Your views matter to us
Your views matter to us
We are passionate about patient experience and we want every one of our patients, and their relatives, to receive the best possible service when being treated at, or visiting, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust.
At Bolton we want every member of the team to feel supported to be the best they can be. We want to hear about the care you received, as your feedback is really important to us.
It would be great to hear from you…
Please let us know about your positive experience with our services and we will share this with the people involved in your care. You can leave your feedback by emailing thanks@boltonft.nhs.uk or by contacting our Patient Experience Team by telephone on 01204 390390.
We’re always looking at how we can improve our services although we understand that things don’t always go to plan.
It’s important that you tell us when things go wrong or if you are not happy with the care and treatment you received. We can only put things right if you tell us what is wrong and we take your feedback seriously, taking action where appropriate to try and stop it from happening again.
If your concerns are about inpatient care, please ask to speak to the Ward Manager who should be able to help you. If you still feel unhappy then ask to speak to the Matron who will support you.
The first step in supporting you when something has not gone to plan is to contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) who will attempt to provide swift resolution for you.
If you remain unhappy with the answers provided via our PALS team and we have not been able to resolve your concerns, you can make a formal complaint to the Trust.
Who Are We?
Our PALS team provide a confidential service for people who would like information, help or who wish to comment about any aspect of the services provided at the hospital.
We are based in the main entrance and have a drop in service during our office hours to allow you the opportunity to raise, in confidence, any issues or comments you have about the care provided to you or your loved ones.
How Can We Help?
Our PALS team are there to offer support to our patients, their families and visitors and they can speak to any of our staff involved in your care, with your permission and on your behalf.
We can provide you with advice and information on NHS services and signpost you to the correct teams or organisations to deal with your query if this is not our Trust.
Aim to resolve your queries and concerns quickly to avoid causing further stress to you, recording these to help our Trust learn from any themes identified.
Advise and support you with the NHS Complaints Process if we have not been able to provide speedy resolution. Our PALS team can support you with completing any documentation required if you need this and advise you on who to seek independent advice from.
How to Contact Us
Our PALS office is located in the main entrance of the hospital and our opening hours are Monday to Friday from 9am until 4pm (we are closed on Bank Holidays). You can contact us by telephone on 01204 390193 where you can leave a message if we are dealing with patients and not available to take your call.
Alternatively, you can complete this online contact form, providing all details related to your query and a member of our team will make contact with you.
Finally, you can write to us at the following address:
Patient Advice and Liaison Service
Bolton NHS Foundation Trust
Minerva Road
Farnworth
Bolton
BL4 0JR
As many problems can be resolved by talking things over, we would suggest that in the first instance, you tell the person in charge of the ward or department or the Consultant responsible for your care. If they can help, the will be happy to do so.
If you have received support from our PALS team but are not happy with the outcome provided to you, then you can make a complaint that we will investigate for you.
Who can make a complaint and is there a time limit?
The patient who is receiving care or treatment, someone else can make a complaint on your behalf with your agreement and consent. We can guide you through any consent requirements.
Try and make the complaint as soon as you can to allow us to complete a comprehensive and robust investigation. Complaints should be made within 12 months of the events you are unhappy about. If the events are a little longer than this, please speak to us and we will consider the reasons for not raising the concerns sooner and look at the possibility of investigating the issues for you.
What to include in your complaint
We will need as much information as possible, including the full name, date of birth and address of the patient and the dates of treatment/date of event.
It is important to us that we understand your expectations and what your desired outcome is from making the complaint.
What happens when I make a complaint?
Our Patient Experience Team will send you a written acknowledgement of them receiving the complaint within three days and will outline the next steps which will be contact from a member of the team to discuss the options available to you and to agree the focus points of the investigation.
We will offer to meet with you to discuss the outcome once the investigation has concluded as it is important to us to really understand the impact that the issues have had on you and to engage in an open and honest discussion about learning from your complaint. If you do not wish to meet with us, we can write to you with the outcome. Either way, our Chief Executive will review your complaint and the investigation outcome, signing any appropriate documentation being shared with you.
Our Trust aims to respond to complaints within 35 or 60 working days, dependent on how complex the issues are. A member of the Patient Experience Team will keep you updated throughout the process.
What if I am unhappy with the outcome?
We will always try our best to resolve any queries resulting from the investigation outcome, although we appreciate that we will not be able to change your experience.
If we consider that we can do nothing further to resolve your complaint, we will inform you of this and you will then have the option to take your case to the Parliamentary Health Services Ombudsman (PHSO). The PHSO undertake an independent review of the complaint and look at how we handled it.
They will then make a decision on whether to investigate this further for you.
How to contact us
You can provide the details of the complaint you are making by using the online form below and a member of the team will be in contact with you to discuss your complaint in detail with you.
Alternatively, you can telephone us on 01204 390390 extension 144704, email us at complaints@boltonft.nhs.uk or write to us at:
Patient Experience Team – PALS Office
Bolton NHS Foundation Trust
Minerva Road
Farnworth
Bolton
BL4 0JR
Healthwatch Bolton – 01204 394603 or email at info@helathwatchbolton.co.uk
Healthwatch can provide help with making a complaint and help work out what you want to achieve from the complaint.Help to make a complaint | Healthwatch
Voiceability – 0300 303 1660 or email at helpline@voiceability.org
Access free information and support on making a complaint
VoiceAbility | With complaints about NHS care
Parliamentary Health Services Ombudsman (PHSO) –0345 015 4033
