If you are unhappy about any aspect of your care we want to know as soon as possible. Concerns can often be sorted out very quickly.
Who to contact
You can speak in confidence to a member of staff in the ward, clinic or department. If you prefer not to talk to someone directly involved in your care, you can tell the
Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) by calling them, visiting them at the
Help Centre at each hospital or filling in the
feedback form.
You may find it helpful to think about exactly what you want the Trust to do that will resolve the matter for you.
If a relative or friend is raising a concern or complaint on your behalf we will need your written consent before we can discuss information about you with them.
What will you do to resolve my concern?
Once we have received your concern or complaint we will discuss with you the best way to try and deal with the matter. All concerns and complaints will be investigated and you will be informed of the outcome.
This could be in any of the following ways:
- contact by a member of staff over the telephone
- at a meeting with a senior manager
- with a written response
- by conciliation, either internally by trust staff or by an independent external body
- a combination of the above.
What will happen then?
We will do everything we can to help resolve your concerns as soon as possible. Whichever way is chosen to deal with your concern the emphasis will be to do so efficiently and will be dealt with either by PALS staff or a senior manager in the Trust.
You will be sent an acknowledgement letter giving the name and contact number of the person who is dealing with the matter. You will also be told how long it is likely to take to provide you with a response.
If I’m not happy
If you are not happy with the way your concerns have been handled, the first thing to do is to tell us what you feel you are dissatisfied with. We will listen to you and endeavour to put things right wherever possible.
If you still remain dissatisfied you can then ask the
Health Service Ombudsman to review the way the trust has dealt with your concern or complaint.
The Ombudsman is independent of the NHS and there is no charge for this service. The Ombudsman may investigate complaints on your behalf but only after they have been investigated by the trust.
Help with your complaint
The
Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICAS) supports patients and their carers wishing to pursue a complaint about their NHS treatment or care. It is free, confidential and independent.