Help The Aged Welcomes Unified Complaints Procedure, UK

Main Category: Seniors / Aging
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 08 Feb 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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Help the Aged responded to news that the Department of Health are to introduce a new unified complaints system for health and social care, to make it easier for people to complain when things go wrong.

At the moment, there are separate complaints procedures for health and adult social care which make it particularly difficult for people who use a combination of services to make a complaint.

Health Minister Ann Keen unveiled the new two-stage complaints system, focused on local resolution and then - if unresolved - an investigation by the Health or Local Government Ombudsman, to replace the often lengthy and bureaucratic procedures currently in place. Charlotte Potter, Senior Policy Officer at Help the Aged, said:

'Older people are less likely to complain about the treatment that they receive, yet are more likely to be dependent on high quality health and social care services than most.

'They are also much more likely to be using both services, so adopting a unified complaints procedure will be of particular benefit to older people.

'Help the Aged welcomes attempts to make it easier for older people to feed back concerns over the quality of care they receive.

'If it is going to make a difference however, they will need to ensure that older people are fully aware of how to make a complaint, the response that they can expect and the fact that making a complaint will in no way jeopardise the care that they receive in the future.'

Notes

Help the Aged is the charity fighting to free disadvantaged older people in the UK and overseas from poverty, isolation, neglect and ageism. It campaigns to raise public awareness of the issues affecting older people and to bring about policy change. The Charity delivers a range of services: information and advice, home support and community living, including international development work. These are supported by its paid-for services and fundraising activities - which aim to increase funding in the future to respond to the growing unmet needs of disadvantaged older people. Help the Aged also funds vital research into the health issues and experiences of older people to improve the quality of later life.

Help the Aged urgently needs donations and support to help it in the increasingly challenging fight to free disadvantaged older people from poverty, isolation and neglect.

Help the Aged