ISCAS has noted that the Patient Safety Association identified issues with complaint management in healthcare when they set up patient focus groups to support the current review of standards by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA).
They noted concerns from the public including the need to improve complaints processes. The focus groups identified barriers such as complexity of complaints processes, fear of retaliation, and lack of support which prevent many patients from raising concerns. Patients called for transparent, empathetic processes with independent support and robust whistleblowing protections.
It is disappointing after all the public enquiries and consultations that patients still feel it is difficult to make a complaint, and they fear retaliation. The industry must continue to work to improve our complaints processes and support patients.
The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) is the UK’s independent regulatory oversight body improving the quality of regulation and registration of people working in health and social care. Their oversight involves reviewing the work of 10 regulators of health and care professionals (such as doctors, nurses, paramedics, dentists etc); and accrediting organisations that register health and care practitioners working in unregulated occupations. The PSA currently have 29 Accredited Registers in their programme covering over 60 different occupations. These include practitioners working in talking therapies such as counselling, or in acupuncture, hypnotherapy, sports therapy as well as those carrying out non-surgical cosmetic procedures such as Botox or lip fillers.
They are currently consulting and reviewing their standards. The consultation closes on 8 May 2025. It is important for everyone to have their say.
Written by Vivienne Heckford.