The treatment of staff raising concerns regarding care has been labeled a “stain” on the reputation of the NHS.
The Health Select Committee released the Complaints and raising concerns report highlighting that despite numerous inquiries into the handling of whistleblowing and complaints, there are still serious short-comings.
MPs also say that the complaints system for patients is too confusing and that a “single gateway” should be created for health and social care.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “We want to make the NHS the safest healthcare system in the world and we know that listening to patients and staff is absolutely vital to improve care.”
Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “Each and every patient complaint is a valuable opportunity for the NHS to review its service and to improve standards of care.
“When things do go wrong, patients must have the confidence that their feedback will be listened to. It’s essential for all NHS organisations to demonstrate to their staff and patients that feedback is acted on and used to drive forward service improvement.”
