§ Mr. Roseasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will clarify his intention in respect of forms of complaints at hospitals and ensure that these are only available to patients who ask for them.
§ Mr. CrossmanHospital authorities were advised in 1966 that the officers in charge of wards or departments should briefly record any oral complaint which they cannot deal with to the satisfaction of the complainant. Some hospitals have also included forms for comments and suggestions in information leaflets given to patients. A recent Scottish working party has recommended that the sister in charge should, at her discretion, or at the patients' request, record oral comments and also considered the suggestion that forms be supplied on which patients could, on request, record complaints themselves. In a paper on complaints in hospitals on which I am consulting interested organisations these ideas are mentioned, but I have no intention of commending to hospital authorities any new procedure for recording complaints unless they are demonstrably of value and practicable.