§ Mr. BayleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of NHS complaints received between 1 April 1991 and 31 March 1992 were dealt with within(a) one week, (b) one month, (c) three months and (d) more than three months.
§ Mr. SackvilleThis information is not collected centrally.
§ Mr. BayleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the health authorities and NHS trusts in England which at 1 April(a) had and (b) had not published a complaints procedure allowing members of the public to have any complaint investigated and to receive a prompt written reply from the chief executive or general manager; and which authorities had, at 1 April, published the number of complaints received and the time taken to deal with them.
§ Mr. SackvilleThis information is not collected centrally. However, all health authorities are required. by directions issued under the Hospital Complaints Procedure Act 1985, to make formal arrangements for dealing with complaints and for publishing these. The proper investigation of complaints is very important to patients and the national health service, and is one of the three new rights given in the patients charter. From 1 April 1992, under the patients charter, health authorities and NHS hospitals will have to publish details of the numbers of complaints received and the time taken to deal with them.