Realised this morning that I had heard nothing since my talk with the Nottingham Hospitals Complaints Department lady on 21st October. Although I have left the Marsden to deal with the Sisyphean task of getting copies of my old scans onto disc and down to them, I have still not had anything about all the other things I brought up in my complaint (misdiagnosis by two stages - Stage 2 when it was actually Stage 4, failure to mention until a year later the fact that 10% of my type do last longer than the "3-4 months" we'd been told as a certainty, conflicting recommendations of treatment brought to light only by my eagle eye falling on notes meant only for other healthcare professionals...). I rang Nottingham City Hospital, and asked to be put through to the Complaints Department.
A nice chap answered at the switchboard, but I suspected he was new, as it was some time before he put me through. Meanwhile I could hear all the background noises. This included a lot of heavy breathing, and I wondered if the poor chap should have been in a bed rather than at the desk - he didn't sound at all well. Eventually, after two intermissions of music, a lady answered saying it was the PALS. I explained that I might have been put through to the wrong extension as I had wanted the Complaints Department. "Well, they don't really have one," the lady said. "It's dealt with by the different departments. It would have come through to us."
I explained that I'd originally emailed PALS, had received no reply, so had chased it up, only to be told that they didn't deal with complaints about hospital treatment, and had forwarded it to the hospital, as detailed in my Lots of Fun in Nottingham blog. Now however the PALS lady sounded surprised, and said that they DO deal with this sort of thing. She conferred with a friend and I could hear them finding my complaint. "I'm going to put you through to Sharon _________ on Extension ______" she explained, as this person deals with the oncology department complaints. Next thing I was speaking to Sharon who said that an acknowledgement had been sent out to me (she'll send me a copy as I never received anything), and the results of the enquiry will be "in the trough" (sounded like this, and I imagined a bin of pig swill) on 24th November "but of course will take a few days to come through to you."
Hmm, odd this. I wish PALS would decide what they do and don't do. I remember approaching the PALS' desk when I first had the shock of misdiagnosis, and the two elderly ladies bridled with indignation, "We don't deal with THAT sort of thing. You'll have to talk to your consultant." They did deign to give me a timetable for a new bus service, which I walked half a mile across the hospital site to find out it didn't start running until the following week... Now I've got someone really au fait, and helpful!
Anyway, I await with fevered anticipation to see what the results bring. I think I have a fair idea - but maybe I'm doing them an injustice and I shall get an apology.
Hoping everyone is bearing up, as we say stoically. Loads of love xxxxx Penny
FormerMember
Thank you - yes, but hopefully they're getting a bit dizzy as well, having to keep swatting the fly known as me! I too was so sorry to have missed you - I was really looking forward to seeing you, but as you heard it was a sad event that meant I had to rearrange and shorten my weekend. I've looked at all the photos avidly, and am sending you online What Now special {{{{{{{{ hugs }}}}}}}}} now. xxxxxx Penny
Hi Penny - I became convinced long ago that dealing with large institutes like the NHS is a gargantuan task, not for the faint hearedt! I'm sure they do everything in their power to wear us down, which is part of their cunning plan to get us "to go away and not annoy them, please"! So young and so cynical! lol I think it always takes them by surprise when we mere patients have the temerity to question their levels of competence etc. I, like you always thought that PALS most certainly would deal with a complaint of your sort, but then again, it's another cog, in another wheel............and so on! The one thing they all have in common is their ability to cover their own and their colleague's backsides, so if their level of competence was measured by this ability, then none of us would have any cause for complaint.
I think you've been treated very shabbily (to say the very least), and I hope that whenever you DO hear back from these faceless bureaucrats that it will contain more than a mere apology. Keep us posted on what happens, won't you? Hold on tight Penny, with lots of love kate xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Now my op is out of the way my friend and I have started the route of offically complaining about my treatment from staff at the hospital out of my area. We rang PALS first and they said I had up to 6 months to lodge my complaint. We asked if I could have access to my notes (I think because I stood up to the Plastic Surgery Consultant he has made some sort of coded comment on my notes which would explain the cavalier attitude of the staff towards me from then on). I was told if I made the complaint first then I would be denied access to the notes so we said ok, who do we speak to first to get access THEN make the complaint? She asked about the 'incident' but my friend corrected her by saying "incidents" at which she got uncomfortable. We were given another dept and was told it would cost £10 for them to be copied and sent to me OR I could go to the hospital and sit and read them for nothing. As neither of us now trust that the 'offending' article would be removed before photocopying we have opted to go there once more grrrrr! It seems I have to sign a form to get access which they will send to me but it is done on a strict rota and apparently there are EIGHT people before me requesting their notes......what does that tell us????
So, fingers crossed and with you forging ahead for me to see how it's done maybe something will happen lol!
Yes, I know that we now have the right to access our health files, but only from the time this law was brought in (presumably docs cleaned up their act when they knew we might be inspecting what they wrote). I actually saw mine because they left me in the room with it - so I saw the words "Stage 2" and the itemization of the mets to the lymph nodes on the same page, there in black and white. I'm glad that you have discovered to look at your files first Phoenix - I should take a digital camera along. I've received an acknowledgement letter today, stamped "Copy". It assures me that complaining doesn't affect future treatment - I think fear of this is why more of us don't complain. I'm sure there is also a time limit with mine, but I just felt that I wanted an apology and to try to make sure that this never happened to anyone else.
I did read a series of doctors' acronyms: there are the professional ones such as "N&V "- nausea and vomiting, "FBC" - full blood count, "U&E" urea and electrolytes, "CXR" - chest x-ray. They also have some very non-PC ones which I won't quote, but anyone feeling emotionally resilient and with a sense of humour can search under "Medical Acronyms Humorous".
I have always made complaints in writing. It seems pernickety, but even face to face, you have to make an unpleasant scene to make them remember it.
Strategic use of the CC: section at the bottom can be extremely useful. The Press, your solicitor, and you don't always have to send them a copy unless they request one. In our hospital, the PALS are the official channel for complaints. Basically, they have to resolve what they can by talking to people and persuading them, but it can go up to the Chief Exec, and their Legal department.
One could forgive them for mistakes, but it is the sneaky way they cover up. I go to a lot of public involvement conferences, and at one, a woman described the hoops they had to go through to expose the Bath/Bristol (sorry I've forgotten) heart surgery death rate. It was eventually discovered that the senior surgery person in that department was also the Chairman of the board, so the hierarchy was compromised. I think it is all resolved now.
Encourage lots of people to join the LINks, which will monitor the Health and Social services. It will be a mammoth job, but the PPIs did keep the hospitals' noses to the grindstone about MRSA and C Diff. Conceited consultants can't get away with pulling rank, and have to wash their hands like everyone else. At a hospital board meeting I sneaked into a couple of years ago, the "Matron" said "Everyone thinks it is a good idea, and that everyone else should do it" so they have really progressed since then.
It is a good reason for all of us to Keep on Keeping on, and be reassured, we are all on the case. If something is wrong, forgive the mistake, but push through measures to get at the truth and an apology.
I wouldn't want compensation, but I would settle for one penny and a sincere apology.!
