Complain as soon as you can
It’s best to complain as soon as possible while the events are still fresh in your mind. Complaints should normally be made within 12 months of an incident or of it coming to your attention.
This time limit can be extended provided you have good reasons for not making the complaint sooner and it's possible to complete a fair investigation.
Things to say in your letter
The letter should state that is a “formal complaint” and that you wish the complaint to be investigated under the “NHS complaints procedure”
You should request that the organisation in question acknowledges that your letter has been received within 3 working days of it having received your complaint
Make your complaint clear
- Say what happened? When it happened? How it affected you?
- Avoid using aggressive or accusatory language in your complaint
Decide what you would like to achieve
How would you like things to be put right? Perhaps, you want an apology, a meeting to discuss the problem or for action to be taken to stop the same mistake from happening again.
Create an accurate record of events
- Who you spoke to, what was said, when this happened.
- Keep copies of letters and emails you send and receive and keep a note of phone calls you make
- If you have documents that you want to rely on make sure you send copies. Never send the originals.
You can ‘CC’ your local Healthwatch into letters and emails you send about your complaint so that they get a copy and the organisation knows they have received it too