Nicholas Wheatley

The failure of health investigative bodies to put the patient/complainant at the heart of their investigations renders the investigation almost worthless in the eyes of the complainant. Why should complainants go to the extensive effort of following the complaints process to report patient safety incidents if they are to be sidelined when the investigation takes place? Patients and families understand that the complaint is their complaint and that they want to see some form of just resolution. But investigative organisations see the investigation as being a systemic/procedural investigation belonging to them, in which the complainant merely reports the complaint and has no further role. To paraphrase the Health Service Ombudsman "the complaint belongs to the complainant, but the investigation belongs to the Ombudsman". It is disappointing to see HSSIB adopting a similar outlook. Unless HSSIB understands that sidelining complainants is harmful and disrespectful and that complainants need to be involved in the investigation there can be no proper resolution of the complaint for the complainant and HSSIB will become yet another body that fails the public and causes harm to vulnerable and distressed complainants. Complaints are not just systemic and procedural issues, they are also matters of resolution and healing.