Health authority moves to deal with public’s complaints

THE country’s largest health authority is to set up a system of independent inquiries into complaints by members of the public which its own staff fail to resolve.

The Eastern Regional Health Authority (ERHA) has also said it will issue formal apologies as a standard response where a mistake has been made or poor service delivered and it will provide evidence that steps are being taken to prevent a recurrence.

A survey carried out last year by the authority, which covers all of Dublin, Wicklow and Kildare, found that one in every 14 people who had contact with the health agencies and social services in the region had made a complaint about the standard of service received and a “significant proportion” were unhappy with the way their complaint was handled.

Under a new agreement drawn up by the ERHA, standardised procedures for dealing with complaints will come into effect in all of the authority’s 39 agencies early next year, including the three local health boards, hospitals, disability units and other specialist centres.

Initially, all complaints will be referred to a complaints manager within the agency and, if the customer or client is still not satisfied with the response, the chief executive of the agency will take personal responsibility. If that fails to resolve the problem, the chief executive will be able to call on a panel of external chairpersons compiled by the ERHA and turn over the file for an independent inquiry.

The external chairpersons have not yet been identified, but an ERHA spokeswoman said they would come from different walks of life and have experience of problem-solving and dispute resolution.

They will also be able to assemble their own inquiry team if necessary and call upon medical and other experts if their probe demands specialist knowledge.

ERHA chairman Joe Doyle said the findings of the customer survey showed people simply wanted their complaints handled promptly, efficiently and sympathetically.

“The challenge for those providing services in our region is to convince these people who make a complaint that they matter and that we are prepared to deal seriously with their complaints,” he said.