In response to Healthwatch England’s report, Suffering in Silence, published on Tuesday 14 October, Janet Morrison, Chief Executive of Independent Age said:
“The Suffering in Silence report provides worrying new insights on how many people feel their complaints aren’t taken seriously when they have concerns about health and care. It makes sense for Healthwatch England to call for a simplified complaints system. We particularly welcome the emphasis on health and social care staff taking responsibility for making sure complaints reach the right part of the system, rather than leaving it to patients. However, until we tackle the root causes of the most common complaints – so for example poor treatment – we risk causing service users difficulties for many years to come.”