ABSTRACT
Written complaints about NHS services have more than doubled between 2005/2006 and 2017/2018. In 2005/2006, there were 95,047 complaints or 1,827 a week, compared with 208,626 or 4,017 a week in 2017/2018. GP practices received approximately 1 written complaint for every 4,200 appointments in 2018/2019, based on data from NHS digital.1 The factors that influence the number of complaints include the ability of local organisations to resolve issues when they first arise and patient awareness of the Patients Advice Service (PALs).
