The Medical Protection Society (MPS) welcomes the introduction of the new NHS Complaints System on 1 April that brings significant changes for GP practices. MPS has long recognised and supported the importance of effective resolution of complaints, and believe that this is most effective at local level.

Dr Stephanie Bown, Director of Policy and Communications said: "An open and thorough response to a complaint can prevent unnecessary escalation, which is distressing and stressful for patients and doctors alike. The new complaints procedure adopts a welcome focus on outcomes and learning rather then on adherence to a rigid process. The aim is to treat patients as customers and to value their feedback as a means of improving quality."

Commenting on financial redress, Dr Bown said: "The scope of financial redress in cases involving maladministration has yet to be determined, and in the absence of guidance from the Ombudsman, the circumstances in which this could be appropriate will need to be built on experience over time and cases.

"However, it is important that financial redress is not seen as an alternative to the proper route for clinical negligence claims. We believe it is very important that patient expectations are not unrealistically raised, since this would be hugely counterproductive. The complaints process can now run simultaneously with litigation, and these are, and remain, separate routes with different objectives."

Changes brought in with the new system include:

- Requirement to negotiate an individual complaints plan with complainant
- Duty to provide a written response
- Using all feedback and lessons learnt to improve service delivery
- Annual reporting to Primary Care Trust.

For more information, and to help members effectively handle complaints within the new system, MPS has produced two complaint booklets and factsheets . The first booklet summarises essential steps, the second expands on best practice when handling complaints. All MPS publications can be downloaded from the Education and Publications section of the website, or hardcopies can be requested at publicationsmps.

Source
Medical Protection Society