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Patient Rights Bill
18/03/2010
A legal waiting time guarantee and a legal right to complain are to be introduced under a new package of measures to improve patients' rights.
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said improving patients' experience of using health services and ensuring that healthcare is patient-focused were the main aims of legislation published today.
Measures in the Patient Rights (Scotland) Bill include:
- A 12-week treatment time guarantee
- Establishment of a patient advice and support service
- Bringing in a legal right to complain
Ms Sturgeon said:
"Putting patients' rights into law will send out a strong signal to patients, healthcare workers and NHSScotland that patients should be at the heart of everything the health service does.
"Introducing a legal waiting time guarantee and setting up a patient advice service demonstrate the importance we place on creating an NHS which has patients at its centre.
"Patients' rights are of paramount importance and they should be given the prominence and priority that primary legislation affords. The bill will ensure that patients recognise their rights and have independent support and advice to ensure these are met.
"It is absolutely right that patients know what they can expect from their health service and know what recourse they have if they do not get care and treatment delivered in the way they are entitled to.
"By introducing a right to make a complaint, we aim to simplify the process and help to place the patient at the centre of this, with the reassurance that if they have concerns about care or services, they are exercising their legal right in raising a complaint.
"The bill is one of a range of measures we are taking forward such as the Quality Strategy, the Patient Experience Programme and elected health boards which will improve patients' experience of the NHS and make them partners in their own care."
The Treatment Time Guarantee will ensure that patients start treatment within 12 weeks of the treatment being agreed. This will cover planned and elective care that is carried out on an inpatient or day case basis.
The Patient Advice and Support Service (PASS) will be staffed by Patient Rights Officers who will help and support patients to make complaints, provide information about health services and direct patients to other types of support such as advocacy. Health boards will have a duty to direct patients making a complaint to PASS and to ensure an adequate complaints process is in place.
Funding of £1.5 million will also be given to assess need and provide additional advocacy services over three years, while the further development of translation, interpreting and communication services will be boosted by £750,000 over the same period.