Making a complaint
Introduction
The NHS tries to provide the best possible services to all its patients, their relatives and their carers. However, sometimes things do go wrong. If you are not happy with NHS healthcare services you receive, please let us know. We take all comments seriously and use the information we receive to review our services and make improvements where necessary.
Who can complain?
Anyone who is receiving or has received NHS treatment or services is entitled to complain. If you are unable to complain yourself, then someone else, usually a relative, can act on your behalf provided we have your written consent.
Timescales
It is important that you make your complaint as soon as possible after the incident has occurred. It must be within 12 months of the incident, which is the subject of the complaint or within 12 months from the time that it came to your notice. If you choose to complain, this will be acknowledged within three working days.
Who do I complain to?
In the first instance you should speak to the senior person in charge of the service or department at the time to express your dissatisfaction, so that the matter can be dealt with on the spot and, if possible, resolved.
If your complaint remains unresolved you should write to NHS Bury directly, expressing your concerns as a formal complaint to:
Complaints Manager
NHS Bury, 21 Silver Street, Bury BL9 0EN
T: 0161 762 3127
E: bur-pct.complaints@.nhs.net
What if I am unhappy with the written response?
It is important that every effort is made to resolve your concerns at a local level and in a timely manner, which will be discussed with you on receipt of the complaint. This is known as local resolution.
If you are not satisfied with the written response to your complaint or feel that some particular point has not been responded to, please let us know.
You will need to contact us within one month of the date of the formal response to your concerns. We will then look into the outstanding issues again and further respond to you or offer to meet with you in an informal setting.
What if local resolution is unsuccessful?
If you still remain dissatisfied at the conclusion of Local Resolution, you have the right to ask the Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) to look at your case.
The PHSO carry out independent investigations into complaints about unfair or improper actions or poor service by UK government departments and their agencies and the NHS in England. Their aim is to put things right where they can and share lessons learned to improve public services.
Legal action
If you are taking legal action or state that you intend to start legal action, then you can still use the NHS complaints procedure to pursue your concerns.
What cannot be dealt with by the NHS complaints procedure?
- Complaints about private patients.
- Complaints about the Local Authority.
- Events requiring investigation by a professional disciplinary body.
Useful contacts if you need further advice or help
- Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICAS) provides free and confidential advice and support to people who want to complain about the NHS. They can be contacted on 0300 456 8350.
- NHS Direct – 0845 46 47.
The NHS Bury Complaints Policy and Procedure is available upon request.