Source · SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman)

Grampian NHS Board

SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman) Upheld Reference 201202896 Sector Health Category complaints handling Decided 01 January 2013

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Full decision

Summary

Mr C complained that the board did not reasonably investigate his complaint in which he raised concerns about the quality of service his mother received during a visit to an eye clinic. As after six months the board had not sent a final response to Mr C about his complaint, he contacted us.

Our investigation established that the response was delayed because of a combination of human error and failures in the complaints handling process. The board have now updated their process in an effort to prevent a repeat occurrence, along with taking steps to increase staff awareness.

Recommendations

We recommended that the board: provide Mr C and his mother with an apology for the failings which have been identified in dealing with his complaint; apologise to Mr C for providing him with incorrect information as to the reasons why his mother was not seen on a certain date in March; and remind their service providers to provide timely responses to the feedback service in order that timescales can be met.

Related reading

View Decision Report 201202896 as a PDF (12.76 KB) Updated: March 13, 2018

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