Dublin Dental School & Hospital. Distribution List: All

Transcription

1 Copy No. Dublin Dental School & Hospital Distribution List: All Title of Policy: Patient Complaints Policy Currently under review Developed By: Patient Services Reviewed by: Health & Safety & Risk Mgt Committee / / Support Services Committee 01/01/2007 Clinical Committee / / Dental Studies / / Hospital Executive 01/01/2007 Date Recommended: / / Hospital Management Committee Implementation Date: (pending board approval) Approval By: Hospital Board / / Review Date: January 2008 Document No: Version/Edition No: No. Of Pages: Table of Contents/Index: Page(s) Controlled Document Not For Reproduction Page 1 of 7

2 Policy Statement... 3 Policy Purpose... 3 Persons Affected... 3 Scope of Policy... 3 Definitions... 3 Responsibilities... 3 Policy/Procedure/Guideline... 4 Verbal Complaints... 5 Written Complaints... 5 Unresolved Complaints... 5 Litigation... 6 Audit and Evaluation... 6 References / Bibliography... 7 Controlled Document Not For Reproduction Page 2 of 7

3 1.0 Policy Statement This policy will contribute towards a professional and effective approach to dealing with Patient Complaints in conjunction with the missions and values of the school and hospital. 2.0 Policy Purpose The School and Hospital s complaints policy has the following aims: To resolve and / or reconcile the patient s or visitor s concerns. Input to the process of continuous quality improvement. To maintain a well published, accessible, transparent and simple to use system of dealing with complaints about the quality of services provided as advocated in the Principles of Quality Customer Service for Customers and Clients of Public Services. This policy should be read in conjunction with the Patient information leaflet on complaints Persons Affected Complainants will usually be existing or former patients of the School and Hospital. However, the complainant may also be someone acting on behalf of the patient, such as a parent or guardian. If the complaint is to be pursued by a relative of the patient, explicit, appropriate consent is required from the patient and, when appropriate, in writing. It is important to ensure that confidentiality is respected at all times. 3.0 Scope of Policy The policy of the School and Hospital is to endeavor to resolve all complaints at a local level and at the time of the complaint. Complaints not resolved at the time (locally) will be acknowledged, either verbally or in writing, within 3 working days. The target is to complete the complaints process within 28 working days. If the above is not achieved, the complainant will receive a preliminary response within 28 working days, with appropriate updates of progress if processing exceeds 28 working days. 4.0 Definitions 4.01 Responsibilities Minor complaints, whether by telephone or in person, will be handled and resolved as close to the point of service delivery as practicable by a frontline member of staff / student in an open and non-defensive way. Managers or Supervisors need to be informed if the complainant is still Dissatisfied, to allow for possible intervention which at that point may resolve the issue. Controlled Document Not For Reproduction Page 3 of 7

4 Most verbal complaints will be resolved on the spot or within 3 working days and a record of the complaint and outcome forwarded to the Patient Services Manager for recording and monitoring purposes. Where local resolution is not possible or where there is a formal written complaint, the complaint should be forwarded to the Patient Services Manager, who must thoroughly and fairly investigate the complaint. Complaints must be documented and referred to the Patient Services Manager in the following circumstances: Any time the complainant expressly wishes to make a formal complaint. If a complaint raised informally is not resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant. The complainant explicitly indicates an intention to take legal action in respect of the complaint. One of the Patient Services Manager s functions is to co-ordinate and respond to unresolved complaints on behalf of the Dublin Dental School and Hospital as well as fulfilling the role of Patient Advocate. In so doing complaints are seen as an integral component of the School and Hospital quality improvement process. Information given by the patients or their representatives in expressing their concerns must be viewed positively and be so utilized in the context of our Accreditation process, Risk Management and Human Resource policies as well as the School and Hospital s legal responsibilities and ethical standards. Thus, responding and resolving issues raised by an individual complainant is not a discrete and isolated process but part of an inter-connected range of policies and organizational responsibilities. As such, all members of staff are obliged to comply with the policy and attend training courses where provided. Please cut the text from your original document here or simply over type this section. 5.0 Policy/Procedure/Guideline An Untoward Incident Form should be completed for all complaints received, even if resolved locally. All complaints requiring investigation must be forwarded to the Patient Services Manager. On receipt of the complaint the Patient Services Manager will then involve the appropriate staff/student in the investigation. In the event of the complaint being a clinical matter, the Patient Services Manager will investigate this complaint with the appropriate Clinician and/or Head of Department and/or Manager responsible. The following actions and issues may be considered in the context of the investigation of a complaint: The Patient Services Manager will consult with the relevant staff/student. Controlled Document Not For Reproduction Page 4 of 7

