‍ ‍Key Ways to Complain:

  • Direct Approach: Speak to a manager, doctor, or nurse involved in the care, or contact the provider's complaints team in writing, email, or phone

  • PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service):NHS trusts have PALS teams that can provide confidential advice and help resolve concerns quickly.

  • Formal Complaint: If informal resolution fails, submit a formal written complaint to the service provider (GP practice, hospital, etc.) or the local ICB.

In return you should ……..

Receive acknowledgement (usually within 3 working days).

‍ ‍Investigation by the provider.

Written response with findings and learning.

  • Don’t forget about the Care Quality Commission - report your complaint , if unresolved , they will even accept anonymous reports !

  • Ombudsman: If you are unsatisfied with the final response, you can escalate the matter to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. 

Key Information to Include:

  • Your contact details and a clear description of what happened.

  • Include dates, times, and names of staff involved.

  • State clearly what you want to achieve or what resolution you are looking for. 

‍ ‍

1. Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (HCT)

What they cover: Community nursing, health visiting, school nursing, community hospitals, children’s services, specialist dentistry, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, podiatry, and other community services.

PALS Contact:

·       Phone: 01707 388164

·       Email: pals.hct@nhs.net

·       Website:hct.nhs.uk

2. East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust (ENHT)

What they cover: Lister Hospital (Stevenage), New QEII Hospital (Welwyn Garden City), Hertford County Hospital.

PALS Contact:

·       Phone: 01438 285811

·       Email: pals.enh-tr@nhs.

3. West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (WHTH)

What they cover: Watford General Hospital, St Albans City Hospital, Hemel Hempstead Hospital.

PALS Contact:

·       Phone: 01923 217198

·       Email: westherts.pals@nhs.net

·       Emergency (via switchboard): 01923 244366

4. The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT - Harlow)

What they cover: Princess Alexandra Hospital, serving West Essex and Harlow.

PALS Contact:

·       Phone: 01279 827211

·       Email: paht.pals@nhs.

5. Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB)

What they cover: System-wide NHS commissioning, patient experience oversight, and complaints relating to ICB-commissioned services.

Patient Experience Team (PALS-equivalent):

·       Address: The Forum, Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 1DN

·       Phone: 01992 566122

·       Email: hweicbwe.patientfeedback@nhs.net

6. GP Practices, Dentists, Pharmacies, Opticians

These services do not have PALS teams. Concerns should be raised directly with the practice. If unresolved:

NHS England Complaints:

·       Email: england.contactus@nhs.net

·       Phone: 0300 311 2233

7. Community Providers in West Essex

Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust (CLCH)

What they cover: Community services in West Essex.

Contact:

·       Address: 15 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5JD

HCRG Care Group

What they cover: Community services commissioned in parts of West Essex

Contact:

·       Website:hcrgcaregroup.com

How PALS Works

·       Provides confidential advice and support.

·       Helps resolve concerns informally and quickly.

·       Explains the NHS complaints process.

·       Acts as a liaison between patients and clinical teams.

·       Offers signposting to other services.

If an issue cannot be resolved through PALS, a formal complaint can be made to the relevant NHS organisation, followed by escalation to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) if needed.

‍ ‍Support for Making Complaints:

  • Advocacy Services: NHS Complaints Advocacy Service provides free support to help you make a complaint.

  • Citizens Advice: Can provide guidance on the process. 

Time Limits:

  • Formal complaints should typically be made within 12 months of the incident or of becoming aware of the issue.

‍ ‍Specialized Reporting:

  • Fraud: Report to the NHS Counter Fraud Authority on 0800 028 4060.

  • Social Care: Contact the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. 

‍ ‍A PEP members lived experience

The PAL’s System in our hospitals.

If during a treatment or a visit to the hospital a patient may have a need to make a complaint, the hospital will refer them to their PAL’s system.

I have no experience with the PAL’s process at Watford or other hospitals in the area. I only report on Lister in Stevenage.

The PAL’s System in Lister is not fit for purpose because it is not appropriately staffed. A registered complaint is placed in a waiting list of six weeks before investigation is begun!

That is 42 days, and after this wait a letter is sent to enquire if the complaint matter still needs to be followed up. Over 500 complaints are received every month and the department has two and a half full-time staff to review these cases.

After six weeks the problem may well have gone away. Or maybe reported multiple more times, this to the detriment of patients! This needs to be investigated, as the hospital managers cannot be taking this issue seriously.

Observation by RGW

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