MORE than 400 complaints were made about Warrington Hospital last year, new figures have revealed.

Figures released by NHS Digital stated that a total of 404 new complaints were made about Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust during 2015/16.

In total, 17.1 per cent of complaints were upheld while 38.6 per cent were partially upheld – a total of 184 complaints, or 44.3 per cent, were not upheld.

Comparatively, Warrington Hospital had 474 complaints in 2014/15 and 422 in 2013/14, in line with the trust’s estimates that 0.1 per cent of patients seen each year submit complaints.

A spokesman for Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “During 2015/16 there were almost 620,000 attendances to our hospitals – the vast majority of our patients and their families have been satisfied or happy with the care and treatment they received.

“However we did receive 404 formal complaints – a decrease of 70 on the previous year.

“Formal complaints are often a last resort for patients and their families as we do try to resolve complaints less formally through our much-valued patient advice and liaison service.

“In the year our PALS team handled over 2,500 enquiries, which is an increase of over 600 but demonstrates patient preference for immediate resolution or help and advice with concerns.”

The hospital added that complaints from patients and their relatives was a key factor in improving the quality of their care.

Their spokesman added: “We welcome and encourage patient feedback as a key contributor to our learning and improvement.

“Where some patients’ experience was not as they would have expected we have provided open, honest responses and wherever possible demonstrated that where there have been failings action had been or would be taken to improve.

“We encourage face to face meetings to discuss situations and outcomes in depth and in the year we held 35 meetings with complainants and families to resolve issues and provide assurance on standards of care.

“High-quality, safe care is what we aim to deliver to every patient every day and it is worth noting the many thousands of thank you messages, cards and social media posts that we receive each year.”