The in responding to complaints within the timescales agreed with complainants Trust’s performance was 83.4% compared to 89.5% in Q2. In Q3, complaints relating to appointments and admissions continued to account for over a third (140) of the total complaints received by the Trust (in line with Q1 and Q2). There was an increase in complainants telling us that they were unhappy with our investigation of their concerns: 24 compared to 14 in Q2. The number of cases where the original deadline was extended continued to rise, with 46 cases in Q3 compared with 41 in Q2. This report includes an analysis of the themes arising from complaints received in Q3, possible causes, and details of how the Trust is responding. Complaints performance Trust overview – The Board currently monitors three indicators of how well the Trust is doing in respect of complaints performance: Total complaints received, as a proportion of activity Proportion of complaints responded to within timescale Numbers of complainants who are dissatisfied with our response The table on page 3 of this report provides a comprehensive 13 month overview of complaints performance including these three key indicators. Total complaints received The preferred way of expressing the volume of complaints it receives is as a proportion of Trust’s patient activity, i.e. inpatient admissions and outpatient attendances in a given month. We received 421 complaints in Q3, which equates to 0.23% of patient activity. This includes complaints received and managed via either formal or informal resolution (whichever has been agreed with the complainant); the figures do not include concerns which may be raised by patients and dealt with immediately by front line staff. The volume of complaints received in Q3 represents a decrease of approximately 19% compared to Q2 (518) but still a 26% increase on the corresponding period a year ago. The current target is to achieve a complaints rate of less than 0.21% of patient activity, i.e. Trust’s broadly-speaking, for no more than 1 in every 500 patients to complain about our services (although every complaint we receive is one too many).
The Trust’s performance in responding to complaints within the timescales agreed with complainants was 83.4% compared to 89.5% in Q2. In Q3, complaints relating to appointments and admissions continued to account for over a third (140) of the total complaints received by the Trust (in line with Q1 and Q2). There was an increase in complainants telling us that they were unhappy with our investigation of their concerns: 24 compared to 14 in Q2. The number of cases where the original deadline was extended continued to rise, with 46 cases in Q3 compared with 41 in Q2. This report includes an analysis of the themes arising from complaints received in Q3, possible causes, and details of how the Trust is responding. Complaints performance – Trust overview The Board currently monitors three indicators of how well the Trust is doing in respect of complaints performance: Total complaints received, as a proportion of activity Proportion of complaints responded to within timescale Numbers of complainants who are dissatisfied with our response The table on page 3 of this report provides a comprehensive 13 month overview of complaints performance including these three key indicators. Total complaints received The Trust’s preferred way of expressing the volume of complaints it receives is as a proportion of patient activity, i.e. inpatient admissions and outpatient attendances in a given month. We received 421 complaints in Q3, which equates to 0.23% of patient activity. This includes complaints received and managed via either formal or informal resolution (whichever has been agreed with the complainant); the figures do not include concerns which may be raised by patients and dealt with immediately by front line staff. The volume of complaints received in Q3 represents a decrease of approximately 19% compared to Q2 (518) but still a 26% increase on the corresponding period a year ago. The Trust’s current target is to achieve a complaints rate of less than 0.21% of patient activity, i.e. broadly-speaking, for no more than 1 in every 500 patients to complain about our services (although every complaint we receive is one too many).
q3_complaints_report_feb_15_-_for_slt.docx