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Complaints about NHS Treatment and Services
Anyone who is receiving, or has received NHS treatment or services can complain. If you are unable to complain yourself then someone else, usually a relative or close friend can complain for you.
Time limits for making complaints
It is important that you make your complaint as soon as possible after the event you wish to complain about has occurred. Usually the NHS will only investigate complaints that are made within six months of the event, or within six months of you realising that you have something to complain about, as long as this is not more than twelve months after the event itself. These time limits can be put aside if there is good reason to do so
How to make your complaint
You should tell someone close to the cause of your complaint such as a doctor, nurse, receptionist, or practice manager about the nature of your complaint. It may well be possible to sort out the problem informally. This is called Local Resolution. If you would prefer to talk to someone who is not involved in your care, you can telephone or write to the appropriate complaints manager. All NHS Trusts have complaints managers. If your complaint is about a GP, family dentist, pharmacist or optician you should contact the complaints manager at your local health authority. The telephone number is in the phone book.
You should receive a full written reply to any written complaint against a trust or health authority. The NHS tries to do this within four weeks and should inform you of progress if this is not possible.
Local family health service practitioners (GPs, dentists, pharmacists and opticians) have their own complaints procedure. Staff will give you details. You may wish to use this procedure before contacting the local health authority.
If you wish to avoid an adversarial situation, you can request your complaint to be dealt with by way of ‘conciliation’. This procedure brings you together with the subject of your complaint along with a neutral conciliator who will try to come up with a solution that satisfies you both. The subject of the complaint must also agree to conciliation before it can take place. Conciliation is usually used with complaints about ‘primary care’ services (eg GPs), but an NHS Trust may also provide this option.
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of Local Resolution then you can ask the trust to consider taking your complaint to Independent Review. You should do this within four weeks of the result of the Local Resolution.
You will be asked to explain in writing why you are dissatisfied with the result of the Local Resolution. A specially trained member of the trust or health authority will then decide whether there should be an Independent Review of your complaint by a special panel. You will be informed of the decision in writing. If he decides to set up a panel, you will be told what will be investigated.
The panel has three members and will reexamine the facts, conduct interviews and take any specialist advice needed. It will then prepare a report together with its conclusions and recommendations. You will be given a copy of this and will also be informed of any action being taken.
If you are still unhappy with the result you can ask the Health Service Ombudsman to investigate your case. The Health Service Ombudsman will not usually look at matters that have not been through the NHS complaints procedure.
The HSO for England can be contacted at:
The Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman
11th Floor, Millbank Tower
Millbank
London SW1P 4QP
Tel: 0845 015 4033
The Health Service Ombudsman for Wales can be contacted at:
The Health Service Ombudsman
Fifth Floor, Capital Tower
Greyfriars Road
Cardiff CF10 3AG
Tel: 01222 394621
Time limits for making complaints
It is important that you make your complaint as soon as possible after the event you wish to complain about has occurred. Usually the NHS will only investigate complaints that are made within six months of the event, or within six months of you realising that you have something to complain about, as long as this is not more than twelve months after the event itself. These time limits can be put aside if there is good reason to do so
How to make your complaint
You should tell someone close to the cause of your complaint such as a doctor, nurse, receptionist, or practice manager about the nature of your complaint. It may well be possible to sort out the problem informally. This is called Local Resolution. If you would prefer to talk to someone who is not involved in your care, you can telephone or write to the appropriate complaints manager. All NHS Trusts have complaints managers. If your complaint is about a GP, family dentist, pharmacist or optician you should contact the complaints manager at your local health authority. The telephone number is in the phone book.
You should receive a full written reply to any written complaint against a trust or health authority. The NHS tries to do this within four weeks and should inform you of progress if this is not possible.
Local family health service practitioners (GPs, dentists, pharmacists and opticians) have their own complaints procedure. Staff will give you details. You may wish to use this procedure before contacting the local health authority.
If you wish to avoid an adversarial situation, you can request your complaint to be dealt with by way of ‘conciliation’. This procedure brings you together with the subject of your complaint along with a neutral conciliator who will try to come up with a solution that satisfies you both. The subject of the complaint must also agree to conciliation before it can take place. Conciliation is usually used with complaints about ‘primary care’ services (eg GPs), but an NHS Trust may also provide this option.
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of Local Resolution then you can ask the trust to consider taking your complaint to Independent Review. You should do this within four weeks of the result of the Local Resolution.
You will be asked to explain in writing why you are dissatisfied with the result of the Local Resolution. A specially trained member of the trust or health authority will then decide whether there should be an Independent Review of your complaint by a special panel. You will be informed of the decision in writing. If he decides to set up a panel, you will be told what will be investigated.
The panel has three members and will reexamine the facts, conduct interviews and take any specialist advice needed. It will then prepare a report together with its conclusions and recommendations. You will be given a copy of this and will also be informed of any action being taken.
If you are still unhappy with the result you can ask the Health Service Ombudsman to investigate your case. The Health Service Ombudsman will not usually look at matters that have not been through the NHS complaints procedure.
The HSO for England can be contacted at:
The Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman
11th Floor, Millbank Tower
Millbank
London SW1P 4QP
Tel: 0845 015 4033
The Health Service Ombudsman for Wales can be contacted at:
The Health Service Ombudsman
Fifth Floor, Capital Tower
Greyfriars Road
Cardiff CF10 3AG
Tel: 01222 394621
