A pain to complain: why people are reluctant to make NHS complaints

Fewer than 1 in 10 patients who experience poor NHS care make a formal complaint - because they have 'no confidence' in the grievances procedure, study reveals.

Making a complaint is a right enshrined in the NHS Constitution. Introduced in 2009, the constitution pledges to listen and learn from complaints and drive improvements in patient care. An effective complaints system should be an essential part of improving health services. 

Written complaints in the NHS reached a record high in 2024; and public satisfaction with the NHS is at a record low level of 24%, according to data from The King’s Fund. The way the NHS handles, responds and learns from complaints is vital. 
CLICK HERE for some interesting research findings!

Healthwatch England commissioned a survey to find out whether people know how to make complaints about their NHS healthcare and get support to do so, following Lord Ara Darzi's independent investigation into NHS performance last year. 

The investigation found serious failings in how the service listens to and responds to patient feedback. It highlighted that “the patient voice is simply not loud enough. There are real problems in responsiveness of services to the people they are intended to serve."
CLICK HERE to read their report 'A pain to complain', plus recommendations for improvement.