The Independent Private Health Sector Complaints Management Service
Complaints Management Service For
Independent Healthcare Providers.
1. Summary
1.1
This program sets out the scope of
service provided by the Independent Health Sector Complaints Management Service.
1.2
The secretariat for this program will be
provided by the Uganda National Association of Private Hospitals.
2. Background
2.1
It is a current requirement of National
Minimum Standards (‘NMS’), which regulate independent healthcare sector
providers (PFP) that each provider has in place appropriate arrangements for
non–MOH individuals who wish to complain about the services provided. (A different
regime applies in the MOH and is considered very likely to be part of future
registrations requirements.)
2.2
The requirements are that each
Independent Sector healthcare provider should have a complaints policy and
operational practices that are compliant with widely accepted Standards. There
are three specific issues for independent healtcare providers:
A.
the need to have a complaints policy which
meets the requirements of Standard practice; and
B.
the need to have access to a Stage 3
(externally moderated) complaints process for use when required.
C.
The
need to benchmark own performance
2.3
UNAPH
will maintain a close working relationship over complaints management with both
the District Health Officer (as the arm of government responsible for the
creation and continuing review of the standards/registration criteria for the
independent healthcare sector) and with the Uganda Private Medical Council (as
the regulator responsible for inspection and compliance). As a result, and on
the basis of co-operation between members, UNAPH will provide an industry-wide
model complaints management policy which was last updated in May 2006.
2.4
UNAPH will organize has
agreements with the Uganda
Private Medical Council a complaints operating
protocol under which the Healthcare Commission will allow Independent healthcare
sector providers that abide by the UNAPH Code of Practice
for Handling Patients’ Complaints to keep control of the investigation of
complaints against them (unless it an alleged breach of the Private and
Voluntary Healthcare Regulations (affecting patient safety).
2.5
The benefits to independent healthcare sector
providers of an independent sector complaints management service are therefore:
•
Uganda
Private Medical and Dental Practitioners Council.
•
actual and perceived independence of the
Stage 3 process;
•
reduced duplication;
•
reduced cost of establishment and
maintenance of a readily available, accessible adjudication (Stage 3) process;
•
rapid access, when required, to a
functioning adjudication system; and
•
access to industry wide complaints
experience and (anonymised) data for benchmarking purposes;
3. UNAPH Complaint Task Desk
3.1
UNAPH
Complaint Task Desk is a department supported by UNAPH for
whom it is essential to comply with NMS complaints procedures. For practical purposes
this potentially includes all PFP independent private providers Even for those
who provide services only to NHS patients, any MOH complaints backlog with the UNAPH Complaint Task Desk may make it
appropriate to consider accessing UNAPH
Complaint Task Desk, providing a service for MOH patients treated in the
independent sector.
3.2
UNAPH Complaint Task Desk membership
provides:
•
access to experienced UNAPH Complaint Task Desk
administrative staff and the infrastructure necessary to
•
maintain an up to date UNAPH Model
Complaints Policy, in full consultation with District Health Officer and Uganda
Private Medical Council;
•
maintain a Stage 3 (externally
moderated) complaints management system,
•
publish industry - standard literature
for use by patients
•
collect and publish industry wide
statistical outcomes
•
access to UNAPH exclusively-retained impartial Adjudicators ;
•
costs maintained at realistic levels
3.4
Cost
of the UNAPH services are divided as follows:-
•
an annual membership fee to cover
general advisory and support services, and access to Stage 3 and to the Model
policy;
•
specific charges for individual
adjudications or complaints management services.
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