NHS Redress Bill [HL]

I do not want to deviate from the subject too much, but I have in my hand a Bill that I took through this House 20 years ago: the Hospital Complaints Procedure Bill. It was a one-clause Bill and I shall read that clause, which is short:"““Clause 1 requires the Secretary of State to exercise his powers under section 17 of the National Health Service Act 1977, which enables him to give directions to health authorities as to the exercise of functions so as to require regional health authorities to make and publicise arrangements for dealing with complaints made by or on behalf of patients at each hospital they are responsible for managing. The Health Service Commissioners will not be precluded from carrying out investigations under Part V of the said Act by reason of any right of appeal, reference or review conferred by the arrangements””." In my introduction to the Bill, I said:"““There is also a leaflet, published in 1982 by the DHSS, which is produced to help patients, or relatives and personal friends acting on their behalf, who have comments or a suggestion or complaint to make about their stay in hospital. I do not know whether the leaflet is readily available to all patients, but at present, in the vast majority of cases, the patient will be required to complain to the very person he is complaining about””.—[Official Report, 17/4/85; col. 778.]" I felt that that was unreasonable. Usually, the patient lying ill in hospital will be extremely anxious and nervous of making a serious complaint against a nurse or member of the medical staff because of fear of reprisals or that someone may become vindictive. This Bill was designed to enable hospitals within the NHS to establish the position of a hospital ombudsman. That would be a member of the staff who would be responsible for following up complaints for and on behalf of the complainant; someone who would not be intimidated by senior members of staff. I checked with the Library an hour or so ago and my Bill became an Act. I wonder whether it might be some help to the Minister in his deliberations on the procedure we are discussing.