Compliments and complaints

Compliments

The Trust recognises the importance of recording the compliments received from patients, relatives and carers about services. Compliments can be received in various ways for example through letters/cards of thanks and donations.

As a Trust, we love to hear feedback from you when you are pleased with a service we have provided because this helps us when planning for the future needs of patients. If you would like to let us know about your positive experiences, please contact the PALS service.

These comments can be provided anonymously or if you wish to speak to a member of staff in person, this can also be arranged. Our staff are proud of the job they do and these compliments make a huge difference to their working lives.

How to make a complaint

Please use our online complaints form.

Our partner organisations, including for example The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust and the Integrated Care Board, also have their own Patient Advice and Liaison Service and Customer Services teams, their contact details can be found in this leaflet.

What to expect if you make a complaint

Across the Trust we take all complaints very seriously and wherever possible we use them to learn lessons and make changes and improvements to our services. So if you are not happy with a service we provided, please let us know using one of these methods:

• Speak to any member of staff who will be able to help you in the first instance
• Fill out our online complaints form
  
• You can also write to us regarding your concerns and send your letter to the Complaints Manager using the address opposite

The Trust’s Complaints and Compliments Policy and Procedure reflects the guidance contained in the ‘Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s Principles of Good Complaints Handling’ and ‘Principles for Remedy’.

When we receive your complaint we will contact you within three working days to acknowledge it, discuss with you what will happen next and ask you how you want to be informed about how your complaint is being dealt with.

We will advise you about support and advice which is available to you throughout the complaints process. We will do everything we can to investigate and try to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction and this may, for example, include inviting you to meet with us, offering mediation or seeking an independent opinion from another healthcare professional.

You are welcome to bring along a friend or relative to support you in any meetings you have with us.

We will aim to resolve your complaint as quickly as possible and within a maximum of 25 working days. We will contact you if it is going to take longer than this period to resolve your complaint and explain the reasons why.

All complaints will be responded to fairly and actions will then be taken to directly improve our services so any issues raised will not occur again. Your complaint will be treated in strictest confidence and will not affect your current or future care in any way.

I need help to make my complaint, who do I contact?

Healthwatch Shropshire provides the Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service for people who receive NHS services in Shropshire and for Shropshire residents who receive NHS services outside the county. For further information please contact Healthwatch Shropshire by Tel: 01743 237884 Email: enquiries@healthwatchshropshire.co.uk or visit their website for more information: www.healthwatchshropshire.co.uk.

POhWER provides the Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service for people who receive NHS services in Telford and Wrekin and for Telford and Wrekin residents who receive NHS services outside Telford and Wrekin. For further information please contact POhWER by Tel: 0300 456 2370 Email: pohwer@pohwer.net or visit their website for more information: www.pohwer.net.

If you make a complaint and are not happy with the outcome...

The Trust will continue to do its best to resolve your concerns which may include providing a further written response. If you are still unhappy after you have received the Trust’s response, you can contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman at:

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Towers
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
Tel: 0345 015 4033
Web: www.ombudsman.org.uk