COMPLAINTS POLICY AND PROCEDURE 32.
Formal complaints
Any complaint received in writing will be treated as a formal complaint unless agreed otherwise with complainant and must receive a response from the Chief Executive/Managing Director of KCHS. All written complaints received by the PCT must be date stamped upon receipt. Complaints received face to face or by telephone will also be regarded as formal complaints, if the complainant states that this is how they want their complaint to be treated. Where a complaint is made orally, the acknowledgement letter must be accompanied by the written record of the complaint with an invitation to the complainant to confirm it is an accurate record of their complaint and asking them to sign and return it. All formal complaints will be investigated and a responds signed by the Chief Executive/Managing Director KHCS or their deputy acting on their behalf. All written complaints should be forwarded immediately by either fax or telephone followed by a hard copy to the CLS Team. The CLS Team Leader/Head of Integrated Governance KCHS will identify the investigating officer and monitor the progress of the investigation. The CLS Team/Head of Integrated Governance KCHS will send an acknowledgement letter to the complainant within two working days of receipt of the complaint. The final response must be factually correct and provided within twenty-five working days of receipt of complaint unless otherwise an individual timescale has been agreed with the complainant: Include an apology. Address each of the points the complainant has raised with a full explanation or give the reason(s) why it is not possible to comment on a specific matter. Give specific details about the investigation for example who was interviewed and what was discovered etc. Give details of action taken as a result of the complaint. Provide the name and telephone number of the investigator for further queries/discussion. Offer to meet the complainant with the key staff involved. Include details of further action available to the complainant. Advise the complainant of their right to request a Health Service Ombudsman review using the following paragraph: “If you are unhappy with our response, please contact us in the first instance so that we can try to find a suitable solution. Should you continue to be dissatisfied you can ask the Health Service Ombudsman for an „independent review‟ of your case. The Health Service Ombudsman is an independent body, set up to investigate complaints about health services and promote improvements, in healthcare as a result. You should contact them within twelve months of receiving the final written response to your complaint”. You can contact the Ombudsman at: The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Millbank Tower Millbank Approval Committee: Trust Board Version No: Four (April 2010) Date Approved: xx
16