Save Face publishes consumer advice sheet

Save Face has published an advice sheet written for the consumer in an attempt to address key issues it has identified as causing ongoing problems and frustrations for patients and practitioners alike.

The document entitled, “Anatomy of a Complaint: A Patients Guide on How to Avoid Unnecessary Risk and Where to Turn if You Have a Complaint”, is also supported with a “check list”, advice on how to complain and a survey designed to gather important information on patient experience and outcomes, in a bid to educate the public and provide the missing information to inform and influence practice, standards and regulations moving forward.

The organisation has highlighted the following issues as being of concern. Firstly, that patients are constantly told to do their research but they don’t understand what they should be checking, how to check and why such checks are important. Secondly that patients who find themselves suffering bad results or complications, often fail to own any responsibility whatsoever for the choices they may have made and argue, that they didn’t know any better. Thirdly that patients who have complaints do not know how to make them effectively and responsibly and how to make them count, often simply landing them at the feet of another practitioner, or sharing with the press, allowing the “problem practitioner” to continue harming others with no accountability. And finally that complaints that have not been addressed appropriately by the provider, where real harm has been caused, fail to be escalated to the appropriate regulators, either because the patient is unaware of the proper channels or because they have insufficient evidence to support an investigation.