To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent representations she has received on the NHS complaints procedure; and if she will make a statement; (128717)

We received representation on the national health service complaints procedure in a joint letter in October 2006 from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) and the Local Government Ombudsman, providing feedback which welcomes our commitment to establish integrated health and social care complaints arrangements, gives their views on the principles they consider should govern the development and delivery of the new integrated approach, and summarises what they believe needs to be in place to make an effective integrated approach a reality.

The White Paper “Our health, our care, our say” published in January 2006, signals our commitment to

“develop by 2009 a comprehensive single complaints system across health and social care [that will] focus on resolving complaints locally with a more personal and comprehensive approach to handling complaints”,

in response to people’s wishes for easy and effective ways of complaining.

We intend to conduct a consultation exercise very shortly on reform of the complaints arrangements across health and social care. In so doing we will take account of the recommendations by the PHSO and Local Government Ombudsman in developing a new complaints system, which we agree should be based on the following principles:

open and easy to access—flexible about the ways people could complain and with effective information and support for people wishing to do so, and specialist advocacy as appropriate;

fair—emphasising early resolution so minimising the strain and distress for all those involved; investigation should be robust, effective and comprehensive at this stage;

responsive—providing appropriate, tailored and proportionate response and redress; having proper regard to the complainant's legitimate interests; and

providing an opportunity for learning and developing—ensuring complaints are viewed as a positive opportunity to learn from patients’ experiences and views to drive continual improvement in services.

We have accepted a recommendation of the Shipman Inquiry (Fifth Report) that there should be a statutory recognition of the importance of the proper investigation of complaints to the processes of organisational learning and of monitoring the quality of care. Additionally a fair and responsive system must address the specific needs of vulnerable people, such as those with learning difficulties, mental health problems and communication difficulties.

Throughout the consultation process we will maintain ongoing communication and feedback from key stakeholders, such as the ombudsman, the Local Government Ombudsman, the Healthcare Commission, the Commission for Social Care Inspection and Monitor, the regulator for foundation trusts. We will consult widely on the proposals across all health and social care communities, in the public and private sectors, and with patient and user representatives. As well as written responses we intend to conduct events in London and around the country to encourage thorough debate and feedback.