Poor Response by Hospital in UK

Anyone experiencing this in the UK, contact your local health board with a complaint.

Hi cats' tails, not sure how new you are with an ostomy or what you are trying to cope with or if you are new to this site. I have had my ostomy since 2014 but was kinda left alone with not much info. I happened to find this site and it has been so helpful. There are so many people from all over that are willing to share info on their own problems and telling how they have solved them. They are willing to open up about any problem. If you are able to post what is going on, I am sure you will get a response.

Hello cats tails.
Thank you so much for introducing this concept as a topic for discussion. My own cynical take on 'complaints procedures' is that they are there to absorb emotions and complaints like a sponge absorbs water. Very few people find themselves with a satisfactory outcome after it’s all over. However, for those who are tenacious, patient, persistent. With more than a hint of a sense of humour, complaining can be a useful way of unburdening one’s self of emotional stress. But. Beware! The process of complaining can also cause a lot more stress than it relieves.
As you must have realised by now, if you have read any of my past posts, many of the things in life that have struck me as being unfair, I have tried to capture in rhyming verse. Complaining to an organisation is no different in this respect, so I offer you two verses below:
The first encompasses the concept that organisations have reorganised their procedures so that they can ‘con’ people out of suing them.
The second is and advisory poem about the ‘art’ of complaining.
I hope you enjoy both.
Best wishes
Bill (who was once a complainer on behalf of people with genuine complaints.)

COMPLAINING TO US – (the organisation)

Your complaints mean more to us
than just someone who makes a fuss.
Because we think we’ve found a way
to contain all that you say.

In days gone by we would ignore
everything you said or swore.
We would stonewall until the day
your complaints would go away.

But things have moved along since then
and that includes our regimen.
Gradually our system changed,
our strategies were rearranged.

Now complaints and aggravation
often lead to litigation.
So we employ a motley crew
to persuade you not to sue.

These folks are paid to treat you nice
so we don’t have to pay the price.
They try to act just like a friend
listening to you for hours on end.

They’ll listen to your anecdotes
whilst making many copious notes.
All of this to keep you calm
so your attack they can disarm.

If it’s obvious you are right
then there’s every chance they might
offer you some compensation
often by remuneration.

They say they’ll learn from your complaint
and in future show restraint.
But we all know that it’s not so
as on our well-worn path we go.

B. Withers 2013

COMPLAINING.

Complaining is a practiced art,
it takes training and needs skill.
If you’re not sure before you start
then it can make you ill.

If you complain, you need to think
the whole complaint right through.
Get all your ideas into sync
so everything sounds true.

If you want to rave and rant
then do so with some style.
Once you become a sycophant
complaining’s not worthwhile.

When you know what you’re about
then you can let it rip.
For once you’re on your feet to shout
you need to keep a grip.

If you decide you will complain
you’ve got to realise.
There’s no doubt there’s lots to gain
in seeking strong allies.

Approach complaining like a game
in which you’ll have some fun.
Keep an eye on your main aim
until the game is won.

Learn the lesson gamers know
and come to understand.
All games tend to ebb and flow
and you can’t win every hand.

Complaining is conflictive
and folks get in a strop.
It can also be addictive
so know when you should stop.

B. Withers 2013

Bravo Bill!! Love your verses.

Thanks Newyorktorque for your support.

It so happens, that on the subject of dealing with organisations such as the NHS and Social Services, I have had more than my share of experience in complaining on behalf of people who have had a raw deal. My wife and I still raise a smile every time we hear the phrase "We will learn lessons from this!"  This is a euphamism for " Thank goodness this complaint is over, now we can get back to doing things exactly the way we have always done".

They will accuse people like me of being 'cynical', as if this somehow discounts everything we say. Unfortunately for them, I was very successful at complainig, so at least my clients got some form of recompense and closure. What I found was that some of the most effective ways of complaining was to bypass their complaints procedure and take the complaints directly to the courts. Alternatively, in the UK we had the option of directly addressing the elected representatives on the various governing bodies of the organisations. Once these counterbalancing groups were on our side, then the organisations started to take notice and (occasionally) tried to put their houses in order so that they did not repeat their mistakes.

Best wishes

Bill