If it matters to you, it matters to us.
We place a great deal of importance on getting this right. Sometimes, regrettably, things may not go as planned. Voicing your concerned allows us to learn from your experience and improve the service for future patients. If you, or a member of your family or a carer, wish to discuss any concerns you have about your treatment or care you should speak to the person in charge of your care so they can help to resolve the matter straight away.
If your concerns have not been resolved and you would like to make a complaint,
Please contact us directly:
Email – NorthumbriaHealthComplaints@northumbria-healthcare.nhs.uk
Write to:
Complaints – Private Patient Team,
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust,
Unit 7-8 Silver Fox Way,
Cobalt Business Park,
Newcastle upon Tyne,
NE27 0QJ
A complaint can be made by someone acting on behalf of another person with their consent. A complaint can be made by anyone who is affected, or is likely to be affected, by the actions or decisions of Northumbria Health.
It is best to tell us as soon as possible after the event and within 12 months of the event happening or within 12 months of discovering you have cause to complain. Complaints received outside of these timescales may be investigated if there is a good reason why the complaint could not be made earlier and only if it is still possible to investigate what happened.
If you make a complaint you will not be discriminated against in any way. Any information you give will be treated in confidence and with sensitivity. Information about your complaint will always be kept separate from your medical records. We welcome complaints because it is how we learn where things are not going as well as we hoped they would. Telling us what you are not happy gives us the opportunity to put things right.
No. There will be no reference to any complaint in your medical notes.
Citizens Advice
Citizens Advice regarding complaining about care with Northumbria Health can be found here.
- Ombudsman
If, after we have investigated your complaint you are still not satisfied, you have the right to ask the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to review your complaint.
The Ombudsman can be contacted at:
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Milbank Tower, Milbank, London SW1P 4QP
Tel: 0345 015 4033
Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk
- ISCAS
ISCAS is the recognised independent adjudicator of complaints for the private healthcare sector.
They are a not-for-profit limited company, independent from the trade body and hosted within the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR). ISCAS provides the services of independent adjudication as the third stage of a three-stage process.
You can write to ISCAS to ask them to review your complaint. The contact details for ISCAS are:
Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service
70 Fleet Street, London, EC4Y 1EU
Tel: 020 7536 6091
www.iscas.org.uk
We will acknowledge your complaint within three working days from the date it is received. We will discuss your complaint with you and agree your complaint, which will include:
- What has happened
- How long it will take us to investigate your complaint
- What you would like to see happen as a result of your complaint
- The way in which your complaint will be investigated
- How you would like to receive your response – this could be by letter or a meeting
Northumbria Health will tell you when to expect a response, this is normally 35 days; however, due to the complexities of your complaint this may need to be longer. However, if an extension is needed the investigating officer (IO) will contact you to explain the reason for the delay. If we are unable to contact you in person, we may write to you to let you know that your complaint response has been delayed.
You will receive a written response or we can arrange a meeting for you to meet with the investigating officer (IO). The meeting will be recorded and you will receive a copy of the audio recording on a disk along with a written response.
The written response will include what lessons have been learned and how this has been shared with the staff involved. Where improvements have been made this information will be shared with you.
If you feel that there are any matters which we have missed, misunderstood or if you would like clarification on any points, you should contact us within three months from the date you received the response. We will see if there is any further action we can take to resolve your complaint and we may suggest a telephone call or a meeting between you and the investigating officer (IO). We will make every effort to resolve all your outstanding issues.
If you are not happy with how we have dealt with your complaint and would like to take the matter further, you may decide to forward your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. The Ombudsman makes final decisions on unresolved complaints about the NHS in England. It is an independent service which is free for everyone to use.
If you would like to refer your complaint to the Ombudsman please contact them by visiting the Ombudsman website or you can call them on 0345 015 4033 between 8.30am – 5.30pm, Monday to Friday.
Whilst Northumbria Health will make every endeavour to resolve your complaint, you may feel that we have been unable to do this. You are able to take the matter forward for external adjudication via ISCAS. ISCAS is the recognised independent adjudicator of complaints for the private healthcare sector.
They are a not-for-profit limited company, independent from the trade body and hosted within the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR). ISCAS provides the services of independent adjudication as the third stage of a three-stage process.
You can write to ISCAS to ask them to review your complaint. The contact details for ISCAS are:
Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service
70 Fleet Street, London, EC4Y 1EU
Tel: 020 7536 6091
www.iscas.org.uk
The complaints procedure is not specifically designed to award compensation, but the Northumbria Health does have the discretion to make one-off ex-gratia payments.
If your complaint raises complex clinical issues, or there is also an inquest or there is a potential clinical negligence claim or raises regulatory issues, specialist independent advice is available from Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA). Their advice is free and they can be contacted by visiting the AVMA website, by Freephone on 0845 123 2352 (Monday to Friday, 10am – 3.30pm) or by writing to them at:
Action against Medical Accidents
Freedman House
Christopher Wren Yard
117 High Street
Croydon
CR0 1QG
Should the issues you are complaining about be subject to another investigation and we have legal obligations to share for that purpose then complaints information may be shared. For further information about how we use, collect, store, share, retain and destroy your information, please see Northumbria Health private notice
If you have concerns about the way a regulated activity is being carried out, you can also contact the relevant regulator in the country in which you were treated you should contact Care Quality Commission: National Correspondence Care Quality Commission Citygate, Gallowgate Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4PA Tel: 03000 616161 E-mail: enquiries@cqc.org.uk www.cqc.org.uk
