The 2023-24 Annual Report of the Optical Consumer Complaints Service (OCCS) has revealed a three per cent increase in the volume of complaints received – 1,757 in 2023-24 compared with 1,705 received in 2022-23 – and a doubling of complaints in domiciliary care.
Titled, ‘Agile and effective complaint resolution’, the report also shows that 93 per cent of those complaints were within the remit of the OCCS to “assist and resolve through effective mediation”. The number of unsuccessful mediations reduced from 92 in 2022-23 to 73 in 2023-24.
The OCCS report shows 81 concerns were referred to the OCCS by the General Optical Council in 2023-24, accounting for 20 per cent of the concerns received by the GOC during that period.
An upward trend in complaints about the provision of goods and services continued, with a further 10 per cent increase against the previous year. However, the OCCS reported that there was “a far greater expectation from consumers for a financial resolution to their complaint”.
Complaints in domiciliary care have doubled in number from 42 in 2022-23, to 98 in 2023-24.
The OCCS said it was “concerned about the potential barriers to complaining for these patients, who may be more vulnerable due to their personal situation or circumstances, and in the next year will seek to improve accessibility for them”.