Hospital Complaints

Copyright (c) 2011 Julie Glynn

If you seek medical attention in a hospital, you firstly expect to receive the appropriate treatment, and you secondly expect this treatment to be carried out correctly. If there is a failure on either of these counts, the injured party will undoubtedly be feeling let down by the NHS and wish to make a complaint.

What Are Your Rights?

If you are unhappy with the way you have been treated in hospital, you are legally entitled to make a complaint. Not only that, you also have the right to:-

* Have your complaint investigated in a thorough and timely manner;

* Have a prompt response detailing the findings of this investigation;

* If you are not satisfied with the response, have the Parliamentary and Health Ombudsman investigate your complaint;

* Take legal action if you have been harmed due to an unlawful action of an NHS organisation;

* Receive compensation for the medical negligence you have suffered.

How To Make A Hospital Complaint.

If you wish to make a formal complaint, the first step is to seek a copy of the complaint's procedure from the Primary Care Trust (PCT) responsible for the hospital in question. The exact course of action will vary slightly throughout the country, but all will follow the Local Resolution Complaints Procedure.

This will usually require you to make either an oral or written complaint within 12 months of the incident. Nevertheless, there are certain circumstances in which this time limit can be increased. For example, if you were too ill to begin the process previously.

The next step is for the hospital to investigate your complaint. As explained above, this should be done with both care and efficiency. It may be necessary for you to attend a meeting with the hospital to aid their investigations. You should then receive a comprehensive response detailing what the hospital has found.

If you would like any help when making a complaint, every hospital has a Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). They will be able to give you further information and advice, although they cannot raise the complaint on your behalf. Additionally, you may wish to contact the Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICAS), whose job it is to support people who want to make a formal complaint.

What To Do If The Response Is Not Satisfactory.

However, there are cases in which the response offered by the hospital is not satisfactory. If this happens, the injured party has a couple of options available to them. Firstly, you can contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), who will then investigate your complaint from the beginning.

Furthermore, you could contact a legal expert, as you may have been the victim of medical negligence. A solicitor will be able to listen to details of your case, including what treatment you did (or didn't receive) and how this has injured you as a consequence.

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