Most complaints are dealt with locally

The new Commission for Healthcare Audit Improvement (CHAI) will take over the role from NHS hospital and primary care trusts.

Most complaints about NHS services are resolved at a local level.

But in around 2% of cases, patients or their relatives want to take the matter further.

Patients' current experiences with the NHS complaints procedures are far from satisfactory Frances Blunden, Consumers' Association

However this stage of the complaints procedure is not currently seen as being impartial.

Health Minister David Lammy said: "Patients and staff alike have told us that they want a new complaints procedure that is more flexible, responsive, independent and, as a result of their concerns, leads to improved NHS services.

"Our radical plans will mean that individual patients will get full responses to their complaints and that the lessons learned from them will lead directly to service improvement."

'Daunting'

Peter Homa, Chief Executive designate of CHAI said: "We will play a key role in delivering an NHS complaints procedure that provides both resolution for the individual and a direct link to quality improvement processes."

Frances Blunden, principal policy adviser at the Consumers' Association, said: "Patients' current experiences with the NHS complaints procedures are far from satisfactory.

"Most people find the process daunting and distressing and inadequate to address their concerns.