Suggestions & Complaints
Most problems can be sorted out quickly and easily with the person concerned, often at the time they arise, and this may be the approach you try first.
Most problems can be sorted out quickly and easily with the person concerned, often at the time they arise, and this may be the approach you try first.
Where you are not able to resolve your complaint in this way and wish to make a formal complaint you should do so, preferably in writing as soon as possible after the event and ideally within a few days, giving as much detail as you can. This helps us to establish what happened more easily. In any event, this should be.
– within 12 months of the incident or
– within 12 months of you becoming aware of the matter. If you are a registered patient you can complain about your own care. You are not normally able to complain about someone else’s treatment without their written authority. See below for what to do in this case.
We are able to provide you with a separate Complaints Form to register your complaint and also a Third-party Consent Form to enable a complaint to be made by someone else. Please ask at reception for these forms. You can provide this in your own format providing it covers all of the necessary aspects.
Find your local integrated care board (ICB) here and send your written complaint.
What We Do Next
We aim to settle complaints as soon as possible.
We will usually acknowledge receipt within three working days, and aim to resolve the matter as soon as possible but will give you some idea of how long that may take at the outset. You will then receive a formal reply in writing, or you may be invited to meet with the person(s) concerned to attempt to resolve the issue. If the matter is likely to take longer than this, we will let you know and keep you informed as the investigation progresses.
When looking into a complaint, we attempt to see what happened and why, to see if there is something we can learn from this, and make it possible for you to discuss the issue with those involved if you wish to do so.
Where your complaint involves more than one organisation (e.g. social services) we will liaise with that organisation so that you receive one coordinated reply. We may need your consent to do this. Where your complaint has been initially sent to an incorrect organisation, we may seek your consent to forward this to the correct person to deal with.
When the investigations are complete, a final written response will be sent to you.
The final response letter will include details of the result of your complaint and also your right to refer the matter further to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (details shown below) if you remain dissatisfied with the response.
Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else
We keep to the strict rules of medical and personal confidentiality. If you wish to make a complaint and are not the patient involved, we will require the written consent of the patient to confirm that they are unhappy with their treatment and that we can deal with someone else about it. In the event the patient is deceased, then we may agree to respond to a family member or anyone acting on their behalf or who has had an interest in the welfare of the patient.
Please ask at reception for the Complaints Form, and a Third Party Consent Form which is a suitable authority for the patient to sign to enable the complaint to proceed. Alternatively, we will send one to you to return to us when we receive your initial written complaint.
Where the patient is incapable of providing consent due to illness, accident or mental capacity, it may still be possible to deal with the complaint. Please provide the precise details of the circumstances that prevent this in your covering letter.
Please note that we are unable to discuss any issue relating to someone else without their express permission, which must be in writing, unless the circumstances above apply. You may also find that if you are complaining on behalf of a child who is capable of making their own complaint, we will expect that child to contact us themselves.
If you are dissatisfied with the outcome
You have the right to approach the Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman. Their contact details are:
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
30 Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
Tel: 0345 015 4033
To complain online or download a paper form
You may also approach Healthwatch, Independent Health Complaints Advocacy (IHCA) or Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) for help or advice.
The IHCA is able to be contacted at:
NHS England
PO Box 16728
Redditch
B97 9PT
Tel: 0300 311 2233
Website: www.seap.org.uk/services/nhs-complaints advocacy
By email: contactus@nhs.net