Page 105 - Pharmacy Appeals 1/4/04 to 31/3/05

NHS Resolution Annual report and accounts 2021/22 81

Data Protection requests We implemented this by changing our timelines,
encouraging early resolution and giving our
NHS Resolution receives two types of requests under
business areas ten working days to respond. It
the DPA. The first type. Subject Access Requests
was believed that extending the timeframe would
(SARs), give individuals the right to request any
give more time to examine and informally resolve
information held about themselves. During this
these complaints at the earliest opportunity.
period 154 SARs were received, which is an increase
of 38 (33%) on last year. Of these 140 (91 %) were Freedom to Speak Up
responded to within the statutory deadline of one
We have a Freedom to Speak Up policy and have in
calendar month. Where these were not responded to
place four Freedom to Speak Up guardians as well as
within the specified time period, we have advised the
a non-executive director who is the Freedom to Speak
requestor of the reasons for delay, such as complexity
Up officer. The guardians continue to work with a
or volume of information in scope of the request.
number of departments within the organisation to
The second type of requests are third party requests for influence change and drive improvement arising from
information for personal data relating to activities for the concerns raised, which for this year has included:
prevention and detection of crime. Such requests can
• Monthly meetings with HR/OD to talk through themes
come from the police, regulators and, in respect of our
from issues raised and remedial actions that can be put
claim function, other insurance bodies who are members
in place, as well as how to mitigate against Freedom
of the Claims and Underwriting Exchange (CUE).
to Speak Up arrangements being used instead of
Complaints and feedback appropriate line management and HR procedures.

From 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 we received 35 • Identifying training or policy and procedures
complaints, which were reviewed through the processes knowledge gaps that exist across the organisation.
laid down in our formal complaints policy, of which 31
• Sharing intelligence with the mental health
were concluded and four remain active as these were
first aiders so they can shape their offer.
received before the end of the reporting period. This
compares to 26 complaints logged in 2020/21. These • Inputting into the corporate values and behaviours
numbers remain small relative to the volume of activity framework and actions to embed these.
across the organisation and there is no single explanation • Participating in corporate induction sessions to
for an increase of complaints since last year. We are, promote the commitment to speaking up and
however, always keen to learn from complaints. how that facilitates change in the organisation.
There have been four complaints referred to our Health, safety and wellbeing
Chair during this reporting period. None of these
To ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of our
were upheld. There have been no complaints to the
staff we have in place policies and procedures. Staff
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
are required to participate in the training provided to
We also have a claims management framework for ensure awareness. The health, safety and wellbeing of
recording concerns and queries relating to claims and our staff is paramount to us. We have ensured all staff
these are addressed through our claims management have complete display screen equipment assessments to
function. This process provides our service users with make sure that they are working in a safe way both in
a route by which their concerns can be addressed, the office and at home. All our staff have access to the
whereas previously the complaints policy was the enhanced offerings of the Employee Assistance, Health
only route and that did not encompass complaints and Wellbeing Tools and Mental Health First Aiders.
about claims decisions because of the legal framework We have given all staff an individual risk assessment
within which claims operate. There is now a dedicated to identify those who may need extra support.
Complaints and Learning Manager within the
Through 2021/22 we expanded the incident reporting
claims function, who has been able to resolve these
process to include incidents relating to staff wellbeing,
concerns and ensure they are addressed promptly.
in particular those related to difficult communications with
In March we implemented a reviewed NHS Resolution service users. This ensured that we had visibility of these
Complaints Policy and in doing so took into account NHS incidents and that we acted to put in place measures to
Complaints Standards which set out how organisations support staff and our service users where appropriate.
providing NHS services should approach complaint
handling. The Standards aim to support organisations
in providing a quicker, simpler and more streamlined
complaint handling service, with a strong focus on
early resolution by empowered and well-trained staff.