The Government has published it's 10 Year Health Plan for England, which sets out its ambitions for the future of the NHS.
Commenting on the plan, PHSO's Chief Executive Officer Rebecca Hilsenrath said:
The Government’s ambition to put patient experience at the centre of the delivery of care is welcome. Listening to complaints and handling them well is critical to understanding where things are going wrong across the NHS and using that learning to drive lasting change.
“It is positive to see a commitment to reform the NHS complaints system. We are ready to work with Government to achieve this, building on our NHS Complaint Standards.
“Safe care requires an effective oversight system to identify areas that need improvement. But the patient safety landscape has become overly complex which is why we called for streamlining in our Broken Trust report. While clearer lines of responsibility are needed to better support high quality care, it is important expertise is not lost.
“It is essential that any changes improve patient safety for all.”