A TOTAL of 75 complaints were lodged with the Health Service Ombudsman last year about the treatment of patients in East Lancashire.

In a national report published today, Ombudsman Ann Abraham criticised the NHS for not dealing with straightforward complaints effectively enough.

The report illustrates minor disputes about unanswered telephones or mix-ups over appointments.

There were criticisms of ‘knee-jerk responses by NHS staff’, and ‘poor complaint handling’.

Other complaints included a terminally ill woman removed from her GP’s list following a dispute between the practice and her daughter.

And another woman was removed from her GP’s list after a ‘simple disagreement’ about unanswered phone calls.

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust had 37 complaints passed to the ombudsman, while East Lancashire Teaching PCT, which deals with most of the area’s GPs, had 29.

Blackburn with Darwen PCT had nine complaints.

Ms Abraham said: “There is a growing recognition that patient feedback is a valuable resource for the NHS.

“But when feedback is ignored and becomes a complaint, it risks changing from being an asset to a cost.”

Lynn Wissett, East Lancashire Hospitals Trust, deputy chief executive, said: “We take all complaints seriously and aim to resolve them as quickly as possible by working closely with patients and their families.

“All 37 complaints referred to the Ombudsman were returned to us for resolution, which was achieved without further external intervention.”

The report highlights that 21 per cent of all complaints about GPs were about patient removals, a rise of 6 per cent on the previous year.

Graham Burgess, Blackburn with Darwen NHS Care Trust Plus chief executive, said: “The CTP regrets that its patients feel that their complaints have not been resolved and have felt it necessary to refer the matter to the Ombudsman with the stresses this places on people at often difficult times.”