5 This may also involve the complainant being facilitated in viewing his/her dental chart in the context of Freedom of Information/Data Protection legislation. The patient will be advised that in the investigation of a complaint his/her dental record may be consulted and possibly be discussed with other relevant members of staff. The Patient Services Manager may meet/telephone/write to the complainant and will pass on relevant information on behalf of, or in conjunction with, the staff members/students concerned Verbal Complaints These must be dealt with by the individual staff members directly concerned, and every effort made to resolve the complaint at a local level. Verbal complaints thus resolved must be documented (with the complainant s agreement) via the Untoward Incident Form, and passed to the Patient Services Manager for information and recording. This information will then be used appropriately for quality improvement and to develop protocols for staff training Verbal complaints not resolved locally must be dealt with in the first instance by the relevant manager/supervisor/head of department, with the complainant s agreement. If the complaint is still not resolved it must be forwarded to the Patient Services Manager, where appropriate, with the complainant s agreement Written Complaints Written complaints include correspondence recevied by letter, or fax. A copy of all written complaints must be forwarded to the Patient Services Manager. Where appropriate but, at all times in consultation with the Patient Services Manager, written complaints may be dealt with by the recipient. Alternatively, the Patient Services Manager will respond in writing following investigation and discussions with the appropriate members of staff/students Acknolwedgement of written complaints wil normally be within 3 working days. The Patient Services Manager is responsible for co-ordinating and ensuring a timely response to all complaints. It is therefore essential that copies of all complaints-related correspondence is passed directly to him/her upon receipt immediately Unresolved Complaints Complaints unresolved at local level must be notified, to the Patient Services Manager, in a prescribed format (i.e. Untoward Incident Form), and the complainant informed of the action taken. Where a complaint cannot be resolved within the 28-day period or where any significant difficulties arise in investigating and resolving an issue, the Patient Controlled Document Not For Reproduction Page 5 of 7

6 Services Manager must inform his/her Chief Executive Officer verbally and, where appropriate, in writing. Where a complainant indicates dissatisfaction with the outcome of an investigation, the School and Hospital may, at the discretion of the Chief Exceutive Officer, set up an internal Complaints Review Panel. The decision to set up this panel and it s membership will be decided by the Chief Exceutive Officer. Under the Health Act 2004 (Complaints regulations, SI652 of 2006) if the complaint is unhappy with the outcome of the complaint he / she may request a review of the recommendations by the appointed review officer. If the patient is still unhappy with the outcome the complaintaint may refer to the Office of the Ombudsman of the Ombudsman for Children as appropriate. Where a complaint is made on behalf of a patient, the issues of confidentiality and consent will be very carefully considered to ensure that the rights and needs of the patient are fully peserved. Where the patient is a child, the parent or legal guardian will be accepted and acknowledged as a complainant Litigation If a complainant indicates a likelihood of legal action againist the School and Hospital the Patient Services Manager must ensure that information and documentation is passed on to the Chief Exceutive Officer and consult fully with him/her. The Chief Executive Officer should be advised immediately of any likelihood of legal action. In the event of a complaint progressing to legal action, the Patient Services Manager will, where appropriate and in consultation with the Chief Exceutive Officier, maintain contact with the patient and attend to the relevant complaint management and advocacy issues Audit and Evaluation All complaints will be filed and recorded on the School and Hospital tracking database. The complaint file will be audited and reported by the Patient Services Manager on a six monthly basis in order to review the quality of the process. The purpose of this audit will be to identify trends and areas for improvement in our services. The Chief Executive will receive regular reports for consideration by the School and Hospital Board. These reports should highlight issues relating to policy and general service delivery as indicated by trends in complaints received. This will ensure: The arrangements for handling complaints will be monitored. Lessons are learnt from complaints and actions taken to improve services. Controlled Document Not For Reproduction Page 6 of 7

7 Regular reports to the relevant committees i.e. Heads & Chairs and Hospital Executive Committee. 6.0 References / Bibliography N/A Controlled Document Not For Reproduction Page 7 of 7