Grateful Patients or Savvy Consumers?

Healthwatch England, which heads up a network of 152 local patient bodies, urged the public to become "savvy consumers" rather than "grateful patients".

To help, the watchdog set out eight core rights for patients.

It comes after polling indicated half of people who experienced poor care did not report it.

Healthwatch England was created under the shake-up of the NHS earlier this year.

It is envisaged that the organisation will act as a patients' champion, carrying out its own investigations and speaking out about issues of concern.

This is its first report to Parliament, and it has used it to highlight the deference shown by patients.

Healthwatch England chairwoman Anna Bradley said: "We all need to stop acting like grateful patients and care users and start to see ourselves as savvy consumers, insisting on our right to safe, dignified and high quality care."

To help achieve that, the organisation has set out its list of rights:

the right to essential services
the right to access
the right to a safe, dignified and quality service
the right to information and education
the right to choose
the right to be listened to
the right to be involved
the right to live in a healthy environment

Ms Bradley added: "Consumer rights are second nature to us on the High Street, but by thinking this way we can ensure people have a voice at the heart of the health and social care system."

Care and Support Minister Norman Lamb said he welcomed the initiative.

"Without real and meaningful input from patients, it is impossible for health and care services to improve and move forward in the future," he added.

Have you ever complained about the care you have received (or the lack of it)? Was your complaint met with compassion or hostililty?

I do think that a lot of medical staff, in Britain, tend to assume patients have no right to complain or demand and should see the NHS as something to be grateful for rather than something patients have already paid for - so maybe Healthwatch England also needs to work on the mindset of those within the health service?

Re: Grateful Patients or Savvy Consumers?

Over the years we have complained several times about various NHS services, met with complete indifference on all occasions. They just don't care in my experience.

Before Pats leaps on me this is my experience others may have glowing testimony of wonderful experiences !

Re: Grateful Patients or Savvy Consumers?

Yes Kal - I did complain. very much so - after over 3 years of waiting to be diagnosed ... It did the trick, I got an MRI as a result and, all was clear from that !

Re: Grateful Patients or Savvy Consumers?

It's usualy you leaping on me for quoting my experiences.

Healthwatch England is a good initiative, people should complain if standards don't meet expectation.

Re: Grateful Patients or Savvy Consumers?

If you genuinely feel that I honestly give up. Because that isn't how it feels to me.

Re: Grateful Patients or Savvy Consumers?

Can you say why you feel that Healthcare England isn't a good initiative Julie?

Re: Grateful Patients or Savvy Consumers?

Such a shame you were made to wait 3 years. I wish I'd been more 'consumer savvy' when I was younger as every complaint I have (apart from one) has been caused by various branches of the medical profession!

Mind you, now I'm an old battleaxe, things are very different

Re: Grateful Patients or Savvy Consumers?

Well BV, meet Battleaxe No. 2 - pleased to meet you.
Yes, I complained officially, in writing, with the help of P.A.L.S. (patient liason people).
A couple of years ago when Mum was very ill in hospital and contracted C-Diff to add to her troubles. It's too long a story to go into here, but I eventually wrote a letter of complaint..
After Mum had been admitted a while, she developed the most vile diarrhoea, it was unbelievable (doesn't matter about all the gory details), and no one had it tested, until I got a sample analysed myself by handing it in to the lab. Result - C.Diff.
They had been bagging up her soaked washing for me to take home, and I was totally unaware of what I was risking, plus putting all the other old people in the ward at risk too.
To cut a long story short, they denied even knowing about it, so I told them that whoever was bagging up the appalling laundry certainly knew about it - her dressing gown, slippers, night clothes - the lot was covered, day after day! To my utter astonishment they replied and suggested perhaps she had bagged it up herself!!! I nearly exploded. I said how the hell could a very ill woman in her late 80's, stagger off up the corridors with her walking frame, know exactly what cupboard the plastic bags were kept in, take one and go back to the ward, bag all the soiled articles up, wash herself and remove all trace of it all by herself, without anyone noticing?
I was so angry I asked to see her stool chart to see what had been recorded. Guess what - it was never found.
I could go on and on about Mum's hospital stay, including how eventually how she got "lost in the system" and stayed an extra 3 weeks by mistake, until I phoned the consultants secretary myself, and asked if he was aware she was even still in the building.
With half an hour I got a call from the ward saying she could go home - what an extraordinary coincidence don't you think? When I went to pick her up, you could cut the atmosphere with a knife, none of the nurses spoke to me or would find me a wheelchair to get Mum to the car park.
It still gets me worked up thinking about it all, and that is only part of the epic.

Re: Grateful Patients or Savvy Consumers?

Whilst an in-patient in hospital nine years ago, I too had cause to call (from my patient-line 'phone in the ward) the PALS Manager and lodge a complaint. My bed was on the second floor of the hospital, right beside the window. Immediately below the window the workmen were laying a pipeline (into the Oxygen store) and since this roadway also led into the carpark, the workmen had laid a series of metal plates across the trench. Everytime vehicles passed over these metal plates, there was the most horrendous clattering. The metal plates had not been anchored and so the wheels of the vehicles that passed were making them skid about. The PALS Manager came to see me in my hospital bed and by stretching up, I was able, not only to tell him, but point to where the problem lay. As it happened, whilst he was at my bedside, one of the Oxygen delivery vehicles arrived and he was able to hear the clattering for himself. The next morning the metal plates were anchored down - no more clattering!!!

Re: Grateful Patients or Savvy Consumers?

Yes, I found the PALS people really helpful too, UJ. I have needed their help twice and they have responded well on both occasions.