Gripes are mishandled

By Robin Stride

Patients’ complaints about how complaints have been handled in private practice have rocketed.

They have gone up from 22% of mentions by complainants three years ago to 80% in the year ending last March.

Figures from the Independent  Healthcare Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS), the voluntary subscription scheme representing 95% of UK independent healthcare providers, also show nearly a quarter of complainants were unhappy with their clinical outcomes.