You have a right to make a complaint about any aspect of medical treatment you receive from a hospital, doctor, nurse, physiotherapist, general practitioner, dentist, pharmacist or anyone else employed by an NHS Trust. A complaint should be made within 6 months of the date of the incident, or within 6 months of finding out that you have a problem relating to treatment you received from the hospital or doctor as long as it is within 12 months of the incident.
It is advisable to make your complaint as soon as possible after the incident.
The first thing you should do is to ask for information about how you should make a complaint. All GP surgeries, hospitals, dentists, opticians should have leaflets explaining how to make a complaint.
In the first instance, you should make your complaint to either the Complaint’s Manager or, in an NHS Trust, to the Patients Advisory Liaison Service, or a relevant member of staff, such as the Ward Manager.
All NHS Trusts and Primary Care trusts have Complaints Managers who can advise you.
If it is a minor complaint, they will deal with it straight away.
However, if your complaint is more serious, the manager must make a record of your complaint, including your name, a description of what happened and the date you made the complaint.
If your complaint can not be addressed immediately, then you should receive an acknowledgment from the Complaint's Manager by letter within 2 working days.
The Complaint’s Manager must investigate your complaint to resolve it speedily. He or She must keep you informed about the progress of the investigation.
The Complaint’s Manager must prepare a written response to your complaint summarising the nature and substance of your complaint; any attempts to resolve the matter; and any conclusions made.
If you have suffered injury or lost a loved one as a result of negligence on the part of a hospital, doctor or any hospital staff, you may be entitled to
claim medical negligence compensation. You need the help of a specialist clinical negligence solicitor to assist you in making a claim.
Asiimwe Balinda
Personal injury solicitor