Making a complaint

All NHS Hospitals have a complaints process in place that allows patient/relatives/visitors to raise concerns regarding the service they have received.

Complaints should normally be raised within 6 months of the event or within 6 months of becoming aware of the issues.

However NHS organisations have discretion to waive this time limit if there are good reasons why you could not complain earlier.

Making a complaint to the NHS:

Write a summary of your complaint, this can be typed or hand written, make sure you keep a copy as you may need to refer to it at a later stage.

Give as much detail as you can remember but don't worry if you can't remember names/dates/times as the hospital will have this information in the Medical Records.

Think of the points that you want answers to, for example:

• Why did . .
• How . . . . .
• When . . . .

This will help the hospital to focus on the concerns you have raised.

If you are making a complaint on behalf of a member of your family/friend, ensure they countersign the letter.

What you can expect:

• Your letter will be acknowledged within two working days.
• A full response should be received within twenty working days.
• If there will be a delay in responding the hospital should send you a holding letter, keeping you informed of the progress.
• You can ask to meet with appropriate members of staff to discuss the response in further detail.

If you are unhappy with the response:

If you are unhappy with the Hospital's response to your complaint, you can ask the Healthcare Commission for an "Independent Review" of your case.

You can contact the Commission at:

Healthcare Commission
FREEPOST NAT 18958
Complaints Investigation Team
Manchester M1 9XZ