What can you expect in relation to the handling of your complaint

We welcome comments and concerns from members of the public and patients about the work we commission (pay for) and the services we are responsible for in our town and any specialist services you receive in other areas that we commission.

This information explains what you can expect from us when we are handling your complaint.

We will use your initial letter, complaint form, email or details taken during your telephone call to us about your complaint as your statement about what occurred, but we will also include a summary of the points for investigation within our acknowledgement letter to you.

If you have raised concerns about clinical treatment, we will need access to your (or the person you are complaining on behalf of) clinical records relating to the concerns raised. To access these records, we will require your signed consent or the consent of the person you are complaining on behalf of.

Usually, we can’t start our investigation until we receive this consent and may be unable to investigate your complaint adequately without it.

Our investigation of your complaint will involve us passing details of your complaint to the provider(s) of the service (s) you are complaining about. It will also include our Patient Experience Lead (who is not a clinical person) viewing any information disclosed following the provider(s) investigation.

It may also involve us viewing information used or obtained during the investigation, for example copies of relevant medical records. Where clinical issues are involved, we may also need to seek a clinical view from independent clinical advisors who will not be from the organisation you have your complaint with.

The information accessed during the complaint investigation might be used for other purposes, such as monitoring the complaints process and/or improving service quality. However, wherever possible only anonymous information will be used. If identifiable data is needed for purposes other than investigating and responding to your complaint, your consent will need to be obtained unless there is another legal basis.

Once the investigation is complete, we will provide you with a written response to all of the concerns that you have raised. The response you receive will contain details of how your concerns have been investigated, address each of the issues that you have raised and say what the investigation has found in relation to these. If the investigation finds that your concerns are justified, the response will detail actions that will be taken to reduce the likelihood of a future recurrence of the problem