SPSO
SPSO Heard back from SPSO(Scottish Public Services Ombusdman)today, due to the amount of complaints they are handling, they cannot investigate my case until January 2007 at the earlierst, so will need to wait until then.
Anyone had dealings with the SPSO, just a few questions I want to ask.
Love
xx
Sharleen
I may be able to help with SPSO Hi Sharleen
Perhaps I could help you.
My case is with the SPSO at the moment. It has been there since August 2005. What’s that telling you! Yes, it goes on and on.
The Ombudsman is actually a lady called Professor Alice Brown. Once she has your medical notes she will delegate your case to one of her investigators. You will be given a case reference No. and you will get a letter every month with an update. I had a meeting with her recently because I am not happy with the outcome of her investigation. I told her I felt I should have had a face to face interview with my investigator. Perhaps you could ask for an interview. I would be interested in her response. Probably say, we haven’t got the resources to do this.
Saying they will start your case in January 2007 doesn’t sound too bad to me.
Let me know if I can help you with anything.
Regards.
Jeannie
Hi Jeannie I got a letter asking me to sign medical consent form then I recieved a letter a few days later telling my due to the amount of complaints they are recieving they are operating a holding bay process and that my case wouldnt be strated until Janauary 2007 *(think it was the 4th???)
I though that they where meant to interview you face to face ?? Its worrying if they dont interview you, means these peeple might get the opportunity to ‘lie’ their faces off and get away with it.
Sharleen
Yes, you could be right Hi Sharleen
I didn’t get a face to face interview with the SPSO. At the meeting I had with her I said I felt this had let me down. In other words, she had take the decision not to uphold my case without doing a full investigation of my evidence. Through my MSP I am taking things further. My advice to you would be to demand a face to face interview as part of the procedure. Take someone with you merely to take notes. The SPSO advertise themselves as offering an independent, free and fair response to complaints about public services. I have not found this to be the case. I don’t think for a minute that my case has been dealt with fairly. I hope I continue to have the energy to fight for myself and for the others that will benefit after me. You may even benefit from some of the things I have told her need to be improved.
Good luck. Keep me posted.
Jeannie
Should I write ?? So should I write to them again and say that when my case comes to investigation I would like a face to face interview ?? Theres a website about them, do a google for it, I found it by accident when I was looking for the SPSO website, its someone campaingning for a more ‘open’ SPSO
What needs to be improved?
Sharleen
Sharleen Hi Sharleen
I think it would be worthwhile asking for a face to face interview at the beginning of your investigation. You have to make sure she has listened to what you have to say and understands your side of the story.
I have a letter from the SPSO saying she “would use the experience of my case as part of our ongoing review of our internal procedures for investigating complaints. I confirm that it will be used in this way”. So she may well offer you a face to face interview in light of my experience. I would be very happy for you if she did. Remember they are supposed to be an open, accountable and accessible public services complaints system. You/I do not always know what kind of information they need and may even not tell them something that could be important. Having a face to face interview (with them asking questions) should help to get things right.
She knows I am very unhappy with the way in which she has handled my complaint. I feel it has not been properly investigated and felt she did not listened to my side of the evidence. I would have had more confidence that she understood my case had I been given the chance to have a face to face interview with her. Whether that would have made a difference to her decision in the end, I’m not really sure.
However, I am fighting on…
In answer to your question, I would say YES. A face to face interview could not possibly do any harm in light of the way the system seems to be set up. I cannot say more at this stage.
Good luck.
Jeannie
Recieved another letter I got another letter form them this morning saying that though my case will not be examined until Janaury 2007 they are looking at the part of my complaint where I complain about not having a mammogram until 50, they say that they cannot arrange medical services and all they can do is make informal enquiries about the criteria used by genetics, surley they wont take advice from that particualr team Ive made the complaint about ???
Sharleen
Sharleen Hi Sharleen
You are learning fast! I’m really not sure how it would work in your case. I think unless there is a higher up body in control of the one you are complaining about, they may well take their advice. Have you looked into this? Perhaps the Ombudsman is the higher up body.
Have you tried talking to the Scottish Cancer Group or NHS Quality Improvement Scotland? NHS QIS have an office in Glasgow. Tel: 0141 225 6999. I think it is good to make these companies aware of what is going on. They may even help put you in the right direction.
Regards.
Jeannie
Ive written to them asking if they could outline who they are going to be taking advice from and who will they be making informal enquiries to. Also attatched some data from Cancerbacup about adoption in a family. I think they key to this is to be “on thier tail” at all times and question absolutely everything
xx
Sharleen