Anyone successfully complained about the NHS?

[Tom8]

I am looking to formally complain about NHS treatment as it has been a shocking experience from start to finish.

Has anyone on here made a formal complaint and any tips on dos and don'ts for the process?

Thank you.

[K77 CTR]

Every trust has a formal complaints process which should be available on their website. Can go through PALS for support.

Be clear with what your expectations are from the complaint. Do you want an apology, change in practice etc.

[768]

Maybe for some definition of success. IME you can tell them people will die from their acknowledged ongoing incompetence and they still couldn't give a st.

[Dave Hedgehog]

I have, my wife oversaw complaints in a trust before moving to a differenet department so as you can imagine it was a perfect complaint hitting all the relevant facts perfectly

they still found for the NHS as we expected

[blue_haddock]

Made several formal complaints over the years about our local hospitals and pretty much every time we are fobbed off.

Which ties in with Shrewsbury and Telford hospital trust being ranked one of the worst in the UK.

[shed driving]

I always thought that was risky, as in they'd label you a complainer / indirectly deny future treatment.

[Badda]

Define successfully.

[otolith]

PALS is useful. I had some issues a year or two back - operation cancelled when I was in the anaesthetic room wired up to the machines and ready to go, and then cancelled again at short notice. Also copied in my local MP. It got sorted. Probably didn't make me popular, but I didn't perceive that my treatment suffered.

My sister (a nurse in the same hospital) just kicked up a stink over some poor practice in the ward mum was admitted to. That's probably more brave of her, more chance of blowback as an employee than as a patient, I suspect, but she did it by emailing a manager.

[dundarach]

Another vote for PALS

With any complaint, you need to know what you want from an outcome, whether it's realistic and whether you've explained what you want.

It's no good just moaning, get your facts, explain them, explain what you want as a resolution.

So yes, I was successful in getting the outcome I needed for my mum via PALS