Consumer group Which? has found nearly half of private healthcare patients with complaints were unhappy with the outcome.
It found 45% felt their complaint was not satisfactorily dealt with. The consumer's association claims the findings mean private patients don't have the same support as NHS patients.
It found that 40% of patients thought things would not improve as a result of the complaint, and 38% were dissatisfied with the level of support when complaining.
The results are tempered slightly by the fact that only 5% of patients felt the need to complain about their treatment.
Which? noted that private patients are not given routine independent advice, and that although there are voluntary complaints schemes such as the Independent Healthcare Advisory Services, not all organisations join these groups.
