Fairness, dignity and respect

"Every NHS patient, whatever their age, deserves to be treated with fairness, dignity and respect. To offer anything less is completely unacceptable and we should be absolutely clear about that on behalf of everyone in the NHS.

Perspective

“It is of course important to put these ten examples in perspective.  The NHS sees over a million people every 36 hours and the overwhelming majority say they receive good care. But I fully appreciate that this will be of little comfort to patients and their families when they have been on the receiving end of poor care.

Good systems needed

“NHS trusts need good systems in place to make sure every patient’s experience is the best it possibly can be. They need to keenly gather information about when things go wrong and to ensure they implement the learning. They also need to be acutely sensitive to the needs of particular groups of patients and this is especially true in the case for the elderly.

Particular needs

“Elderly patients have particular needs and can often be less able or willing to express their wishes, especially in a hospital environment. The NHS is treating more and more elderly patients as our society gets older and it has never been more important for the NHS to be alert and responsive to their needs.  

“We know that we need to get this right for every patient, every time, but making that a reality is an enormous challenge.”

Read the report

Visit the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman website to read the full report.