How do I complain about medical treatment?
In order to obtain public funding (Legal Aid), you must first explore the NHS complaints procedure.
At Hugh James we are happy to assist with your complaint and ensure you get a full response to any issues you have regarding your treatment. We are also able to advise you on any further action, which is appropriate to your case.
If something has gone wrong or you are unhappy with the service you have received by a Hospital, Doctor, GP, Dentist or any other NHS Health Service you can make a complaint.
You can complain about a variety of things, which include:
- Medical treatment
- Waiting times
- The manner of staff
- Information you were or weren’t given
Complaints usually have to be made within six months but in some circumstances the time limit can be extended.
After the complaint has been received and acknowledged, the complaints manager will investigate what happened and keep you informed.
You will be sent a response as soon as possible and their aim is usually to provide a full written response within twenty working days.
The response will summarise and explain what happened, advise if any action is being taken by the NHS and if appropriate provide an apology.
This is known as the ‘local resolution’ of the complaint.
If you are unhappy with the response you can take your complaint to an Independent Review.
If you want your complaint reviewed you should contact the Independent Review Secretariat within four weeks of receiving your letter.
An independent layperson from the secretariat will look again at your case.
They may decide that further investigation by an independent review panel is needed and a panel of three independent lay people will be set up.
The independent panel will produce a report of what they think happened. If your complaint is upheld, it may recommend an apology or changes to improve services in the future. If the panel feel that everything which could be done has been done, they may not recommend any further action.
If you remain unhappy, you can appeal to the Public Services Ombudsman for
If you have a serious complaint against an individual doctor, a complaint can be made to the General Medical Council.
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