COMPLAINTS about local hospitals and ambulances have risen over the last year.

However, grievances about family health services across Huddersfield, which include GPs and dentists, have fallen..

Figures released by the NHS show that 624 people wrote letters of complaint about the health trust, which runs Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and Calderdale Royal Hospital in Halifax.

This is an increase of 13% on 2009/10 and in contrast to the national trend, which saw a slight drop in the number of complaints.

Worse still are the figures for Yorkshire Ambulance Service. Their trust saw a 42% increase in complaints, from 742 in 2009/10 to 1,058 this year.

This figure does, however, take into account verbal as well as written grievances, unlike the hospitals and GPs trusts, which only count letters of complaint.

StephB wasn’t happy. He quoted more of the article: “We acknowledge that there has been an increase in the number of people contacting us about the quality of service provided and we take all expressions of dissatisfaction very seriously”

He added: “But still people with clinic appointments continue to wait and wait (and miss their clinic!) for transport to arrive, almost inevitably too late.

“Oh, sure they take complaints seriously! They have to make out reports don’t they...”

It was simple – possibly a little too simple for seanjohnstone: “Bus?

“Taxi?

“Walk?

“Set off earlier?

But village_idiot wanted no blame on the hospital itself: “Can’t really blame the hospital here.

“I remember my CT scan appointment but it broke down, so not the fault of the hospital but patients still moan.

“Given the amount of pressure on staff, doctors etc, it’s no wonder they have problems.

“Think yourselves lucky you don’t have to pay for treatment!

“HRI thank you.

Anneb seems to have it in for StephB: “Perhaps stephb would like to use it to go to work for a month.

“Would he have the same attitude as he has at present when he loses pay from his wages?

“Perhaps then he would know how it feels, when people miss an appointment, through no fault of their own?