Never compromise on quality of care

Standards of women’s healthcare must always be of the highest level. Anything short of that leads to dissatisfaction with the service at one end, and at worst to undesired outcomes or even harm. So how do you deal with shortcomings with your healthcare?

The first thing is to define the standards of care you are ready to accept. You must be clear in your mind what compromises you cannot accept, no matter what. And then you go about identifying where your defined standards of care are available. Short of that, you get to accept second rate as the norm.As soon as your care falls short, please raise your concerns with your immediate carers.Any entity providing a quality service should always be open to negative feedback, and take immediate steps to rectify the situation. Your concerns should be given ample consideration, and you should expect a response within no time. If you are met with some hostility or a dissatisfying response, you have two choices. Either escalate the complaint higher up the managerial level, or just walk away to more sensitive service providers.

Health service providers should have a complaints process, and prominently display such information. Formal care complaints ending up in risk management departments should always be dealt with promptly, and gaps in quality of care addressed without delay. And you should always get feedback that helps you to regain confidence in continued care. No more, no less.

Grievances

If your care concerns go unaddressed by your immediate contacts, don’t just take it and put up with it. Take your grievances higher, after all it’s your life we are talking about. Top managers or CEOs are very sensitive to slipping standards of service provision. And they are more accessible than you think. Make an appointment to see one, phone them or send an email. Your concerns should be addressed without delay, complete with an apology if appropriate. Any cold shoulders from top management is very worrisome, it may signify a widespread rot in quality of service provision. You’d be better off elsewhere, or seeking legal redress if you think there’s been some negligence.

Healthcare workers have a legal duty of care to women seeking health services. The duty of care ranges from being competent with clinical skills, committed to duty; and being humane and compassionate. There is no room for mistakes, poor judgment or plain negligence. But humans are prone to making errors at times, and this happens in the medical world too. Due processes must be in place to minimise errors, and address them promptly to save lives. Once such processes fail, you may feel compelled to seek legal intervention.

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