Raising a concern or making a complaint about health services

Different ways you can raise a concern or complaint

There are many ways to raise your concern or complaint.

These include:

• face to face
• by phone
• in a letter
• by email

You should try to give details of:

• how to contact you
• who or what you are complaining about
• where and when the event that caused your complaint happened
• if possible, what you would like to be done to address your complaint  

You should try to complain as soon as possible, usually within six months of you becoming aware that you have a cause for complaint and normally no longer than 12 months after the event.

But you don’t have to wait. If you are unhappy with something, you can speak to any of the staff who are dealing with your treatment or care and they will try to resolve your concerns straight away.  

You can also raise a concern or complain on someone else’s behalf, although you will generally need their consent.

Services you can complain about

 You can raise a concern or make a complaint about any of the following health services:

• Health and Social Care Services
• Family Practitioner Services
• Regulated establishments and agencies
• Independent sector providers
• Self-funded care or treatment

For more information on each of these service areas see below.

Health and Social Care services

If you have a concern or complaint about a health and social care service, such as those services provided in a hospital or social care services provided in the community, you can raise your concern or complaint with the complaints manager at your local health and social care Trust.

Family practitioner services

If you have a concern or complaint about services provided by family practitioner services such as family doctors, dentists, pharmacist or optician, you should in the first instance make your complaint to the practice or practitioner for local resolution.

Regulated establishments and agencies

If you have a concern or complaint about services provided by a regulated establishment or agency such as residential home, nursing home or domiciliary care agency, you should in the first instance raise your concerns or make your complaint to the service provider for local resolution where possible.

This may be with the manager of the home or the registered person for the establishment. 

You can contact the HSC Trust who have commissioned the care either on your behalf or your family member’s behalf.

If you need to contact the Trust, contact the Trust’s complaints manager.

Independent sector providers

If you have a concern or complaint about services provided by an independent sector provider, such as a private clinic, you should in the first instance raise your concerns or make your complaint to the service provider for local resolution where possible.

This could be either through their complaints department, local management or registered person for the establishment.

If the treatment you received was commissioned by a HSC Trust, you can also contact the HSC Trust who will investigate your concern or complaint as part of their Trust complaints process.

Self-funded care or treatment

If you have self-funded your care or treatment, or a family member's, such as residential or nursing home care or private treatment with an independent sector provider, you should in the first instance raise your concerns or make your complaint to the service provider for local resolution where possible.

The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA)

While the RQIA does not have the legal powers to investigate individual complaints about health and social care services, Regulated establishments and agencies, independent sector providers or about self-funded care, if a concern is raised with RQIA about these services, they will use this information to inform their inspection or review work.

Help with making a complaint

HSC Trust staff or the Patient Client Council can give you information on how to raise a concern or make a complaint about health and social care services provided by the Trust or commissioned by the Trust from regulated establishments and agencies or independent healthcare providers.

The Health and Social Care (HSC) Board’s complaints manager can provide you with help about family practitioner services.

Patient and Client Council support service

The Patient and Client Council (PCC) offer a freephone support service to support the public with questions, concerns or complaints they may have within their health and social care.

They are also able to help the public with navigating their care should it be affected by pressures being faced by the Health Service caused by coronavirus (COVID-19). 

• Patient and Client Council

Answering your concern or complaint

Your complaint will be acknowledged within two or three working days of receipt. You should receive a full response within 10 days if your complaint was about a family doctor, dentist, pharmacist or optician and made directly.  

If the complaint has been made with the help of the HSC Board’s complaints manager a response takes 20 days. If your complaint was about a hospital or social care service, you should receive a full response within 20 working days.

Some complaints take longer to resolve than others. You should be told if this is the case and be given an explanation.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive

If you are not happy with the final decision of the provider organisation, you can refer your complaint to the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman (NIPSO) . NIPSO will look at your complaint and decide whether they should investigate it. 

Contacts

Belfast HSC Trust

Telephone: 028 9504 8000
Email: complaints@belfasttrust.hscni.net
Website: Belfast HSC Trust

Northern HSC Trust

Telephone: 028 9442 4655
Email: user.feedback@northerntrust.hscni.net
Website: Northern HSC Trust

South Eastern HSC Trust

Telephone: 028 9056 1427
Email: complaints@setrust.hscni.net
Website: South Eastern HSC Trust

Western Trust

Telephone: 028 7134 5171 ext 214142
Direct dial: 028 7161 1226
Email: complaints.department@westerntrust.hscni.net
Website: Western HSC Trust

Southern Trust

Telephone: 028 3756 4600
Email: complaints@southerntrust.hscni.net
Website: Southern HSC Trust

NI Ambulance Service HSC Trust

Telephone: 028 9040 0999 / 028 9040 0901
Email: Complaints.Manager@nias.hscni.net
Website: NI Ambulance Service

Health and Social Care Board

Telephone: 028 9536 3893
Email: complaints.hscb@hscni.net
Website: Health and Social Care Board

Patient and Client Council

Freephone: 0800 917 0222
Freepost: Patient and Client Council
Email: complaints.pcc@hscni.net
Website: Patient and Client Council

Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority

Telephone: 028 9536 1111 or 02895 361851
Email: info@rqia.org.uk
Website: Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority

Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman (NIPSO)

Telephone: 028 9023 3821
Freepost NIPSO
Freephone: 0800 34 34 24 (currently Monday to Thursday 9am to 1pm)
Email: nipso@nipso.org.uk
Website: Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman

Business Services Organisation

Telephone: 028 9536 3252 and 0300 555 0113
Email: complaints.bso@hscni.net
Website: Business Services Organisation

Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service

Telephone: 028 9032 1414

Email: inet@nibts.hscni.net

Website: NI Blood Transfusion Service

Public Health Agency

Telephone: 028 9536 3429 and 0300 555 0114
Email: complaints.pha@hscni.net
Website: Public Health Agency