MSP demands answers as he slams NHS Fife for ‘appalling’ complaint response wait time
PATIENTS are waiting more than four weeks for a response to serious complaints against NHS Fife.
The health board revealed this week that just 2.6 per cent of Stage 2 complaints, those which are more complex, are being answered within 20 working days.
Alex Rowley, MSP for mid Scotland and Fife, has slammed this as “appalling” and has asked for more detail on what is being done to solve the shortcomings.
He said: “We know that NHS staff are run off their feet but we are not seeing what actions are being taken to support the staff and get on top of the challenges. The news that complaints are up is perhaps not surprising given the pressure the hospitals are under but the response to people’s complaints is just appalling and must be addressed.
“Many people who make complaints will be doing so with concern for their ongoing treatment and a failure to address the complaints means the problems are continuing.”
The Labour politician also wants to know how many grievances are being raised with NHS Fife.
He continued: “The fact that level 2 complaints can be complex, serious or of high-risk means they have to be addressed with a degree of urgency. This is simply not good enough.”
According to the Scottish Government target, 50 per cent of these should be addressed within 20 working days by March 2023.
Currently, this is being missed by more than 47 per cent, and by March 2024, the objective is due to rise to 65 per cent.
Investigation complaints may be handled at stage two because they are complex, serious, or high-risk issues which are not suitable for early resolution or when early resolution has failed.
A spokesperson for NHS Fife said: “NHS Fife acknowledges that the speed with which we have responded to Stage 2 complaints has not been at an acceptable level and a number of measures have been taken to enable the board to respond more quickly moving forward.
“Stage 2 complaints are invariably complex and often involve multiple services.
“To provide a detailed and accurate response, a thorough investigation must be carried out, with the assistance of any relevant nursing, allied health professionals and medical staff involved in the case, alongside managers and clerical staff.
“Completing such an investigation within 20 days at any time is challenging, and with the pressures on services in recent times, this has become more challenging still.
“An improvement plan was implemented earlier this year with the purpose of increasing the number of complaints responded to quickly.
“This has involved significant change within the board’s Patient Experience Team, looking at staffing and roles within the team, as well as streamlining the complaintshandling processes. This has led to a month-on-month improvement in performance since June 2022.
“The feedback received from patients and their families, whether complementary or a complaint, is hugely valuable in helping to shape and improve healthcare services in Fife. While the proportion of complaints responded to within the target has begun to improve in recent months, we acknowledge that a considerable amount of work is still required to improve performance further, and we are committed to doing exactly that.”