Case ref: 202204169
NHS organisation: Highland NHS Board
Subject: Hospitals/ Policy/ Admin
Date: December 2023
Summary
C raised concerns about the practice of recording and reporting waiting times within a service at Highland NHS Board. The Board conducted an investigation into the matter and concluded that the service was reporting waiting times in line with the national guidance. C was not satisfied with the time taken for the Board to respond and considered that the Board's investigation did not fully address their concerns.
We investigated whether the Board had appropriate systems in place so that the service's waiting lists were managed and reported in accordance with guidance. The evidence gathered during our investigation provided robust reassurance about the service's practice of recording and reporting waiting times. We did not uphold this aspect of C's complaint.
We also investigated C's complaint about how the Board had handled their concern. We identified learning for the Board in relation to defining the scope of an investigation, the timescales for handling a concern and maintaining confidentiality of those involved. Finally, we shared feedback for good practice in relation to keeping full records of meetings with those involved in an investigation.