The figure, which was released in response to a freedom of information request, compares to total complaints of 227 in 2019 and 269 last year.
If the rate of complaints in 2021 is maintained, it would equate to around 300 during the 12 months and therefore represent an increase on the previous two years.
Of those recorded from January to the end of April, 13 related to the dental department, while a further 13 pertained to the general medical wards.
In 2020, the dental department attracted 24 complaints, compared to 21 in 2019. The general medical wards received 19 complaints in 2020 and ten in 2019.
In 2020 and 2019 the Emergency Department received the highest number of complaints with 31 and 27 respectively. In the first four months of this year, nine complaints related to that department.
Meanwhile, the response also states that of all the complaints recorded between January and March this year, 71% were responded to within 28 days.
The government’s customer feedback policy aims to respond to feedback within 25 days but the health system is not yet aligned with the new central government policy and works to a 28-day target. In 2020 48% of complaints met the 28-day deadline and, in 2019, the figure was 34%.
The response states: ‘The maximum response time for complaints, in line with the GOJ Customer Feedback Policy, should be 25 working days.
‘However, some complaints can be significantly more complex, requiring a more specialist level of investigation at stage two or three and therefore take longer to conclude. In these cases, the customer is kept informed of the new timescales agreed between the complainant and the relevant department.’
