Patients, families and carers may use the NHS complaints process when they are dissatisfied with care, treatment, delay or communication. The route and responsible body depend on the service and circumstances, so the complaint should identify clearly what happened, what remains unresolved and the outcome sought.
The Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 set out your rights. Under the 2009 Regulations, an NHS complaint must normally be acknowledged within 3 working days. There is no single statutory 25 or 30 working-day deadline for the final response: the complainant and responsible body should discuss the period within which the response is likely to be sent, and the response should be provided as soon as reasonably practicable after the investigation is completed.
Start by contacting the NHS trust or GP practice directly. Use the provider's published complaints route. Provide a clear, factual account of what happened, when it happened, and what harm resulted. Be specific—vague complaints are harder to investigate. Keep copies of all correspondence.
The responsible body must investigate the complaint in a manner appropriate to resolve it speedily and efficiently and, so far as reasonably practicable, keep the complainant informed of progress. Its written response must explain how the complaint was considered, the conclusions reached and any remedial action needed. If the response does not resolve the complaint, the applicable escalation route can then be considered.
If you are not satisfied with the NHS response, you can complain to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). The PHSO is independent of the NHS and can consider complaints that fall within its jurisdiction after the local complaints process has been completed. Its published guidance and eligibility requirements should be checked before escalating.
StatutoryLetters.co.uk can help structure a complaint around the facts supplied, the 2009 Regulations where applicable, the questions to be answered and the outcome sought. The generated draft should be checked against the circumstances and the provider's current complaints procedure before it is sent.