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
