Why make a complaint?

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust aims to provide the highest quality of health care. We try hard to ensure that we meet the needs of all the people who come into contact with our services. However, we know that there are times when we do not do this as well as we should. When this happens we want to know so that we can listen to your views and learn from your experiences.

The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)

If you are not happy about something but you are not sure you want to make a complaint you can speak to the trust’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS), who may be able to deal with your concerns informally. PALS can also give you more information about the complaints procedure.

If you have a concern about a service provided by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, please call our PALS team on 0800 328 7971.

Who can complain?

Anyone using the trust’s services can make a complaint or raise a concern. If you are raising concerns on behalf of someone who has received care from us, then we will need to ask their permission to share with you any confidential and personal information.

Will my complaint be kept confidential?

We will handle your complaint sensitively and confidentially. Please be assured by raising a concern it will not affect the care that you or your relative is given. If this happens, we would like you to tell the complaints and PALS manager so that we can take the necessary action.

What is the time limit for making a complaint?

If you would like to make a complaint, you should do this as quickly as possible. Usually we will investigate complaints that are:

• made within 12 months of the event, or
• made within 12 months of you realising you had something to complain about

If there are good reasons why you could not complain sooner, then we will do our best to look into your complaint if we feel it is still possible to properly investigate the circumstances you are complaining about. If you are unsure about whether you are still able to make a complaint, then the complaints team would be happy to discuss this with you.

How can I make a complaint?

Local resolution

If you wish to make a complaint we suggest that you firstly discuss your concerns with a member of staff from the team you are receiving a service from, who will do their best to deal with your concerns or complaint straight away. We usually try and respond to oral complaints informally – either by telephone or a face-to-face conversation.

Formal complaints

If you prefer, you can make a formal complaint to the complaints and PALS manager or to the chief executive. Wherever possible, we ask for formal complaints to be made in writing. This helps us to understand all of the issues you are raising.

If you would like to discuss your complaint or need help in making your complaint, then please contact the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust complaints team on the freephone number 0800 328 7971 who will be happy to assist you.

Where can I get independent help and advice?

There are free independent advocacy services for people who wish to make a complaint about the NHS services listed below.

If you have any questions in relation to advocacy services please contact our team on 0800 328 7971.

What can I expect when I make a formal complaint?

A member of the complaints team will be assigned to look after your complaint. They will contact you either in writing or by telephone within three working days of receiving your complaint to introduce themselves and to let you know what will happen. You can contact this person at any time during the complaints process should you need to.

The complaints team will also arrange for a senior clinician or manager from within the trust to work with you to look into your concerns. This person will try to contact you at the onset of their investigation to discuss your concerns in more detail.

We will try to investigate your complaint as quickly as possible. Some issues need more time than others for an investigation to be carried out properly. Where possible, we will try to reply to your complaint within 35 working days from the date your letter was received by the trust.

We find that meetings are a helpful way of resolving complaints, particularly those that are complex. If you would like a meeting to discuss your complaint, then please let the complaints team know. You can bring a friend, relative or advocate with you to any meetings that you have with us.

When we have finished our investigations, the chief executive or one of the trust’s directors will write to you to answer your concerns in an open and honest manner and will put things right as soon as possible.

On a regular basis the complaints team will contact a random selection of people who have had a response to their complaint to see how well you felt your complaint was managed and if anything could be improved. It is voluntary for you to participate and all comments will be kept anonymous.

What if I am still not happy?

If you are unhappy, then we would like you to tell us so that we can try and resolve the issues you feel we have not answered. However if you remain dissatisfied with the outcome of your complaint you may ask the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) to review your complaint. The PHSO’s contact details are in the useful contacts section and for more information please ask the complaints team.

You are also able to raise any concerns with the quality or safety of care received to the independent health and social care regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Contact details are in the useful contacts section.

Useful contacts

At the trust

Grant Macdonald, Chief Executive Officer

• Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Trust Headquarters, Littlemore Mental Health Centre, Sandford Road, Littlemore, Oxford OX4 4XN
• Phone: 01865 901 000

Claire Price, Complaints and PALS Manager

• Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, The Whiteleaf Centre, Bierton Road, Aylesbury, Bucks HP20 1EG
• Freephone: 0800 328 7971

PALS Buckinghamshire Office

• Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, The Whiteleaf Centre, Bierton Road, Aylesbury, Bucks HP20 1EG
• Freephone: 0800 328 7971
• Email: pals@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk

Outside the trust

The Advocacy People

• PO Box 375, Hastings, East Sussex TN34 9HU
• Phone: 0330 440 9000
• Email: info@theadvocacypeople.org.uk
• Website: www.theadvocacypeople.org.uk

POhWER

Offer a free and confidential advocacy service to people who have a complaint about the NHS and would like some support.

• PO Box 14043, Birmingham, B6 9BL
• Phone: 0300 456 2370
• Email: pohwer@pohwer.net
• Website: www.pohwer.net

The Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman

• Millbank Tower, 30 Millbank, London SW1P 4QP
• Complaints helpline: 0345 015 4033
• Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk
• Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk

Care Quality Commission

• 151 Buckingham Palace Rd, Victoria, London SW1 9SZ
• Phone: 03000 616 161
• Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk
• Website: www.cqc.org.uk