HOSPITAL NEGLIGENCE SOLICITOR - HEALTHCARE COMMISSION
Healthcare Commission
The Healthcare Commission was founded in April 2004 to cover many responsibilities left open by the other healthcare organisations that operate in the United Kingdom. The official name is the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection and is known by its acronym CHAI. Commonly referred to as simply the ‘Healthcare Commission’, the organisation has a wide range of duties relating to the quality of healthcare and reduction of hospital negligence. The Healthcare Commission also has a statutory duty to monitor the performance of other healthcare organisations within the National Health Service (NHS).
Jurisdiction
The ethos of the organisation is to assist with the improvement of healthcare quality in the United Kingdom. Because of the nature of many complaints and the number of potential complaints, the Healthcare Commission only looks at cases that could not be, or should not be, resolved by a local authority. In particular, it has jurisdiction over the second step in the NHS complaints procedure. This important second step is called the ‘independent review’ and is as it sounds – an independent review of a specific situation about which a complaint was raised. Part of the purpose of the Healthcare Commission is to ensure that the patient is fully appraised of all of the information available in the hope that it may deter precipitous legal action being taken for compensation for alleged but unfounded hospital negligence.
Independant Review
The Healthcare Commission has the authority to take immediate action by independently investigating a complaint themselves. However, even if the commission fails to satisfy the person who made the complaint, they may refer the case to yet another panel of ‘lay people’ who will again independently review the situation on behalf of the commission and the individual concerned.
Health Service Ombudsman
The Healthcare Commission procedures are not the last stage in the complaints process and if the independent review is rejected the applicant can have the complaint considered by the Health Service Ombudsman who is completely independent of the NHS and Government.
Free Legal Advice
We can offer you advice on hospital negligence either in person or over the phone. If you want to find out if you have a good case and how much money your claim may be worth, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our experts today. Regardless of your decision, you are never under any obligation to use our service. For free advice just complete the contact form and a specialist solicitor will phone you as soon as possible. If after talking to us you decide to proceed no further then you are under no obligation to do so and you will not be charged for our initial advice.
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