Complaints

How to Make a complaint

If you want to make a formal complaint about a Hospital, Mental Health Services or Community Services, the most direct way is to complain to the organisation you are unhappy with.

If you prefer, you can send your complaint to us via our online form, and we will arrange for an investigation.

NOTE: Once a complaint has been investigated by an NHS organisation it cannot be investigated by another.

Sometimes a complaint may involve more than one NHS provider. For example, you may have concerns about two hospitals and a GP Practice.

You may wish to complain directly to the separate organisations involved but, if you prefer, we can contact these on your behalf and request that they investigate your concerns and make sure that each organisation provides you with a separate formal response.

Your complaint should be made as soon as possible, and no later than a year after what you are unhappy about has occurred. You can make a complaint on behalf of someone else, as long as you have their permission.

We will only use any information that you provide to process your complaint. Read our privacy notice for more information about how we handle your information.

All complaints are confidential. We will not share any information about you with any other organisation without your consent.

Independent review

If you are unhappy with the response we make to your complaint, you can contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman for an independent review of your case.

Your request must be made within twelve months of your complaint.