THE number of complaints made to the Western Health and Social Care Trust (Western Trust) has almost doubled in the past five years. 

According to the latest figures, a total of 1,313 complaints were made to the Western Trust in the period 2023/24, which included complaints about waiting lists, staff attitude and the quality of care. 

This represented an increase of more than 88 per cent from the period 2019/20, where a total of 696 complaints were received by the Western Trust. 

Complaints to the local health trust comprised 15.7 per cent of all complaints across all five health trusts. 

Of the trusts in Northern Ireland, the Belfast Trust received the highest number of complaints, with 2,467 lodged in 2023/24.

Figures also showed that the Western Trust received the highest number of complaints regarding 'waiting list delays and cancellations of outpatient appointments' across the province's health trusts. 

A total of 501 complaints were recorded for these issues, in contrast to only 179 complaints for 'waiting list delays and cancellations' in the Belfast Trust.

The next largest category was 'information and communication', with 337 complaints received, accounting for  25.7 per cent of all complaints locally. 

The Western Trust also topped complaints relating to general surgery, with 141 raised in 2023/24. 

On average, 32.2 per cent of Western Trust complaints were resolved within 20 working days, while 67.8 per cent took more than 20 days to be resolved. 

Figures also detail the number of compliments received by each health trust from 2023/24. 

In this period, a total of 5,076 compliments were officially given to the Western Trust, with 2,709 relating to the quality of 'treatment and care', 1,184 relating to 'staff attitude and behaviour', and 556 on 'information and communication'.

Reacting to the figures, a spokeswoman from the Western Trust said it "takes all complaints seriously and is very proactive in encouraging the public to come forward to share their views, and welcomes every complaint as an opportunity to learn and to improve the service". 

She continued: “Feedback from service users is an important way for the Trust to improve.

"All complaints are encouraged and require a prompt and appropriate response, as they are viewed as a positive opportunity for learning and improving services and service user experiences. 

"It should be noted that whilst the Trust received 1,313 complaints in the year 2023/24, we received 5,076 compliments."