HSE receives more compliments than complaints

More people compliment the HSE and hospitals on their work than make complaints about them, according to the HSE annual report. Almost 7,000 complaints were made to the HSE last year, and another 5,573 to voluntary hospitals, the 2013 report says.

The 6,823 complaints received by the HSE was marginally higher than in 2012 but lower than in 2011, the report states. The largest number of complaints related to issues of safe and effective care, access, and communication and information. Some 20 complaints were judged to be vexatious.

Last week the Ombudsman, Peter Tyndall, began an investigation into why there are so few complaints about the health service in Ireland, relative to other countries. He said that within the HSE, dealing with complaints was largely a part-time activity for staff, whereas in other countries a single body employs staff full-time to investigate complaints.

Of the complaints made to voluntary hospitals, again most were in relation to access, safe and effective care, and communication and information issues.

Some 210 requests for a review of a complaint were received, down 12.5 per cent on the previous year.

In the report Tony O’Brien, director general of the HSE, describes 2013 as a year of “significant challenge and change” for the health service. Since 2006, he points out, the population has grown by 8 per cent and the number of over-65s by 14 per cent. Since 2008, funding for health has been cut by €3.3 billion.

The HSE recorded a deficit of €188 million last year, but the report describes its financial performance as a considerable achievement in view of the challenging environment due to demographic pressures, the need to ensure patient safety and the challenging targets for reducing waiting times.

The report warns that in the absence of capital investment to upgrade public nursing homes, there may be a reduction in the number of residential care places, “with a resulting increase in hospital and community waiting times”.