Complaints-Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS)

Complaints

Patient Information

Patient Advice and Liaison (PALS & Complaints)

• Author ID:    VB/ZH 
• Leaflet ref:   PR 001 
• Version:       15
• Leaflet title:  Complaints 
• Last review:  February 2025 
• Expiry date: February 2027

Introduction

Thank you for contacting us and giving us the opportunity to respond to your comments.  We welcome the views of people who have experience of our services, even if they involve criticism, because this often gives us an opportunity to improve the way we do things. Please be assured that we want to hear your complaint and if you make a complaint this will not detrimentally affect yourtreatment.  Complaints are treated with the strictest confidence and only shared with colleagues on a “need to know” basis.

Please keep this leaflet, which we hope will guide you through the formal complaint’s procedure.

Your complaint

You can make your complaint in writing, email, by phone or at a face-to-face meeting. 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. Arrangements can be made to take a statement; however, you will be asked to confirm if the statement is accurate.

When we receive your complaint, we will acknowledge your complaint within three working days.  After we have reviewed your complaint in more detail further informationabout the complaints process will be sent to you.  Yourcomplaint will be investigated by a member of the Divisional team. Once the Trust’s investigation is complete, the Trust will provide a response. This couldinclude 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 provideinformation and appropriate explanations, answers to your questions, and an apology where appropriate.  We will inform you about any actions we may take to improve our services in the light of your comments.

If you need help

The Patient Relations Department has an important role in maintaining and improving the quality of our services. The staff members of the Patient Relations Department are available to discuss your problems with you, and provide advice, assistance, and support to guide you through the complaints process.  However,should you feel you need extra independent support in making your views known to us, or find it difficult to proceed your complaint on your own, you might appreciate independent advice or assistance from an advocacyservice.

Healthwatch Wigan and Leigh can provide support, if you wouldlike support with a complaint about a health service in the WiganBorough, please contact them on Telephone: 01942 834666 Monday to Friday 9:30 am until 4 pm.

5. mail: info@healthwatchwiganandleigh.co.uk

Or visit the website: www.healthwatchwiganandleigh.co.uk

The Patient Relations Department can also advise you of other local advocacy services available to assist you in pursuing a complaint.

Learning from complaints

Complaints are a valuable source of information about our services, and we want to ensure that we learn from complaints and make improvements where problems are identified. Information about the complaints we receive isreported quarterly, and improvements in light of the complaints are monitored so you can be assured that complaints are taken very seriously.

If you are not satisfied

If you are unhappy with the Trust’s 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 the Patient Relations Team 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 takenplace.

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 (PHSO) investigates complaintsabout NHS services, including criticism of how complaints have been handled locally. However, the PHSO will not usually investigate unless you have first complained to the Trust and had a final response. The Ombudsman’s contact details are:

The Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman

Millbank Tower Millbank

London, SW1P 4QP Tel:0345 015 4033

www.ombudsman.org.uk

Care Quality Commission

National Contact Centre: 03000 616161