PATIENT INFORMATION LEAFLET
How to make a complaint
Complaints can be informal or formal.
Informal Verbal Complaint
Westcliffe Health Innovations welcomes feedback from patients and their representatives. Our front-line staff will do their best to satisfactorily resolve a matter at the time it is raised. Where a member of staff can satisfactorily deal with a complaint at the time this is an informal complaint.
Afterwards the member of staff is required to email their line manager with a summary of the complaint so that we can capture any trends and learning.
Formal Verbal or Written Complaint
All written complaints are formal. Any verbal complaint that cannot be resolved at the time by a member of front-line staff will be escalated to a Director. Such escalation means the complaint becomes formal.
Raising your complaint
Verbal complaints can be raised at the time of the appointment to any member of the healthcare team or later by telephone:
Tel: 01274 623000
Written complaints can be submitted by email or post:
Email: Complaints.whi1@nhs.net
Address:
Westcliffe Health Innovations
Eccleshill Treatment Centre
Newlands Way
Harrogate Road
BD10 0JE
Helping you raise a complaint
Westcliffe aims to consider any needs of the complainant to help you raise the complaint and for us to hear it. We can provide a translator if your first language is not English, access to BSL for those with a hearing difficulty, or if you have LD or Dementia, or a physical disability we aim to think about our environment and any reasonable adjustments that we can make to help you.
Westcliffe can also handle complaints in alternative formats such as Braille.
In addition, information about the complaints process including advice on signposting to advocacy services is published on our website www.westcliffehealthinnovations.co.uk
And detailed below.
Easy Read materials about the NHS complaints process are available as part of our commitment to AskListenDo. These can be found online at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/learning-disabilities/about/ask-listen-do
Please also tell us at the time if there is anything else we can do to help you.
Advocacy services
You may also find that the Independent Complaints Advocacy Team (ICAT) can provide you with independent help and support in pursuing your complaint. You can contact them on 01274 770118 or email icat@vitalprojects.org.uk or visit their website at https://www.vitalprojects.org.uk/faqs/icat-who-are-we
We aim to resolve all matters locally however if you remain dissatisfied with the outcome, the next stage of the NHS complaints procedure is to approach the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). The PHSO considers complaints about NHS organizations independently and fairly.
The PHSO can be contacted on their helpline at 0345 015 4033. Or you can visit their website at www.ombudsman.org.uk.
Who can make a complaint?
In line with NHS Regulations, a complaint may be made by “a person who receives or has received services” or “a person who is affected, or likely to be affected, by the action, omission or decision…..which is the subject of the complaint”.
Under certain circumstances, a complaint may be made by a representative acting on behalf of a person mentioned above.
Timeframes for making and managing a formal complaint
A complaint must be made not later than 12 months after the date on which the matter, which is the subject of the complaint occurred or, if later, the date on which the matter which is the subject of the complaint came to the notice of the complainant. It is at the discretion of the provider to accept a complaint outside of this timeframe.
Westcliffe will acknowledge a complaint within 3 working days.
Westcliffe will provide a full written response to the complaint within 14 working days.
Westcliffe aims to complete a formal complaint within 30 working days. After this timeframe it will be considered that local resolution has been exhausted and the complainant will be informed of this and that the next step for them would be to take the matter to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO).
