The county’s biggest hospital has seen the way it deals with patients’ complaints called into question, amid concerns people can't trust that lessons are being learned after mistakes.
One patient who was left with life changing injuries after a botched operation accused the Norfolk and Norwich (NNUH) of "insulting patients’ intelligence” by refusing to report complaints in the same way as other NHS Trusts.
Over the last three years, the NNUH claims it has “fully upheld” 97.5 per cent of the 3,041 complaints it has resolved, rejecting only 74. However, this has been called into questions after analysis shoed this figure is less than 50 per cent at more than 360 of England’s 400 NHS bodies.
In addition to recording new complaints each year, every NHS Trust and Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) must record how many complaints they resolve, and of those, how many were upheld, partially upheld, or rejected.
Figures are published annually in order to be used by ombudsmen, patients and the press as one measure of how each body deals with patients who feel let down.
The ratio of complaints upheld, partially upheld and not upheld is broadly consistent between trusts, with approximately 27 per cent upheld, 36 per cent partially upheld and 37 per cent rejected.
But for 2020/21 the NNUH reported it fully upheld 98.4 per cent of complaints it received, partially upheld none and rejected only 1.6 per cent.
Of 941 complaints resolved, it claims 926 were fully upheld and 15 rejected.
Previous years’ figures are similar with 97.5 per cent fully upheld in 2019/20 and 96.9 per cent fully upheld in 2018/19.
The NNUH is the only NHS body in the region - and almost the only one in England - with data like this.
The second-highest “fully upheld” rate among hospitals in the East of England region is just 42.8 per cent, at the Milton Keynes University Hospital Trust.
An NNUH spokesman said the hospital records complaints as fully upheld “when they have offered an opportunity for review, learning and reflection.”
But Alex Stewart, chairman of Healthwatch Norfolk, said: “It is important for everyone to be able to compare data trust-by-trust, and figures showing how many complaints are upheld is just one way both patients and Healthwatch Norfolk can do that. Consistency is key.”
He went on: “They are saying they have learned x, y, z, in each case, but I wonder how they can demonstrate consistency?
“I would question how can patients be sure, or reassured, that if they went back to the hospital a year later that actions have been taken, or that they are sustainable?
“This raises questions for the board of governors.”
Paul Tooth, whose liver and bile duct were damaged beyond repair during what should have been a routine gallbladder removal by NNUH surgeon Camilo Valero last year, said the revelation was consistent with his experience of trying to complain to the NNUH.
He said: “I’m not surprised they’re claiming that. It’s the same arrogance insult to patients’ intelligence I’ve had again and again.
“Instead of reviewing these complaints properly and publishing the outcomes transparently, the Norfolk and Norwich is simply telling us to believe that they’ve learned their lessons in every case. It’s nonsense."
A spokesman for the NNUH said: “We value all feedback from our patients, carers and visitors and we are committed to speak to each person who raises a complaint to ensure we fully understand their issue, can make any changes necessary and learn from it.”
Elsewhere in the county, the James Paget’s complaint figures were inaccurate, with almost all complaints reported as “not upheld” in 2021, but the hospital explained this was a clerical error made during the pandemic.
The Paget’s previous years’ data are in line with regional and national trends.
Across the region, new complaints to NHS bodies were down on 2019/20 and 2018/19.
If you or someone you know is one of the 3,041 people who have complained to the NNUH in the last three years it is almost certain the hospital claims your complaint was “fully upheld”. If that does not match your experience of the complaint procedure please get in touch by emailing joel.adams@archant.co.uk.
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