Older vulnerable people are often reliant on relatives to raise concerns when things go wrong in hospital, yet over half (51%) of family members with a concern say it is difficult to complain about the hospital care or treatment of an older relative, according to a new survey published today.

The survey, published by Gransnet and the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, asked Gransnet members about their experiences of complaining to the NHS on behalf of an older relative in hospital.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman sees far fewer complaints from older people than would be expected given older people’s high usage of NHS services.