Public service complaints up 10%

Adam Peat retired as the public service ombudsman for Wales in April

A 10% rise in complaints to the public service watchdog in Wales has been attributed to a greater awareness of the service.

The annual report by the public service ombudsman for Wales shows that despite the increase, the number upheld has barely changed.

Of the 1,420 new complaints received, 139 were upheld in whole or part.

The report shows most complaints (984), were about councils, particularly housing, planning and health issues.

The annual report, covering 2007/08, was written mostly by ombudsman Adam Peat, who retired in April and has been replaced by Peter Tyndall.

The report shows Mr Peat did not investigate 975 complaints, and of those upheld in whole or in part, 19 became public interest reports.

NHS bodies received the second largest number of complaints, at 232.

Mr Peat said new legislation had enabled him to publish reports on complaints about NHS bodies where the public interest required it.

Sarah Dadd waited for three years for equipment to be paid for

The first complaint was against Health Commission Wales (HCW) which he found had acted "perversely" in declining to fund an £800 PET scan to check for cancer after a lump was found beside a woman's lung.

The alternative procedure would have been riskier for the patient, and cost the NHS more.

After the report was issued, Health Minister Edwina Hart announced a fundamental review of HCW's role, said Mr Peat.

Another report found that two NHS trusts and a local health board argued for three years about who should pay for equipment promised to severely disabled patient Sarah Dadd.

Mr Peat said the bodies concerned were now working together more effectively to deliver community-based services.

Current ombudsman Mr Tyndall said: "It is unacceptable for patients to be denied access to the most appropriate treatment or equipment to which they are entitled simply because the different NHS bodies involved in the patient's care are trying to protect their own individual budgets.

"Members of the public are entitled to expect that the NHS in Wales will put patients first and act to deliver an effectively co-ordinated NHS."

The report also highlighted guidance which was issued by the ombudsman in March for use by all public bodies in Wales.

In a foreword to the report, Mr Tyndall said the increased volume of complaints had created "real challenges" for his service and he wanted to further improve its responsiveness.