Annual complaints report

The trust is required to provide an annual complaints report for each year ending 31 March which includes:

  • The number of complaints received
  • The number of upheld complaints
  • The number of complaints referred to the Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO)
  • A summary of the themes of complaints that were received
  • Any significant factors arising from complaints or the way they were handled
  • Any action taken or planned to improve the service as a result of complaints

There is therefore an annual complaints report to the trust Board which provides a summary of the complaints received, the departments and specialties involved, the main issues raised and trends identified, and the actions taken in response or those planned for the future.  It also looks at our performance against agreed response targets, the number of complainants who were dissatisfied following receipt of their initial response and the number of complainants who escalated matters to the PHSO.