997 complaints made to Northern Trust

And despite repeated concerns being raised over waiting times in the Trust’s A&Es at Antrim Area and Causeway hospitals, just 17 of the subject of complaint issues made specifically related to A&E waiting times - a decrease from 33 in 2010-11.

A total of 997 complaint issues were made to the Northern Trust during the year ending March 31, 2014.

Figures released by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety show that 2,514 complaints were made to the Belfast Trust; 1,343 to South Eastern; 1,032 to Southern Trust; 800 to Western; and 150 to the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service.

Over the last four years, the number of complaint issues received by the six health and social care trusts increased by 1,783 - from 5,053 in 2010-2011, to 6,836 in 2013-2014.

In the Northern Trust area, the number of complaint issues received has increased by 300, from 697 in in 2010-11 to 997 in 2013-14.

Meanwhile, out of the 997 complaints made to the Northern Trust in 2013-2014, 526 related to Acute Care - 52.8 per cent of all complaints made.

One-hundred-and-thirty-seven of these complaints related to Family and Child Care; 128 for Elderly Services; 63 for Mental Health; 49 in Maternal and Child Health; 31 in Sensory Impairment and Physical Disability; 20 in relation to Learning Disability; 20 in Primary Health and Adult Community; with 23 not specifically assigned to a particular programme of care.

And, regarding the subject of these complaints, 268 related to the quality of treatment and care, while 160 related to staff attitude/behaviour.

Seventeen of the subject of complaint issues related to A&E waiting times, with 12 complaints relating to outpatient waiting times.