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Richard Spring, MP for West Suffolk, has urged Suffolk PCT to improve in its handling of patients’ concerns after the publication of a damning report by the Healthcare Commission. In the report, Suffolk PCT was named among twelve trusts where it found "significant lapses" in one or more of the national standards for managing NHS complaints.

The Commission says trusts should do more to make it easier for people to raise a complaint. They should ensure that the care of those raising complaints is not adversely affected as a result. And they should strengthen procedures for investigating problems and improving services in the light of the lessons learned.

There is also little evidence that trusts are systematically learning from complaints to improve their services.

Richard states:

“Our hospitals provide a wonderful service but there is always room for improvement. People in Britain are understandably proud of the NHS so it is essential that trusts handle complaints better to ensure that people’s faith in our NHS is not seriously damaged.

We have had serious enough problems as it is with under funding and debt in the county without this.”