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	Wednesday 14th July 2010 Health Service Ombudsman reports on success of new NHS complaints system In her 2009-10 Annual Report, Making an impact, Health Service Ombudsman Ann Abraham looks back on a successful first year of the new NHS complaints system. The closure of the Healthcare Commission on 31 March 2009 means the Health Service Ombudsman is now the second and final point of contact for anyone who wishes to make a complaint about the NHS in England. The Ombudsmanâ€™s report shows that by the end of the first year of the new system, her Office had successfully dealt with a significant increase in the number of health complaints received in 2009-10 â€“ a total of 14,429, compared to 6,780 complaints in 2008-09. The new complaints system is simpler and faster for the public and, as Ann Abraham explains in her Annual Report, the positive impact of this is already apparent. She says: â€œSuch direct access to my Office offers a clear and straightforward route towards resolving complaints, helping to reduce the burden on the many people whose complaint stems from difficult or distressing personal circumstances.â€ The report includes a breakdown of all complaints received by type of healthcare provider. During 2009-10: 44 per cent (6,304) of complaints were about NHS hospital, specialist and teaching (acute) trusts 17 per cent (2,419) were about GPs 17 per cent (2,411) were about primary care trusts 10 per cent (1,393) were about mental health, social care and learning disability trusts five per cent (659) were about general dental practitioners nine per cent (1,243) were about a range of other providers, including strategic health authorities, ambulance trusts, pharmacies, and opticians The report also provides a geographic breakdown by strategic health authority. This top level information will be followed up later in the year with a more detailed statistical report on complaints about healthcare providers. The Governmentâ€™s White Paper, Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS, published this week, has emphasised how this sort of information is key to empowering patients, allowing them to make more informed decisions about their healthcare. In her report, the Ombudsman also shares the stories of some of the people her Office has helped during the last year. Among these are examples of complaints that have been successfully resolved through â€˜interventionâ€™, avoiding the need for a full, and more lengthy, formal investigation.