Complaints about public services remain high despite pandemic

Complaints about public services, including the health and social care sector, remained high in 2020, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the Office of the Ombudsman has said.

It has just published its 2020 Annual Report, which shows that despite major interruptions to all public services last year, the number of complaints fell by just 6.7% when compared to 2019.

Altogether, the office received 3,418 complaints. Government departments/offices received the highest proportion of complaints, at 35%, followed by local authorities (26%), health and social care (19%) and education (7%).

Other sectors that were the subject of complaints included private nursing homes and Direct Provision.

The office examined 3,511 complaints last year, just 52 less than the previous year. Furthermore, it responded to 3,717 enquiries in 2020 – an increase of 1,547 when compared to 2019.

“In 2020 we expanded our early intervention team and, as a result, 76% of cases were closed within three months, 89% within six months while, overall, 97.5% of cases were closed within 12 months.

“Despite the challenges presented in 2020 for both my office and the public service providers we deal with, these figures compare well to previous years,” the Ombudsman, Peter Tyndall, said.

A total of 633 complaints were made against health and social care bodies. The highest number of these – 248 - concerned hospitals.

One case study included in the report involved the case of a woman who was admitted to the Mater Hospital’s Emergency Department. The woman had a history of cancer and had been admitted with severe stomach pains and jaundice.

However, despite the fact that she had not consumed alcohol in 10 years, and had made this clear to staff, she was given two drugs normally prescribed for those with alcoholism or alcohol withdrawal.

A doctor later reviewed her treatment and stopped the medication after she became drowsy and confused.

The hospital carried out an investigation, but could not identify the doctor who had prescribed the medication. It apologised to the woman, who later died, and her family.

The Ombudsman said that the hospital should have completed the standard incident form at the time of the incident, not some time later, and issued an apology to the woman and her family immediately after the event, and not only after a complaint was made.

As a result of the complaint, the hospital has taken steps to ensure those prescribing medication are always identified. It is also developing an electronic incident reporting system and is delivering an education programme to its staff.

The Ombudsman said that despite the huge difficulties Covid has brought, it has also shown us “how flexible and capable our public services can be in a crisis”.

“We need to bring that urgency and ‘can do’ philosophy to tackling issues with congregated settings (such as nursing homes and Direct Provision), including those for people with disabilities and applicants for international protection. That would be a heart-warming legacy from a grim year,” he commented.

Meanwhile, Mr Tyndall also announced that this will be his final report, as he will be retiring as Ombudsman after almost eight years in the position.

The 2020 Annual Report can be viewed here.