Complaints toolkit launched to help patients
A new public service initiative to help members of the public understand where and how to complain about health and social care services has been launched by the Minister of State, Roisin Shortall, TD. Healthcomplaints, the first initiative of its kind in Ireland, is a toolkit to help the public with the complaints process and consists of leaflets, posters, a staff training guide and a website, www.healthcomplaints.ie.
The joint initiative brings together 17 regulatory bodies and service providers, including the Office of the Ombudsman, the Medical Council, Health Service Executive and the Irish Patients’ Association. The Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, said: “A HIQA poll found that 84% of people with a complaint didn’t know who to complain to and 52% felt too intimidated to complain. We wrote to organisations inviting them to participate in an initiative to provide a one-stop-shop of health complaint information. The outcome was a truly collaborative, wholehearted, innovative and voluntary initiative.”
Healthcomplaints is being rolled-out through hospitals, nursing homes, GP surgeries and advocacy groups. Find out more >>
Information sharing about disciplinary action to improve
Health Minister James Reilly has stated that work is being carried out to formalise the system of information exchange between different medical regulatory bodies.