Information About Our Complaints Procedure

Complaints Information about our complaints procedure

HMC (Haaglanden Medical Centre) strives to deliver high-quality care. Nevertheless, you may still be dissatisfied. We appreciate it when you share your experience with us, as this helps us improve the quality of care at our hospital. HMC takes your experience seriously.

You can submit a complaint about anything you are not satisfied with, such as your treatment, care, the way you were treated on a personal level, or the amenities at the hospital. For any comments/questions or a complaint about an invoice, feel free to contact our accounts department. More information on this can be found further on in this brochure. Conversation We prefer to discuss your complaint at the point where it arose. As such, feel free to share your experience with the staff involved (e.g. the doctor or nurse) or the head of the department. A simple conversation can clear things up. Complaints officer If a conversation with the staff member(s) concerned does not lead to your desired outcome or if you would prefer not to discuss the issue with them, you can contact our complaints officer. This independent officer has been specially appointed to support you in finding a solution to your complaint.

All complaints will initially be picked up by our complaints officer, even if they are to be forwarded to the Board of Directors or complaints advisory committee. The complaints officer cannot provide a decision in relation to your complaint. However, he or she can act as a mediator regarding your complaint and provide information about how we will handle your complaint. The options are:

• Request for registration: If you merely want to raise an issue you were not satisfied with so that HMC can learn from your feedback, you can choose to report your complaint to the complaints officer for information only. In this case, the complaints officer will register your complaint and bring it to the attention of the staff involved. • Request for mediation: If you would like the complaints officer to act as a mediator in relation to your complaint, they can ask the staff or head of the department involved for a written response to your complaint. The complaints officer can also arrange and, if desired, attend a meeting between you and the staff involved. • Request for a decision: If it proves impossible to settle your complaint via mediation, the complaints officer can provide information about the option to obtain a decision on your complaint from an independent and impartial complaints advisory committee. The committee will start an investigation and, in most cases, organise a hearing. The committee will then provide advice to the Board of Directors on whether or not your complaint should be upheld. The Board of Directors will reach a decision on your complaint based on this advice. If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you can appeal the decision of the Board of Directors to the Hospital Arbitration Board. You can do so for up to a year after the date of HMC’s decision. The decision by the Hospital Arbitration Board is binding. • Request for financial compensation: If you believe you have suffered financial damage resulting from a medical treatment, you can hold the hospital liable. Your letter will be forwarded to the hospital’s liability insurer for further processing and an independent decision.

The complaints officer will endeavour to settle your complaint as quickly as possible. You can submit your complaint to the complaints officer by telephone or in person.

You can contact HMC’s complaints officers via the following telephone numbers:

HMC Antoniushove: +31 88 979 40 44 HMC Bronovo: +31 88 979 83 00 HMC Westeinde: +31 88 979 18 18 You can also file a complaint in writing. You can do so by sending us an email or letter, or by filling in the complaint form available from the complaints officer or at reception in the hospital’s central lobby. The complaint form is also available on the hospital’s website: https://www. haaglandenmc.nl/contact/waardering/klachten Please send your letter, email or complaint form to:

HMC FAO Quality Cluster C 14.84 Antwoordnummer 2191 2501 VC The Hague The Netherlands email: [email protected]

To enable us to handle your complaint, it is important that you provide consent for the complaints officer and staff involved to view your medical record. Damage compensation You are responsible for taking care of your own personal belongings. If any items have gone missing or are damaged, HMC can only be held liable if this is a consequence of an action by HMC’s staff. If any personal belongings have gone missing or are damaged as a consequence of an action by HMC’s staff, you can hold the hospital liable. You can also hold the hospital liable if you believe something has gone wrong during your medical treatment and you have suffered financial damage as a result. Upon receipt, your liability claim will be forwarded to the hospital’s legal department, which will process your claim and notify you of its progress. Your letter will then be forwarded to the hospital’s liability insurer for further processing and an independent decision. To report any lost or damaged personal belongings or to submit a liability claim, please write to:

