A new consultation document that aims to canvas opinion on the sharing and publishing of information about complaints handled by the Health Service Ombudsman has been released.
There is increased focus on the importance of information about complaints following recent events in the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust and other trusts.
The abolition of the Healthcare Commission as a “second stage complaint handler” and other major changes in the NHS complaints system have paved the way for unrealistic expectations of the volume and scope of information that the Ombudsman can and will make available.
Commenting on the consultation document, called Sharing and Publishing Information about Complaints, Health Service Ombudsman Ann Abraham said: “We need to protect the privacy of all our casework and, at the same time, want to share the learning from complaints with those who are likely to benefit from having access to that information.
“This is a wide audience and includes the public at large, MPs, organisations providing advice and advocacy, and regulators such as the Care Quality Commission, Monitor, the General Medical Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council, and of course the NHS itself.”
The closing date for submitting views is 10 March 2010.
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