Complaints at Shropshire hospitals rise
Hundreds of patients have complained about the treatment they received in Shropshire's two main hospitals in the past year, new figures revealed today.
A total of 734 written complaints were made to Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust in 2011/12 – a rise of 4.6 per cent on 702 in the previous 12 months.
The increase is higher than the national average of a one per cent rise among 501 NHS organisations which reported data for both years.
But Trust officials said the number of complaints was outstripped by the 3,000 compliments sent to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Telford's Princess Royal.
A spokesman for Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust said:?"Putting patients first is at the heart of everything we do and a key part of this is listening to any compliments, comments and concerns. They help us learn from the experiences of patients and their relatives, and improve the care we provide."
David Sandbach, former chief executive at the PRH, said the trust would be unhappy with the increase. "I'm sure they will be disappointed and I'm sure they will put in a lot of effort to drive that figure down in the coming year," he said.
The findings from the Health and Social Care Information Centre also showed hundreds of complaints have been made against GPs and dentists in the county.
In the wider Shropshire area, there was a 91 per cent rise in complaints about GP services, from 102 to 195.
In Telford & Wrekin, 130 complaints were made in the past year – four down on 134 recorded in the previous year.
