Patient Relations Service
We welcome feedback, positive or negative, about your experience of local NHS services as this helps us to improve services for patients.
Email: ERYCCG.ComplaintsAndConcerns@nhs.net
Phone: 01482 672047
Address: Patient Relations, Health House, Grange Park Lane, Willerby, HU10 6DT
Compliments
Your compliments are always appreciated and help us to share good practice. Please contact any member of staff or contact us.
Complaints
The people who look after your health will do whatever they can to make sure you are treated appropriately and on time. However, we realise that sometimes things do not go as expected.
If you are unhappy with the treatment or service you have received from NHS services, you have the right to make a complaint, have it looked into and receive a response. You can raise your concerns immediately by speaking with the staff involved who will attempt to resolve your complaint informally. Alternatively, you can contact us on the details at the top of this page.
Our aim is to deal with your complaint quickly and thoroughly and, if possible, to involve those who know most about your care. Complaints are investigated to help us identify any action required so that, where possible, things can be put right and to prevent the same type of problem from happening again.
Please be assured that raising a concern or complaint will not affect your care or treatment in any way.
Our complaints policy and procedure are available on our policy page.
Advice and Support
Our Patient Relations Service provides confidential advice and support to help you resolve queries and concerns about your NHS care. Patient Relations can also provide general information about NHS services.
Patient Relations are not able to help with social care complaints, though they can advise you on who to contact.
What if I have a complaint about my GP practice, dentist, community pharmacy or optician?
Making a complaint
Consent – what you are agreeing to
Investigation and improving services
Local Healthwatch
What if I have a complaint about my GP practice, dentist, community pharmacy or optician?
NHS England is the commissioner of primary care services (GP Practice, dentist, community pharmacy or optician). If you have a complaint about these services, please contact NHS England at the address below:
Tel: 0300 311 22 33
Email: england.contactus@nhs.net
In writing: NHS England, PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT
Who can complain?
Anyone can complain about NHS services or treatment they have received, or if they have been affected by the actions or decisions of an NHS organisation, or primary care practitioner. If you are unable to complain yourself, someone can act on your behalf with your written consent.
How do I make a complaint?
The first stage of the NHS complaints procedure is called ‘local resolution’. Local resolution aims to resolve complaints quickly and as close to the source of the complaint as possible. Your complaint should be made to the NHS organisation who provided the service. If your complaint is about your primary care practitioner (GP Practice, dentist, community pharmacy or optician) you may complain directly to the practice, or contact NHS England. Their details are provided above, click here.
You can make your complaint in writing, by email, or verbally. If you make your complaint verbally, you will be asked to sign and return a written record to ensure that you agree with the contents.
When should I make a complaint?
A complaint should be made within 12 months from the date it occurred or when it came to your attention. In some cases if there is good reason why you could not complain sooner and it is still possible to investigate your complaint, it may be possible to waive the time limit.
What happens if my complaint involves a number of different organisations?
If your complaint involves more than one NHS organisation or the NHS and social care, you only need to make one complaint and you will receive a single, coordinated response.
If any part of the joint complaint relates to a primary care service, (that is a GP Practice, dentist, community pharmacy or optician), the complaint will need to be raised with NHS England – their details are provided above, click here.
If your complaint is about a hospital, community or mental health service you should send this to the NHS organisation involved.
If your complaint is about a GP Practice, dentist, community pharmacy or optician you should send this to the practice concerned, or via NHS England – their details are provided above - click here.
If your complaint is about a CCG commissioning or funding decision you should send this to:
Email: ERYCCG.ComplaintsAndConcerns@nhs.net
Phone: 01482 672047
Address: Patient Relations, Health House, Grange Park Lane, Willerby, East Yorkshire, HU10 6DT
Consent – what you are agreeing to
In order to start a complaint investigation the CCG will request written consent, as the CCG may require access to medical records or other personal information in order to deal with the matter.
Information may be used for other purposes such as monitoring processes and improving service quality. Wherever possible, only anonymous information will be used. If identifiable data is needed for other purposes, then consent will be requested from the person who the information is about.
In some circumstances the CCG may disclose personal information to relevant parties where there is a legal duty or power to do so, for example if information leads us to believe that a child or vulnerable adult is at risk of harm or if a court order requires us to do so. In such circumstances consent may not be sought prior to disclosing the information.
Where you are contacting the service on behalf of another person, consent will be required from the individual concerned, to progress an inquiry.
Should you have any concerns about how your information is to be used, please discuss this with the Patient Relations Service.
What if I don’t want to raise my complaint with the service involved?
Some complainants prefer to send their complaint to the commissioner of NHS services. This is fine, however, the commissioner will consider which organisation is best placed to address your concerns. The health care provider (for example the hospital or district nursing team) will normally be given the opportunity to respond to your complaint.
Who can help me in making a complaint?
Independent Complaints Advocacy
The Independent Complaints Advocacy (ICA) team can guide and support you though the complaints process. They can help you put your complaint in writing and attend meetings with you. However, the ICA team does not investigate complaints.
Support to residents of East Riding of Yorkshire CCG is available from the Independent Complaints Advocacy service which free to complainants. The service is provided by:
Cloverleaf Advocacy
5th Floor
Empire House
Wakefield Old Road
Dewsbury
West Yorkshire
WF12 8DJ
Email: NHSComplaints@cloverleaf-advocacy.co.uk
Tel: 0300 012 4212
Web: www.cloverleaf-advocacy.co.uk
Investigation and improving services
When you submit a complaint, it is helpful if you could be clear what you would like to achieve as a result of making your complaint, so that the NHS can try to resolve the matter to your satisfaction.
Your complaint will be fully investigated in a manner that is fair to both complainants and staff. If failings are identified during the investigation, any necessary changes will be made to improve the quality of services. You will also be advised in the written response to your complaint of any service improvements.
What happens if I am unhappy with the response?
We aim to ensure that all complaints are handled well and that appropriate action is taken to resolve a concern. We will do everything that we feel is appropriate in order to try and resolve matters to your satisfaction.
If, however, you remain unhappy after your complaint has been addressed, you can ask the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) to review your complaint. You should do this within twelve months from the date on which the subject matter of the complaint occurred.
The PHSO can be contacted:
Helpline: 0345 015 4033
Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk
In writing: Ombudsman at Millbank Tower, Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP
Further information about the Ombudsman is also available on their website: www.ombudsman.org.uk
Local Healthwatch supports individuals by providing information about access to services and choice to help enable people to take more control of their own health, treatment and care and understand and use the choices available to them.
For further information for your local Healthwatch, please visit their website: www.healthwatcheastridingofyorkshire.co.uk
Contact Details:
Healthwatch East Riding of Yorkshire
Hull Community & Voluntary Services Ltd (Hull CVS)
Strand House, 75 Beverley Road
Hull
HU3 1XL
Tel: 01482 665684
Monday to Friday:
9 AM – 4 PM
E-mail: enquiries@healthwatcheastridingofyorkshire.co.uk