Can Healthwatch Birmingham please let us see its complaints & concerns data on UHB?

Dr Minh Alexander retired consultant psychiatrist 11 April 2023

Mike Bewick’s rapid review of clinical safety at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust was strangely silent on patient complaints, and so were the related statements by the external reference group and the Chair of Healthwatch Birmingham:

Bewick’s silence on patient complaints at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

Consequently, I asked Healthwatch Birmingham if it collated and published data on concerns and complaints received from the public about UHB.

The response was a little reluctant, but Healthwatch Birmingham eventually revealed that it did, and that this data was sent to regulators and commissioners in a confidential, quarterly report.

I have now written to Healthwatch Birmingham’s Chair to ask that the data relating to UHB is transparently published in view of the great public interest.

Frankly, such data should be routinely published in view of Healthwatch’s purported role as champion of the public interest.

LETTER TO RICHARD BURDEN, CHAIR OF HEALTHWATCH BIMRINGHAM

BY EMAIL

Richard Burden

Chair of Healthwatch Birmingham

11 April 2023

Dear Richard,

Public access to complaints and concerns data about UHB that is held by Healthwatch Birmingham

I asked Healthwatch Birmingham via a Twitter conversation if it collated data on concerns and complaints from the public about local NHS services, with particular respect to UHB, for obvious reasons.

HW Birmingham initially directed me to the online feedback page of its website:

healthwatchbirmingham.co.uk/services

When I asked about correspondence received by HW Birmingham from the public regarding complaints and concerns, and whether this generated any summarised data and reports, HW Birmingham replied that correspondence would not be published because it was confidential.

After I pressed the point about summarised data, HW Birmingham indicated that anonymised data about concerns received is sent to regulators and commissioners in quarterly reports, which are confidential.

“Anonymised data is shared with regulators & commissioners in a confidential quarterly report. We also have avenues for directly raising concerns with services. Pls email info@healthwatchbirmingham.co.uk if you wish to discuss further. Thanks.”

I wonder if in view of the clear and current public interest in University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, and the extraordinary omission of any patient complaints data from Mike Bewick’s phase one rapid review on clinical safety at UHB, whether Healthwatch Birmingham should now publish its anonymised data on all concerns and complaints received about UHB.

I can see no objection on grounds of confidentiality and privacy if the data is anonymised and aggregated.

A series of such data going back over years would be valuable in helping to set the current concerns about UHB’s culture, clinical performance and safety into context.

Furthermore, Healthwatch Birmingham’s dataset can be argued to be a more independent dataset that has not been controlled by the UHB board, and may have added value in this respect.

With best wishes,

Minh

Dr Minh Alexander

Birmingham and Solihull Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee

BBC Newsnight