HMC FAO Quality Cluster C 14.84 Antwoordnummer 2191 2501 VC The Hague The Netherlands

Upon receipt, your request will be processed by the hospital’s legal department. Further information

Costs and details The hospital will not charge you for processing your complaint. Please provide the following details in your correspondence: • your name, initials, date of birth and patient number; • your address, postcode and telephone number; • the name of the location, department or staff member involved in your complaint/liability claim; • the date on which the incident took place; • a detailed description of your complaint or liability claim; • place, date and signature.

Invoice queries Complaints about payment for any care provided (e.g. the Diagnosis Treatment Combination (DBC), fees or excess) are not covered by the complaints procedure.

For comments or questions about an invoice, please contact HMC’s accounts department via [email protected]. You can also contact the department by telephone on +31 88 979 25 94 from Monday to Thursday between 09:00 and 12:00. Filing a complaint on behalf of a patient Someone else can file a complaint on your behalf. To do so, you need to provide your consent and sign the complaint letter alongside the complainant. If you are submitting a complaint on behalf of a deceased patient, please indicate your relationship to the patient whose treatment you are complaining about. Please also indicate whether the complaint you have submitted complies with the patient’s wishes. We will assess whether we can accept your complaint and whether any additional documentation is required.

Confidentiality The complaints officer and the members of the complaints advisory committee are obliged to keep all data they receive in the course of their duties confidential. They will only view your medical record with your consent. You can rest assured that your data and the complaint will be handled strictly confidentially.

Registration When you file a complaint, it will be registered. HMC processes certain complaint data – such the number and subjects of complaints – to produce an anonymous overview. This overview is presented to the Board of Directors and management. As such, your complaint is an important tool to help us improve the quality of our care and service provision.

Procedure You can request HMC’s full complaints procedure from the complaints officer. Alternatively, you can view or download the full procedure via our website.

External bodies You can also contact certain bodies outside of the hospital for information and/or advice. This includes the following:

• Care Concern South Holland (Zorgbelang Zuid-Holland) Telephone: +31 88 929 40 00 Website: www.zorgbelang-zuidholland.nl • Care Concern Advice Point (Adviespunt Zorgbelang) P.O. Box 5310 6802 EH Arnhem, The Netherlands

• Hospital Arbitration Board (Geschillencommissie Ziekenhuizen) P.O. Box 90600, 2509 LP The Hague, The Netherlands Website:

• National Healthcare Contact Point (Landelijk Meldpunt Zorg) P.O. Box 2115, 3500 GC Utrecht, The Netherlands Website:

• The Legal Helpdesk (Het Juridisch Loket) Website: www.juridischloket.nl Telephone: +31 900 80 20

• Netherlands Patients Federation (Patientenfederatie Nederland) https://www.patientenfederatie.nl/

• Disciplinary complaints officer Telephone: +31 88 371 26 66 [email protected]

• The Hague Regional Disciplinary Board for Healthcare (Regionaal Tuchtcollege voor de Gezondheidszorg Den Haag) P.O. Box 97831, 2509 GE The Hague, The Netherlands Website: www.tuchtcollege-gezondheidszorg.nl

Manage your medical affairs online MijnHMC is a secure online environment that enables you to view details of your treatment at HMC and manage your medical affairs. Among other things, you can view your medical records, see your results, schedule an appointment or securely email your care provider. If you would like to find out more, visit www.haaglandenmc.nl/mijnhmc. HMC Antoniushove Burg. Banninglaan 1 2262 BA Leidschendam Postbus 432 2501 CK Den Haag

HMC Bronovo Bronovolaan 5 2597 AX Den Haag Postbus 432 2501 CK Den Haag

HMC Westeinde Lijnbaan 32 2512 VA Den Haag Postbus 432 2501 CK Den Haag

088 97 97 900