We welcome your service reviews, comments and suggestions to help us improve our services.
We aim to deliver the highest quality of care for our patients, but we know that sometimes, things go wrong. If you feel that the treatment or service you received fell short of your expectations or you have cause for concern, please let us know. We take all concerns and complaints seriously, treat them confidentially, investigate each one individually, and will respond as quickly as possible. We acknowledge the importance of complaints and use them as an opportunity to learn how to improve our services and all aspects of the patient experience.
How to complain
We hope that most problems can be resolved quickly, often at the the time they arise by asking to speak to the Manager in charge of the service. If your problem can’t be resolved and you wish to make a complaint, we would like you to let us know as soon as possible.
You can make a complaint by completing this online form.
What we will do
- Acknowledge your complaint within three working days
- Investigate your complaint
- Send you a response explaining the outcome of our investigation and any actions taken as a result within three weeks from the day we received the complaint
- Offer you a telephone appointment to discuss the outcome of the investigation should you wish to discuss further
Due to the Data Protection Act and patient confidentiality responsibilities, we cannot disclose any information to a third party without the written consent of the patient. If you are complaining on behalf of a relative or friend, please ask them to complete our consent form in order for us to discuss details of their care.
What to do if you’re not happy with our response
You can complain directly to the local Integrated Care System team. For Surrey please visit the NHS Surrey Heartlands website and for Sussex please visit the NHS Sussex website.
You can also gain assistance from:
- Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
The service offers confidential advice, support and information on health-related matters. They provide a point of contact for patients, their families and their carers. You can find PALS officers in your local hospital. - Healthwatch
The independent Complaints Advisory Service (ICAS) an independent organisation that gives people a voice to improve services and help them to get the best out of health and social care services.
Surrey | Tel: 0300 303 0023 | enquiries@healthwatchsurrey.co.uk
West Sussex | Tel: 0300 012 0122 | helpdesk@healthwatchwestsussex.co.uk - Citizen Advice
A national charity and network of local charities offering confidential advice online, over the phone, and in person, for free. - The Care Quality Commission (CQC)
Monitors, inspects and regulates health and social care services in England to ensure they are meeting national standards.
Tel: 0300 061 6161 | enquiries@cqc.org.uk
