Your hospital stay
If you would like to raise a concern or complaint about our services, or the care that you or a family member have received, you can do so in several ways.
Many concerns and questions can be resolved through a discussion with a member of staff in your care team.
You can also contact our Complaints and Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS), which will seek to address your query or concern before resorting to a more formal complaints process. The service offers support to help you resolve any concerns you may have about the care we provide, and also guide you through the different services provided by our Trust as well as the wider NHS and social care system in Dorset and Southampton.
We can:
- provide help to try to resolve your questions in a timely way
- listen to you and provide information on a range of health issues, local services, self-help and support groups
- put you in touch with appropriate forums for advice and support
- refer you to independent advocacy services, if appropriate
- help you to become involved in shaping our services
- provide you with advice on how to make comments, suggestions and complaints.
We will share information with the appropriate service(s) only so that your query or concern can be resolved. However, if we believe you or someone else may be at risk or we have any concerns about safety, we may need to pass information on to the relevant local authority safeguarding team. All information is recorded on a database, in accordance with the Data Protection Act.
Complaints
If you feel that we have not given you the care you expected or needed, you can make a complaint. You normally have about a year to do this*. Making a complaint will not have any adverse effect on your current or future care and treatment.
If you are unable to complain yourself, you can choose someone else to complain on your behalf, such as a relative, carer or advocate (see advocacy services, below).
We have a duty to protect a patient's right to confidentiality about their clinical care. If you are acting on behalf of a patient, we will need to make sure the patient is happy for you to do so. We will usually ask the patient for their consent to share confidential information about their care or treatment with you. A health and welfare lasting power of attorney (LPA) can be used only when a patient no longer has capacity to make decisions affecting their health or personal welfare.
You can make a complaint in several ways:
Write to: Complaints and PALS Team Dorset HealthCare Sentinel House 4-6 Nuffield Industrial Estate Poole Dorset BH17 0RB
Freephone: 0800 5874997 (confidential answerphone service)
Email: dhc.
If you make a complaint, a senior manager will investigate your concerns. You will be kept updated throughout the investigation, and we will write to you at the end of the investigation to let you know what has been done to resolve your complaint.
*Under the NHS Complaints Procedure, a complaint should be made within 12 months of the event happening or within 12 months of you becoming aware of the impact of the event. This time limit can be waived if there are good reasons for the delay and a meaningful investigation can be completed.
We can deal with concerns or complaints only relating to services provided by Dorset HealthCare (link). To ask questions or make a complaint about another local NHS organisation, GP surgery, or social care provider, please contact them using the links below.
You can either complain to the NHS service provider directly (such as a GP, dentist surgery, or hospital) or to the commissioner of the service, which is the body that pays for the NHS services you use. You cannot complain to both.
In the event of a complaint about more than one organisation – perhaps a complaint that involves your GP, local hospital, and ambulance service – the organisations involved will aim to provide you with a co-ordinated response wherever possible.
You can contact the NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board (ICB) for complaints about primary care services (GPs, dentists, opticians, or pharmacists) in Dorset, and NHS England for complaints about healthcare in prison, military health services, and specialised services that support people with a range of rare and complex conditions.
NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board (ICB)
University Hospitals Dorset (Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole hospitals)
South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
BCP Council (adult social care)
BCP Council (children’s social care)
Dorset Council (adult social care)
Dorset Council (children’s social care)
If you are unhappy with the service you have received from the NHS, free and independent advocacy services can help you to make your complaint and offer support and representation.
An advocate is someone who can support you in several different ways; for example, an advocate might help you access information you need, write letters on your behalf or go with you to meetings.
The health complaints advocacy service in Dorset and Southampton is provided by The Advocacy People. You can contact it via:
The Advocacy People
PO Box 375, Hastings, East Sussex, TN34 9HU
Tel: 0330 4409000
Text: 80800, starting message with PEOPLE
The Dorset Mental Health Forum provides Independent Mental Health Act Advocacy, a free and confidential service for any adult or young person in Dorset who is subject to the Mental Health Act 1983. It also offers a general mental health advocacy service for any Dorset resident over 18 in Dorset experiencing mental health problems.
The South West Advocacy Network offers several types of advocacy including safeguarding, mental health, continuing healthcare, carers and the Care Act.
If you are unhappy with the outcome of your complaint you can contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman at:
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London SW1P 4QP
Tel: 0345 0154033
We can investigate complaints about care and treatment provided prior to, during and after a period of detention under the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA).
If you are concerned about the appropriateness of your detention under the MHA and wish to be released from your Section, you will need to apply for a Mental Health Act Hospital Manager’s Review or Mental Health Act Tribunal.
If you are unhappy with the outcome of your complaint to Dorset HealthCare, you can also raise your complaint with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the independent regulator of health care and adult social care services in England. It has the power to investigate certain complaints about the care of patients whose rights are or have been restricted under the MHA. This includes care provided during a period of detention in hospital or while on a guardianship or community treatment order.
The CQC can be contacted via:
Telephone: 03000 616161 and press ‘1’ to speak to the mental health team.
Email: enquiries
Write to: CQC Mental Health Act
Citygate
Gallowgate
Newcastle NE1 4PA
You may also find the following organisations and websites helpful if you have a concern or complaint about your healthcare.
