A complaint may be made by a patient, or by someone acting on behalf of the patient or person, with their consent. It is important to remember that when someone is making a complaint on behalf of a patient, the Trust cannot respond to the concern without the patient’s consent.
Normally, complaints should be made within six months of the event concerned, or within six months of the complainant becoming aware of the matter which is the subject of the complaint. Once we receive your letter, a member of the Patient Experience Team will contact you and advise you of the best way to take your complaint forward to find a resolution.
Trust staff are committed to resolving issues that are raised locally, and listening to people’s concerns so we can make changes in practice where necessary.
If you're not happy with our final response to your complaint and would like to take the matter further, you can contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. The Ombudsman makes final decisions on complaints that have not been resolved by the NHS, government departments and some other public organisations. The service is free for everyone. To take a complaint to the Ombudsman, go to www.ombudsman.org.uk/making-complaint or call 0345 015 4033. It is important that you make the complaint as soon as you receive our final response, as there are time limits for the Ombudsman to look into complaints.