Wrightington, Wigan & Leigh NHS Foundation Trust


your hospitals, your health, our priority

Complaints and Concerns

If you have any comments, good or bad about our services, we would like to know.  We want to provide the best possible care, and your views will help us to get things right and improve our standards and recognise good service.

If you wish to make a comment you can complete a comment card, or contact the Patient Relations Department or the Department/Clinic concerned.  If there is a problem, the best way to get it resolved is usually to tell someone there and then.  On a ward, talk to the sister or charge nurse on duty.  In a clinic/department, talk to the receptionist or a member of staff.

If you want to talk to a senior manager or to someone who has not been directly involved in your care and treatment, we can usually arrange this straight away during office hours.

You can also ask to speak to a member of the Patient Relations Department.  Staff in any ward or department will be able to contact a member of the team for you or you can telephone 01942 822376 during office hours Monday to Friday 9 am – 4 pm.  Outside of these hours there is an answer-phone service.  Please leave a message and be assured that a member of the team will contact you as soon as possible.

The Patient Relations Department provides confidential on the spot advice, information and support to patients, relatives and carers.  We can help you sort out any concerns you may have about the care received.  We can also give you information on the services provided by the Trust.

PDF Document Read our Complaints Policy

Complaints Procedure
If you feel you cannot discuss your concerns with the department concerned or you want to have your concerns looked at more formally, we have a procedure to make sure that complaints are investigated thoroughly and that action is taken if necessary to put things right.

Please be assured that we want to hear your complaint and if you make a complaint this will not detrimentally affect your treatment.  Complaints are treated with the strictest confidence and are kept separate from your medical records.

If you have a complaint about any aspect of service provided by Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust, or would like more information about the Trust Complaints Procedure, please contact:

The Patient Relations Department (PALS and Complaints)
Wrightington Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust
Royal Albert Edward Infirmary
Wigan Lane
Wigan
WN1 2NN
        
Telephone: (01942) 822376  
Email: patient.relations@wwl.nhs.uk

When making a complaint, it helps if you tell us:

  • When and where the problem happened
  • Your name, address and phone number
  • The Patient’s name, address and date of birth if you are writing on behalf of a relative or friend and either their consent/countersignature
  • Any relevant details about what happened

You may wish to use our downloadable form below:

Word Document Download our Complaint Form

Your Complaint
You can make your complaint in writing, email, by phone or at a face-to-face meeting.  If a complaint is made verbally, we will make a written note of it, and you will be asked to confirm that this note is accurate.

When we receive your complaint, we will contact you within three working days to acknowledge your complaint, provide you with more detailed information about the complaints procedure and discuss how you would like your complaint to be taken forward.

A friend, relative or other representative may complain on behalf of a patient, but we would normally require the patient’s consent to proceed with a full investigation.

Once our investigation is complete, we will agree with you how you would wish the Trust to respond.  This could include a written response from the Chief Executive, or Service Manager or a meeting with relevant senior nurses, doctors or managers.
 
However we respond to you we aim to provide information, explanations, answers to your questions, and an apology where appropriate.  We will inform you about any actions we are taking to improve services in the light of your comments. 

If you are not satisfied
If you are unhappy with the Trust response to your complaint, please let us know as soon as possible:

  • if you feel there are any questions we have not answered,
  • if there are issues where you feel we could take further action, or
  • if you have any new cause for concern which was not raised earlier

The sooner you contact us the sooner we can discuss with you a way forward.  If possible please contact us within 28 days of our final contact with you.

We will be happy to carry out further investigations, where appropriate, and again we may suggest a meeting at this stage, if one has not already taken place.

If you remain dissatisfied - The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
We would always wish to try to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction.  However, if you remain unhappy The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman investigates complaints about NHS services, including criticism of how complaints have been handled locally.  However, she will not usually investigate unless you have complained to the Trust and had a final response.

We can provide you with more information about the Ombudsman’s role on request.
 
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1 4QP
Telephone: 0345 015 4033

Getting Help
Our staff, are here to help you and guide you through the complaints process, but you may feel you need extra independent support in making your views known to us.  The Independent Complaints Advisory Service (ICAS) supports and represents individuals complaining about the NHS.

ICAS can:

  • Give you advice on how to make a complaint
  • Support you and help you in drafting letters
  • Represent you or attend meetings with you

ICAS can be contacted by telephone on: 0845 120 3735 (North West Area)
The Patient Relations Department can also advise you of other local advocacy services available to assist you in pursuing a complaint

Giving praise where it’s due
Naturally, most patients and clients are quite satisfied with the service they receive.  If you feel that a particular member of staff or team, or a particular aspect of service, deserves special praise or thanks, please do let us know.  Your comments will be passed on to the people involved.

Similarly, suggestions for ways in which services might be improved will be passed on to the relevant managers.


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