§ Mrs. Wiseasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the correct procedure by which patients or their relatives can pursue complaints about the hospital service.
§ Dr. OwenA complaint may be made to a member of the hospitals staff or to the health authority. Many hospitals issue booklets or leaflets to patients with information about making suggestions or complaints. As my right hon. Friend announced in her reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Eccles (Mr. Carter-Jones) on 9th February—[Vol. 905, c.85–6.]—we intend to implement the main recommendation of the Davies Report on Hospital Complaints Procedure that health authorities should have a uniform written code for handling complaints. One of the aims of the code and related guidance will be to ensure that information about how to make a complaint is readily available to patients or their relatives. A person who is not satisfied with a health authority's investigation of his complaint can write to the Health Service Commissioner asking him to carry out an independent investigation.