According to a regional survey conducted by France Assos Santé in the first half of 2021,“the shutdown of democracy in many hospitals and clinics “ has been a national phenomenon, particularly marked in the region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Since the start of the health crisis, “making the voice of users heard” within health facilities has proved difficult.
“Within the hospitals of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, the bodies where [la voix des usagers] must be expressed have even less met than elsewhere “, declares the association France Assos Santé Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, at the end of its regional survey carried out in the first half of 2021.
The survey was carried out among 227 User Representatives (UK) in the region, volunteers who are committed to “to be the voice of the users of the health system” and to be “associated with improving the quality of services offered by healthcare establishments “. In the context of what is referred to as the “health democracy”, the law provides that these volunteers can meet every quarter during meetings of the Users’ Commission (CDU), ie 4 times a year. These meetings allow “process and analyze the complaints and claims addressed to each establishment in order to improve reception, care and respect for users’ rights”.
France Assos Santé Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes has thus “gathered feedback from 227 user representatives”, who sit on the committees of 235 different health establishments in the region, out of a total of 305. The results obtained reveal “how fragile the achievements of the user movement remain”. Indeed, few health establishments have maintained the dialogue: “in 2020, less than a quarter of Users’ Committees were able to meet at least 4 times (legal minimum) “ in the AURA region, “against 40.5% nationally”. The previous year, in 2019, 80% of the CDUs in the region had held their 4 meetings required by law.
The association also stresses that only 11.6% of user representatives were involved in the discussions concerning the modification of the methods of visits. “46.6% of the UK were not even informed of the implementation of alternative systems to visits “, raises the report.
“The paradox is that this decline, which we consider questionable, occurs during a health crisis whose effects on users and their families have been massive”, judge to finish the president of the regional association.
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