Group to examine the complaints process of Guernsey's health service

Friday, 13 February 2026 14:05

The views of Guernsey patients and healthcare staff on the current health service complaints process will help shape recommendations for improvement.

Health and Social Care have asked committee member, Deputy Sally Rochester, to set up a working group to improve how complaints are handled in the local health service.

She is looking for up to nine members with 'lived experience' of the complaints process to join her.

Past service-users, healthcare professionals and experts in clinical governance are encouraged to apply before 22 February.

After the group's formation, they will spend six months talking to patients and doctors about the current system and return with recommendations.

Deputy Rochester spoke to Island FM.

"What is really important is that the public trusts the complaints process, that they are willing to use it, and the organisation learns from the information that the complaints process provides.

"How can we get the most people to participate in the complaints process? How do we deal with those concerns?

"And importantly, how do we learn as Health and Social Care from problems where they arise, where we recognise that probably we haven't done the right thing? How do we learn and make sure we don't do that again?"

This work follows a controversial State's debate last year when deputies overturned a recommendation to suspend Deputy Gavin St Pier, after he highlighted concerns about how complaints were handled in the health service.

Review into healthcare complaints in Guernsey to go ahead