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NHS CONCERNS INCREASE

Judith says, "we often hear how the NHS is failing to care for older and vulnerable people. The Health Ombudsman's recent report is a chilling example and a reminder of my own harrowing experiences of the NHS. But we don't often hear about the support available to patients and their families who are worried about their NHS treatment and care."

Judith was admitted to hospital in 2010. Whilst there she experienced a very poor standard of care which, without the support of ICAS, she believes, would have led to her death. Judith explains, "when I was admitted to hospital I was very unwell and my disability means that I have very limited movement and people find it difficult to understand my speech. Because of this I was often ignored, misunderstood and left without access to food, water or basic hygiene needs. I lost more than 2 stone and if it had not been for my advocates, I think I would have died."

Judith Smart is keen to let everyone know that support is available and she urges NHS patients and their families to Think Smart, Think ICAS.

POhWER knows that most people using health services are happy with their treatment and care but sometimes things go wrong. There is a legal requirement to provide free, independent advocacy to anyone who wants to make an NHS complaint. This is available throughout England but not everyone who receives treatment is aware.

Most NHS complaints are not about simply criticising, or complaining for the sake of it. People want to understand why something went wrong, want mistakes to be acknowledged and systems and practices to be improved for individuals and for others who may be in similar situations.

In London, the West Midland and the Eastern region alone we have taken nearly 50,000 calls in the last year about the NHS complaints system. We provide various levels of support to callers and, by the end of the March, we will have provided in-depth support to over 7,000 patients.

Our in-depth casework increasingly focuses on people with complex needs with a significant portion of casework being about older people.
The changes to the complaints system introduced in 2009 mean that we are able to support people much earlier in the complaints process and we believe that it would be of great help to patients and families if they knew that ICAS could help them if they were thinking about raising a complaint, not just when matters become formal.

Judith Smart has benefitted from our ICAS service and she wants others to do the same. Together we are urging patients and their families, who have concerns about their NHS treatment or care, to Think Smart, Think ICAS.

To hear Judith talk about her experience follow this link: Judith's story


To find out more about ICAS, in your area, call 0300 456 2370.



For more information, contact: pohwer@pohwer.net