Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to ensure that interventions are made as early as possible to resolve patient and staff complaints within the NHS.

The Department has worked closely with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman on his work to develop the NHS Complaint Standards, which set out how organisations providing services in the National Health Service should approach complaint handling. The Standards place a strong focus on early resolution, supported by detailed guidance and good practice on how to resolve complaints early and effectively.

Similarly, in relation to staff, the national Freedom to Speak Up Policy for the NHS highlights, amongst other things, the importance of a culture in which challenges are raised and resolved quickly. NHS organisations have been asked to ensure that they adopt the national Freedom to Speak Up Policy by 31 January 2024.