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Patient Partnership Week (2nd – 6th September) is an initiative created by the Patients Association to improve healthcare through better patient engagement. 

There is a focus during the week on shared decision making in healthcare.  Shared decision means involving patients and their families in decisions about their clinical care. 

Not only do health professional codes of conduct state that patients should be told of any risks with recommended treatment, it is also a legal requirement. 

Shared decision making enhances both quality of care and fosters more compassionate, effective healthcare. It is also vital for patient safety, because by listening to and working with patients a service is more likely to understand and meet their needs and be responsive when safety problems arise.

At the Public Services Ombudsman for Northern Ireland we receive complaints from patients (predominantly in a hospital setting) that they would have liked greater involvement in their care.  While our investigations may find that health care staff treated patients appropriately, we also find occasions in which staff have not involved and listened to patients and their families.  

You can read more about these cases here.

We will be closed to the public on Wednesday 25 September.

Our online complaints form will still be available if you wish to make a complaint.

Our office is closed to the public today, but our phone lines are open as normal.

We apologise for any inconvenience.

Our Engagement Team meet community groups, charities, other public bodies, and members of the public across Northern Ireland to listen to their issues and to tell them about our service.

If you would like a visit from one of the team, please get in touch!

Our Quarterly Bulletin highlights some of our most recent investigation reports and provides other updates on our work.

We have appointed Opinion Research Services (ORS) to carry out our second Public Awareness Survey.

ORS will be contacting around 600 members of the public throughout March and April 2024 to ask questions about their awareness of NIPSO and their attitudes to complaining about public services.

The information we obtain from the survey will help us decide how to improve our service going forward.

We will publish the survey's findings later in the year.  In the meantime, if you would like to know more about the survey please get in touch with us at communications@nipso.org.uk

The report from the first survey, carried out in 2021, is available here.