Complaints against Northern Ireland’s health trusts have hit a five year-high, according to the latest figures released by the Department of Health (DoH).
In 2024/25, there were a total of 8,805 complaint issues against the north’s five health trusts and ambulance service, which is also classed as a trust.
The figure marks a five-year high and represents a rise of 76% since 2020/21 as well as a 5% increase on the previous year.
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Some complaints can be received in a single communication but refer to multiple areas and these are counted separately as specific ‘complaint issues’.
In 2024/25, the trusts received 5,483 complaints, from which a total of 8,805 complaint issues arose.
Over half of these issues related to acute services (4,718), followed by family and child care (889) and maternal and child health (796).
The highest number of complaint issues (2,217) related to a patient’s ‘quality of treatment and care’, with communication (1,922) and staff attitude or behaviour (1,300) the next largest areas.
However, for the same period, the trusts received over four times the number of compliments (42,312) than they had in complaint issues.
Almost half of the compliments related to the quality of treatment and care and a quarter pertained to staff attitude and behaviour.
A DoH spokesperson said: “The severe pressures on the health and social care system in Northern Ireland are well documented, with significant budget shortfalls and unacceptable waiting times for patients.
“It is accepted that public experiences of care too often fall short of the level everyone in the system wants to provide.”
The department highlighted that compliments “continue to far outnumber the complaints”.
They added that the minister published a set of reset plans last month focusing on stabilisation, reform and delivery to secure “better outcomes for patients”.