In a report published on Monday, PASC called for the Cabinet Office to audit departmental complaints systems and recommend changes.
PASC chair Bernard Jenkin (pictured) said: “As things are, most people believe there is no point in complaining. The shocking collapse of care at Mid-Staffs hospital should be a warning to the whole public sector that too many managers in public services are in denial about what their customers and their staff think about them.”
Meanwhile, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman revealed a nearly sixfold year-on-year increase in the number of complaints investigated – but said it was due to a change in the way that complaints are handled.
The majority of complaints - 78% in 2012 and 80% in 2013 – were about the NHS.