- within Immigration topic(s)
Healthcomplaints.ie is a new one stop shop for complaint information. Chaired by the Office of the Ombudsman, the website was developed by a number of organisations on a voluntary basis, including the HSE, HIQA and the Medical Council.
Through the website, http://www.healthcomplaints.ie/, members of the public and whistleblowers will be provided with guidance and information on how to complain about private or public health and social care services. The website invites both public and private patients to complain locally in the first instance to the relevant service provider. Public patients who are unhappy with the local response are urged to request a HSE review and/or make a complaint to the Ombudsman. Both public and private patients are urged to contact a regulator such as the Medical Council, the Irish Medicines Board or HIQA, if they feel their complaint has not been dealt with sufficiently. Finally, if a complaint is particularly serious, patients are advised to obtain legal advice.
When the office of the Ombudsman decided to make it easier for members of the public to make a health related complaint, research published by HIQA revealed that at least eight in ten people who had a complaint, did not know who they could complain to. Half of those questioned said they were too intimidated to complain. The Ombudsman, Ms Emily O'Reilly said the aim of the initiative is to empower people and to provide them with the information and support they need to come forward and complain. Ms O'Reilly added "It is through learning from our mistakes that improvements can be made and patientscan receive safer better care". 1
Footnotes
1. http://www.ombudsman.gov.ie/en/PressReleases/Name,14470,en.htm
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
