Top tips
- It is important to make sure your complaint is going to the right department or named person.
- Ask for a copy of the organisation's complaints procedure. This will include information about how the organisation should deal with your complaint.
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Raise your concerns about your problem as soon as you can. Delaying may mean you forget vital information.
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It can be useful to make notes of what happened at the time of the incident, including names of staff, who you spoke to etc., as otherwise, you might forget.
- Make sure to list your concerns clearly giving dates, and if possible the names of the people concerned.
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Make sure to state that you are making a formal complaint, whether it is under the NHS or local authority complaints procedure.
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If you are asking for an explanation about the problems you are raising, be clear about the information you want. Avoid asking general questions.
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When writing stay focused on your main problem, making sure to use straightforward respectful language.
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Remember to include your contact details.
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Try to get help with making your complaint if needed. This may mean talking to a professional or someone that can point out anything in your complaint that isn't clear.
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Try to be flexible. Be open to working with the organisation to solve the problem.
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It's equally important to praise the organisations and staff when you see good practice so that it helps motivate them to keep doing the right thing.
Tools for making a complaint
Enfield Council - Adult social care complaints
Step 1
Contact the team responsible for delivering the service you are unhappy about.
Step 2
If they are unable to resolve the issue, then you can make a formal complaint. You can do this by email, letter or telephone.
Visit the Enfield Council website
Call 0208 379 1000
Write to Statutory Complaints (Adults and Children) Manager, Enfield Council, PO Box 59, Civic Centre, Enfield, EN1 3XL
Complaints need to be made within 12 months of the matter. You should receive an acknowledgement of your complaint within 3 working days and a response to your complaint within 10 working days of the acknowledgement. If you are still not happy with the outcome you can take your complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman (0300 061 0614)
North Middlesex University Hospital Trust complaints
Step 1
Contact the Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS) team:
0208 887 3172
Step 2
If you are not happy with the outcome, then contact the complaints team to make a formal complaint:
0208 887 3858
Complaints & Legal Services, North Middlesex University Hospital Trust, Sterling Way, Edmonton, London N18 1QX
Complaints need to be made within 12 months of the date the original complaint. Once you have made a formal complaint you should receive acknowledgement of the complaint within 3 working days and a response within 40 working days.
GP, optician, dentist, pharmacy or NHS 111 & out of hours complaints
If you have a complaint about the service you have received from your GP practice, Dentist, Pharmacy or Optician, you can make a complaint directly to the service using their internal complaints procedure or you can contact:
North Central London Integrated Care Board
020 3198 9743
NHS North Central London ICB, Complaints Team, 2nd Floor, Laycock PDC, Laycock Street, London, N1 1TH
https://nclhealthandcare.org.uk/about/advice-compliments-and-complaints/
Complaints need to be made within 12 months of the date the problem occurred. Once you have made a complaint you should receive acknowledgement of the complaint within 3 working days and a response within 40 working days.
If you are not happy with the outcome of your complaint or how it has been dealt with by NHS England, you can refer the matter to
The Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman
0345 015 4033
phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk
Millbank Tower, 30 Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP
Complaints need to be made within 12 months of the original complaint. Once you have made a complaint you should receive acknowledgement of the complaint within 5 working days and a response within 20 working days.
Royal Free - Chase Farm & Barnet Hospital complaints
Step 1
Contact the Patients Advice & Liaison Service (PALS) team:
0208 216 4924
Step 2
If you are not happy with the outcome/handling of your complaint by the PALS team, you can make a formal complaint by contacting the complaints team:
Complaints Department, Barnet Hospital, Thames House, Wellhouse Lane, Barnet, London, EN5 3DJ
Royal Free - Hampstead complaints
Step 1
You can complete an NHS complaints registration form
by visiting their website
Patients Affairs Team, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, Pond Street, London, NW3 2QG
Step 2
If you are not happy with the response you receive from the complaints team, please contact The Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman.
0345 015 4033
phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk
Millbank Tower, 30 Millbank, London, SW1P AQP
Complaints need to be made within 12 months of the date the problem occurred. Once you have made a complaint you should receive acknowledgment of the complaint within 3 working days and a response within 35 working days.
North London NHS Foundation Trust
This trust is responsible for providing a range of services across the borough, such as physiotherapy, podiatry, mental health support and speech & language services.
Please visit their website for a full range of their services. If you have a complaint about any of the services they provide please contact:
0208 702 4700
beh-tr.patient.experience@nhs.net
Service User and Engagement Team
North London NHS Foundation Trust
Patient Services
Link Corridor, Apple – Entrance I
St Ann’s Hospital
St Ann’s Road
London N15 3TH
If you have a complaint about specialist services (Eating Disorders, Forensic Services, Substance Misuse & Fixed Threat Assessment Centre) call the complaints manager:
0208 702 3839
If you are not happy with the response you receive from the complaints manager, please contact The Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman
Complaints need to be made within 12 months of the original complaint. Once you have made a complaint you should receive acknowledgment of the complaint within 3 working days and a response within 25 working days.
London Ambulance Service complaints
If you are not happy with the service provided by this organisation, please contact them on:
0203 069 0240
londamb.patient.experiences@nhs.net
Units 1&2, Datapoint Business Centre, 6 South Crescent, London, E16 4TL
Complaints need to be made within 12 months of the date the problem occurred. Once you have made a complaint you should receive acknowledgment of the complaint within 3 working days and a response within 35 working days.
If you are not happy with the response you receive from the complaints manager, please contact The Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman:
Advocacy: Getting help with a complaint
If you need help making a complaint, you can get someone to help you. This is called advocacy.
An advocate's job is depends upon your circumstances and desired level of help. However, their purpose is to support your decisions.
An advocate is able to:
-Pay attention to your opinions and worries
-Assist you in examining your rights and options (without forcing you)
-Give you knowledge to enable you to make wise decisions
-Assist you in making appropriate contacts, or make contacts on your behalf; support and escort you to and from meetings or appointments.
A service called the Independent Health Complaints Advocacy exists to support people to make a complaint against an NHS provided service. In Enfield, this service is run by an organisation called Pohwer.
0300 456 2370
North Central London Integrated Care System complaints
Formerly the North Central London Clinical Commissioning Group (NCLCCG), this group is responsible for planning and buying health services for the residents of Enfield. It is led by clinicians and these doctors are heavily involved in ensuring the local health services are right for the local population.
If you have a complaint about the way an NHS service has been commissioned, or you have been directly affected by a commissioning decision made by them, for example, getting funding for treatment, please contact:
Email nclicb.complaints@nhs.net
Visit their website for more information
Don't forget to give compliments too!
It’s also really important to praise services or professionals when they have done well, to role model good practice. All of the organisations detailed are very happy to receive compliments and will pass these onto the relevant service or person.
Top tips
Be clear and detail:
- the name of both the person and/or service
- the date you were seen and
- what it was that they did well
This is important to help services improve!
Whistleblowing
Find out information about how a staff member can report a problem in the NHS or an adult social care service
