Compliments, Complaints and Whiston Hospital Warrington Road, Suggestions , , L35 5DR Telephone: 0151 426 1600

St Helens Hospital Marshalls Cross Road St Helens Merseyside WA9 3DA Telephone: 0151 426 1600

This leaflet can also be provided in Braille, audiocassette, large print and other languages upon request.

Please contact Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) Telephone: 0151 430 1376 Email: [email protected]

Author: Complaints Manager Department: Quality & Risk Document Number: STHK0638 Version: 2.2 Review date: 31st May 2021

Introduction ComplimentsWhere can I find and independent Suggestions St Helens residents are to Freedom of Information Act support? contact:-

As one of the country’s We are always delighted to hear Healthwatch St Helens The Freedom of Information largest teaching trusts, we from patients, family members and Tel No: 0300 111 0007, (FOI) Act is a law that gives have highly skilled teams visitors who are satisfied with our or email people the general right to see who offer a wide range of service. These messages are an [email protected] recorded information held by services at our two main encouragement to all groups of public authorities. If you have hospitals; Whiston and St staff who contribute to the care of Halton residents are to submitted an FOI request and Helens, as well as from a our patients. number of community contact:- are unhappy with the response locations. Many patients share their you have been given, you have compliments with us by means of Healthwatch Halton the right to complain under the As a Trust, our vision is to a card or a letter, but you can also Tel No: 0800 1617600 Trust’s formal complaints provide 5 star patient care. provide compliments and or email procedure. Information on your We strive to meet the best suggestions by responding to the rights under the Freedom of standards for professional Friends and Family Test survey; What about confidentiality? Information Act is available at care, whilst being sensitive this will be either on a card that www.ico.org.uk and responsive to the you are given, via the online [email protected] needs of individual survey or by a text or interactive Everyone in the NHS has a patients. voicemail message you receive. duty to protect confidentiality. Your treatment, safety and Alternatively, you can send a All information relating to your comfort are of paramount message via the Ask Ann section complaint is stored securely importance to us and we of our website at www.sthk.nhs.uk and separately from your will do all we can to make or via NHS Choices: www.nhs.uk health records. However, in your stay as pleasant as order to complete a full possible. investigation into your complaint it may be necessary to allow suitably authorised NHS professionals access to your health records or those of the patient. If you are unhappy with this or wish to discuss this further please, contact the Complaints Department. Tel: 0151 430 1167 or 0151 430 1427 Email: [email protected]

Page 1 Page 6 What happens if I am Where can I find independent Complaints detained under the Mental support? Health Act? Our PALS team are available If you would like independent help We hope your experience between 9.00am and 5.00pm, Patients who are detained and support to make a complaint, of the Trust is a positive Monday to Friday. If the team are busy dealing with other patients under the Mental Health Act you can contact: one, but with thousands of patients coming through during this time, you can leave 1983 have the same rights as other NHS patients to our doors every year, we your contact details with our complain about their treatment Healthwatch Independent recognise that we do not receptionist and we will contact and care. Complaints Advocacy (HWICA) always get it right. you as soon as possible about your concern. You can also leave If you have concerns about a message on the PALS any aspect of your The Care Quality Commission Knowsley residents are to answerphone service and you will treatment or care, no receive a telephone call back at can provide advice and contact:- matter how small, we want assistance to those who Advocacy Together Hub Knowsley the earliest opportunity (this may to know about it as soon as be on the next working require additional help making Based in Halewood Leisure Centre possible so that we can a complaint against a health Baileys Lane day). Alternatively, you can make any necessary contact our Complaints Team service. Halewood changes. Merseyside directly by email:

LS26 0TY [email protected] You can contact: Tel. 0151 486 4045 Mobile. 07484935748 Making a complaint CQC National Customer [email protected] Services Centre, Citygate, Please note if your complaint The first person to discuss requires an immediate response, Gallowgate, residents are to Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, your concern with should please contact the hospital Duty contact:- be a member of staff, your Manager via a member of staff or NE1 4PA Anna Reid Telephone: 03000 61 61 61 health professional or ward through the hospital Switchboard Healthwatch Advocate manager. They will on 0151 426 1600. Healthwatch Liverpool th endeavour to resolve your 4 Floor 151 Dale Street concern as soon as they Liverpool can. L2 2AH Tel. 0300 77 77 007 If you would prefer to [email protected] speak to someone else, you can contact the Trust’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) Telephone: 0151 430 1376 email: [email protected]

Page 5 Page 2 What information will I need to Making a formal complaint When should I complain? What happens after making a include? formal complaint?

Putting your concerns in  An outline of the complaint: You should complain as soon Every issue the team deals with writing means the Trust will including as many details as as possible after you notice a is different and, therefore, some treat it as a formal complaint possible e.g. dates, times, problem. The NHS only cases will take longer than and will acknowledge your places and names of staff; investigates complaints made others to thoroughly investigate correspondence within three names of wards and department under the NHS Complaints in order to provide you with an working days of receiving it. areas; () Regulations 2009 open, honest and An investigation will then be within twelve months of the comprehensive response. The  The patient’s full name and carried out and you will be complaints regulations allow up address, date of birth, hospital event happening, or within informed of the outcome. to six months to provide a number/ NHS number (if twelve months of you You can make a formal response, although we will do all known), telephone number and/ realising you need to complaint by: we can to provide you with your or email address; complain - ideally this should  Writing a letter not be more than one year response within 30 working days.  Emailing the Trust  Any thoughts you may have from the event happening. However, should this not be  Completing an online form about reaching a satisfactory These time limits, however, possible, we will keep you on our website resolution. can be waived if there are informed of progress, any  Speaking to the PALS good reasons why you could reasons for the delay and agree team and telling them you not make the complaint an extended timescale. wish to make a formal If you are complaining on behalf of sooner. complaint someone else, we will need all the details listed above. Please also When the investigation is Please write to: tell us: complete we will write to you explaining any actions taken. Ann Marr,  What your relationship to the patient is, as we will need their You are welcome to come and Chief Executive, discuss your concerns with the St Helens and Knowsley signed consent to be able to respond to you. investigating manager at any Teaching Hospitals NHS stage of the complaints process. Trust, Whiston Hospital, Warrington Road, Prescot, Merseyside, L35 5DR. email: [email protected] or complete a form on our website: www.sthk.nhs.uk

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