Ombudsman urges public to use new rights to report health service failures

THE public should use its legal right to complain to the Ombudsman about hospitals and other aspects of the health service, Emily O’Reilly said yesterday.

Thanks to a statutory complaints procedure that came into effect on January 1, all health services linked to the Health Service Executive (HSE) have come under the remit of Ms O’Reilly’s office — opening a new avenue of complaint for those dissatisfied with healthcare standards.

The Ombudsman yesterday launched an awareness campaign aimed at advising the public of its rights in lodging complaints regarding health-related matters.