Bavaria: 1.3 complaints per day: care SOS hotline has a lot of work

Munich (dpa / lby) - In the first year of its existence, the Bavarian care SOS hotline received an average of 1.

Bavaria: 1.3 complaints per day: care SOS hotline has a lot of work

Munich (dpa / lby) - In the first year of its existence, the Bavarian care SOS hotline received an average of 1.3 complaints per day. "Since the hotline was activated in March 2022, 793 inquiries have been received - 499 of which can be classified as complaints," said Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU) in Munich (as of March 2nd, 2023). "The figures show that setting up the new contact point was a good decision."

According to Holetschek, the confidential framework, the preservation of anonymity at the request of the complainant and contact persons with care expertise would contribute to the high level of acceptance of the contact point. He emphasized that it remains important to keep a close eye on the protection of nursing home residents. This also means that the State Office for Nursing, where the SOS number is connected, takes care of the content of the complaint and informs the competent authorities immediately.

However, the vast majority of nursing homes in Bavaria do a good job, emphasized Holetschek. "But one thing is also clear: every grievance must be recognized and remedied as quickly as possible. People should be able to trust that they will be cared for and looked after in the nursing homes in Bavaria in the best possible way."

Holetschek further explained: "Every complaint must be followed up immediately by the responsible authority." If the complaints were substantiated, the specialist departments for nursing and disabled facilities - quality development and supervision (FQA) would have to order the necessary measures. In addition, the health and care ministries are informed about the course of such processes. "Our goal is that care deficiencies do not occur in the first place. Sufficient staffing is also crucial for this," said the minister.