-pursuit of dissatisfaction is commonly seen in negative terms.…”

“…The voicing of dissatisfaction in complaints is an example of consumer activism which has generally been overlooked by medical sociologists and those interested in the interface between sociology, law and medicine (but see Klein 1973, Nettleton and Harding 1994and Mulcahy and LloydBostock 1994, although policy makers are increasingly interested in this field (Department of Health 1990, National Consumer Council 1996, NHSE 1994, 1996. There are no clearly identifiable sociological theories of dissatisfaction or complaining and legal study has tended to focus on court based disputes.…”

Understanding dissatisfied users: developing a framework for comprehending criticisms of health care work

“…The propensity of women to complain has been related to their roles as nurturers and their greater experience of health services. Complaining on behalf of others is often seen as a moral duty for women where they feel obliged to complain if the services do not meet the needs of the people they care for ( Finch 1989, Allsop 1994, Nettleton & Harding 1994).…”