Patient Feedback Handling

The request was successful.

Dear Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust,

1. How are complaints, compliments and feedback handled at the Trust? This data might be obtained by means such as email, phone, letter, piece of paper in a hospital reception etc. etc. Is there a central place where this data is collated?

2. Does your Trust employ dedicated staff for this purpose? If so how many?

3. Is this data handled on site or is it subcontracted/held-off site?

4. Are complaints and feedback collated and then reported to authorised people, such as the Trusts board or senior managers?

5. Who is in charge of complaints and feedback, if anyone?

6. Is there a standard procedure to follow if complaints and feedback data is obtained?

7. What are the operational costs to the Trust for complaints and feedback, excluding redress (staff costs, computer and software costs, storage costs, legal costs, search costs, report compilation costs, maintenance and any other considerations)?

8. Could you please supply your most recent annual complaint volume figures and the preceding 3 year volumes please?

9. Do you capture and measure concern data separately?

Yours faithfully,

Sheri Brown

Freedom of Information (WSHT), Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Dear Ms Brown,

 

Re: Request under Freedom of Information Act 2000

 

Thank you for your request for information received today, 19 May 2014,
relating to complaints, compliments and feedback.

 

We are processing your request (please quote reference FOI148509), and
will write to you again shortly when we are in a position to respond.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

James Roser

Freedom of Information

Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

 

 

The information contained in this e-mail may be subject to public
disclosure under the NHS Code of Openness or the Freedom of Information
Act 2000.

Any processing, redistribution, disclosure, or reproduction of this
message, except as Intended is prohibited.

Unless the information is legally exempt from disclosure, the
confidentiality of this e-mail and your reply cannot be guaranteed.

 

If you received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender and remove
all copies of the message, including any attachments. Any views or
opinions expressed in this e-mail (unless otherwise stated) may not
represent those of Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Freedom of Information (WSHT), Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

1 Attachment

Dear Ms Brown,

 

Re: Request under Freedom of Information Act 2000

 

Further to my email of 19 May 2014, the Trust is now in a position to
respond to your request.

 

1.         How are complaints, compliments and feedback handled at the
Trust? This data might be obtained by means such as email, phone, letter,
piece of paper in a hospital reception etc. etc.  Is there a central place
where this data is collated?

 

            Please refer to the attached Complaints Policy.

 

 

2.         Does your Trust employ dedicated staff for this purpose? If so
how many?

 

            Please refer to the attached Complaints Policy.

 

            There are 12 members of staff within the Customer Relations
and PALS Department.

 

 

3.         Is this data handled on site or is it subcontracted/held-off
site?

 

            Please refer to the attached Complaints Policy.

 

 

4.         Are complaints and feedback collated and then reported to
authorised people, such as the Trusts board or senior managers?

 

            A Complaints and PALS report is provided on a quarterly basis
to the Trust board.  The Public papers are available online:

 

           
[1]www.westernsussexhospitals.nhs.uk/about-us/trust-board/trust-board-meetings

 

            An annual report is also provided.

 

 

5.         Who is in charge of complaints and feedback, if anyone?

 

            Cathy Stone, Director of Nursing and Patient Safety

 

 

6.         Is there a standard procedure to follow if complaints and
feedback data is obtained?

 

            Please refer to the attached Complaints Policy.

 

 

7.         What are the operational costs to the Trust for complaints and
feedback, excluding redress (staff costs, computer and software costs,
storage costs, legal costs, search costs, report compilation costs,
maintenance and any other considerations)?

 

            The Trust can provide the direct costs of the Customer
Relations Department and the directly associated costs.  This
unfortunately does not include the costs that are incurred outside of the
Customer Relation Department, e.g. staff time in investigating complaints
as well as indirect costs such as postage.  The records are not held in
such a way to enable such a search to be undertaken without incurring a
considerable amount of work. It is estimated that the work involved in
attempting to meet your request would engage the exemption offered under
Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act.  The Trust is therefore
unable to provide a response on this basis.

           

            Below is the breakdown of costs that can be provided for
2013/14:

 

Pay: £351k  
Established Expenses: £7k (includes stationery and travel costs)
Premises Costs: £26k (includes computer hardware and software,
furniture and fittings)
Total: £384k  

 

8.         Could you please supply your most recent annual complaint
volume figures and the preceding 3 year volumes please?

 

Please refer to the Complaints and PALS report published with the Trust
Board papers.  All Public papers since the creation of Western Sussex
Hospitals NHS Trust (WSHT) are available online:

 

[2]www.westernsussexhospitals.nhs.uk/about-us/trust-board/trust-board-meetings

 

Please note that WSHT was accredited Foundation Trust status on 1 July
2013.

 

9.         Do you capture and measure concern data separately?

 

            Please refer to the attached Complaints Policy.

 

 

For your information I attach guidance on Exemption under Section 12 from
the Information Commissioner’s website:

 

Exemption - Section 12

 

Section 12(1) of the Act states:

 

‘Section 1(1) does not oblige a public authority to comply with a request
for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying with
the request would exceed the appropriate limit.’

 

Accordingly, section 12 provides that a public authority is not obliged to
comply with a request for information if it estimates that meeting the
request would exceed the appropriate cost limit. The appropriate limit is
currently set out in the Freedom of Information and Data Protection
(Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004 (‘the Regulations’), the
wording of which is provided in the legal annex to this Notice. A public
authority may only take into account the cost of determining whether it
holds the information requested, locating, retrieving and extracting the
requested information in performing its calculation. The cost limit is
currently set at £450 for all public authorities (other than central
government) and equates to 2½ days’ work (18 hours) at a rate of £25 per
hour.

 

 

 

If there is anything on which you need clarification, or if we can be of
any further assistance to you then please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your request then you can
write to:

 

The Information Commissioner

Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

Telephone: 03031231113

 

Yours sincerely,

 

James Roser

Freedom of Information

Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

 

 

 

The information contained in this e-mail may be subject to public
disclosure under the NHS Code of Openness or the Freedom of Information
Act 2000.

Any processing, redistribution, disclosure, or reproduction of this
message, except as Intended is prohibited.

Unless the information is legally exempt from disclosure, the
confidentiality of this e-mail and your reply cannot be guaranteed.

 

If you received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender and remove
all copies of the message, including any attachments. Any views or
opinions expressed in this e-mail (unless otherwise stated) may not
represent those of Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

 

References

Visible links
1. http://www.westernsussexhospitals.nhs.uk...
2. http://www.westernsussexhospitals.nhs.uk...