Patient Advice and Complaints Team

Most concerns can usually be resolved straight away with the staff who are caring for you. This might be a Nurse, the Ward Manager, a Matron, a Midwife, the Doctoror other health worker. Tell them what has happened and they will do their best to put things right as quickly as possible.If you have tried this and are still unhappy or would like to talk to someone who is not involved in your care, contact the PACT. We can support you to resolve matters in a way that you would like.

• We will provide advice and signposting information and we will do our best to make sure you get the help you need.
• We will liaise with staff to resolve your concerns and explain timescales / how long this may take.
• We will ask your permission before we do anything.
• Any information you give us will be kept confidential. However, there may be times when this is not possible; but this will be discussed with you first.
• If you wish to raise a formal complaint the PACT will advise you on what you need to do.

If you feel that you have made every effort to try and resolve your concerns informally, either directly with the staff or through the PACT but this has not been successful, you may decide to make a formal complaint. If this is what you decide to do then it is important to do this as soon as possible; this should normally be within 12 months of the event, or you being aware of the event. We will record any details you provide, and we may share them with appropriate members of staff to help us to make sure we deal with any problems fully. 

If you make a complaint, we will contact you to confirm the issues, identify the outcomes you expect, agree a timescale and agree your preferred method of response. Our response will tell you about the results of the investigation and where required, any action we plan to take to deal with the problem.  If we cannot complete our investigation within the agreed timescale, we will contact you to explain the reason for the delay and agree a new timescale.  

You can make a formal complaint by letter or by email:

Write to: Patient Advice and Complaints Manager, Leighton Hospital, Middlewich Road, Crewe, Cheshire, CW1 4QJ

Email: patientadviceandcomplaints@mcht.nhs.uk

Alternatively, you can complain to the Commissioners of our services – Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System on: 0800 132 996 or by email: enquiries@cheshireandmerseyside.nhs.uk

Yes, they can but we will need to get your permission before we provide them with any information. For a formal complaint you will need to complete and sign a consent form.

No, there is no need to worry about this. Please be assured that we will not treat you any differently because you have complained. All complaint records are kept separately to your medical records.

You should write or email a letter of complaint and give as much information as possible about what, where and when your concern(s) happened.

Please see example of complaint letter below:

Example letter of formal complaint

Name, Address Date

Dear…

• I am writing to complain about…… at.. (name of hospital/service/department).
• If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, please include their name, date of birth and address detail where possible.
• Include details of what happened, when it happened and where it happened. It helps to include the names or titles of members of staff where possible.
• Include details of what you want to complain about, with specific questions you would like to be answered.
• Detail what you would like the outcome of the complaint to be. For example, an apology or suggest what we could do to improve our service.
• Offer your contact details in order that you can provide any further information. Do not forget to include your full name, address and telephone number.

Yours sincerely

Please ensure when emailing concerns or complaints that the following details are included in the email to enable us to provide a prompt response:  

• Patient’s Name 
• Patient’s Date of Birth 
• Up to date contact number for person registering the concern/complaint 

You will receive an acknowledgement by telephone or letter within three working days of receiving your complaint. Arrangements will be made to try and resolve your complaint to your satisfaction. It is therefore very helpful if you could provide a daytime telephone number for us to contact you. If you are raising a formal complaint you will be offered a written response or a meeting at the Trust. We encourage people to meet with us to discuss their concerns in person. If you would like us to arrange a meeting for you, we will ensure that the managers who can best answer your concerns are present, together with a member of the PACT.

Our response will show how we have listened to and investigated your concerns. This might mean giving an apology, explaining what changes and improvements we will make, or detailing any further action proposed. At times, some complaints sent to the Trust involve other organisations (for example Social Services or another NHS Trust). If this is the case, the Trust will inform you which part of the complaint it can investigate and check that you give your consent that other parts of your complaint are forwarded to the relevant organisation(s). The organisations will then work together to respond to your concerns. Once your formal complaint has been investigated you will receive a reply from the Chief Executive within a timescale agreed with you. Your complaint will be dealt with in confidence and will only be discussed with those who need to know about the issues you have raised.

You have the right to access your health/patient records. If you would like a copy, you can request this via email: legal.services@mcht.nhs.uk or by telephone: 01270 273917 or speak to member of the PACT.

If you are not happy with the response to your complaint, then let us know straight away. We may investigate your concerns further, or we might suggest that you come in to meet with staff to discuss your complaint in more detail, if you have not already done so.

If, after this, you still feel that your concerns have not been resolved, you have the right to ask the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) to review your case. It is important that you make contact with them as soon as you receive our final response as there are time limits for the Ombudsman to look into complaints.

The PHSO can be contact by: 

Email:  www.ombudsman.org.uk/making-complaint  

Telephone Helpline:  0345 015 4033.  

Writing:

Health Service Ombudsman 
Millbank Tower 
Millbank 
London 
SW1P 4QP   

Healthwatch Cheshire is a free, confidential and independent service which can provide practical support and information to people who want to make a complaint about a service provided by the NHS. For more information, please telephone: 0300 323 0006 or visit: www.healthwatchcheshire.org.uk

We do not just want to know when things go wrong, we also want to know what you think of our services when things have gone well. You can leave any compliments, comments and suggestions you may have online by clicking on the "Submit a compliment" tab below. Comment cards ‘How are we doing?’ are also readily available on all wards and in outpatient departments. You can seal and hand in your card to a member of staff in the area where you are having your treatment or take it home to fill in and post it back to the hospital. You do not need a stamp.