Comments, compliments and complaints

Please make your complaint as soon as possible, while memories are still fresh. Usually, the NHS deals with complaints made within one year of the event that you are complaining about, or within one year of finding out you have cause to complain. This time limit may be waived if there are good reasons why you were not able to complain earlier, and an effective investigation can still be carried out. 

What to include when making a complaint:

• your name, address, email and phone number
• the full name, address, email and phone number of the patient concerned (if that is not you) and their written permission (a signature on the letter is enough),
• a summary of what happened with dates, if possible,
• a list of the questions you would like answered,
• what you want to happen as a result of your complaint,
• permission for us to copy the complaint to the people who need to take part in the investigation.

Complaints about the commissioning of NHS services within NHS Kent and Medway

NHS Kent and Medway ICB investigates and responds to complaints about the actions/decisions of the ICB. If you would like to send us a compliment, comment or complaint about the actions/decisions of NHS Kent and Medway ICB, please contact:

By email:         The PALs and Complaints Team - kmicb.complaints@nhs.net​​​​​

By Telephone: 01634 335095 - Option 7 (Office Hours are between 8:00am – 4:00pm)

By address:     NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board

PALs and Complaints Team

2^nd Floor

Gail House

Lower Stone Street

Maidstone

Kent ME15 6NB

The ICB have adopted new ways of working arrangements following the Covid19 pandemic, which means that many of our staff do not come into the office every day. Whilst you can of course telephone or write to us, it would be preferable if you could contact us via email to ensure a timely response.

The services we commission include:

• urgent and emergency care (including 111, A&E and ambulance services)
• out-of-hours primary medical services
• elective hospital care (outpatient appointments and operations)
• community health services (such as community nursing, rehabilitation services, speech and language therapy, continence services, wheelchair services, and home oxygen services)
• maternity and new-born services (excluding neonatal intensive care)
• children’s healthcare services (mental and physical health)
• services for people with learning disabilities
• mental health services (including psychological therapies)
• fertility services

Please contact our communications team if you need this information in another language or format.

Our PALs and Complaints Team will manage your complaint, which will be investigated by an appropriate manager/staff member within the ICB.

• We will acknowledge your complaint within three working days of receipt.
• Once consent (if required) is received, the ICB will work with you to investigate your ICB related complaint and aim to provide you with a written response within 30 working days.
• Complaints that are more complex may take longer for the ICB to be able to respond to you. If we think a response will take longer, we will advise you as soon as possible.
• We will keep you updated if there are any delays during the complaints process.

This process may involve: 

• Liaising with other relevant organisations or accessing your records (with your consent) so we can view relevant information,

using your information for other purposes, such as monitoring the complaints process or improving service quality. Where possible, only anonymous information will be used. If identifiable data is needed for other purposes, then we will ask your consent first.

We will deal with complaints in a manner that is proportional to the issues raised. Where appropriate, we will take action to prevent the incident from happening again.

When the investigation is complete, you will be written to with the outcome, including any improvements that have been, or will be made as a result of your complaint.

If you are unhappy with the response to your complaint, you should contact the PALs and Complaints Team to see if the ICB can look into the case further, unless the response advises that local resolution of your complaint is concluded.

If you remain unhappy once local resolution of your complaint is concluded, you can ask the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to review your complaint:

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
SW1P 4QP
0345 015 4033
phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk
www.ombudsman.org.uk

We will respect your right to confidentiality and treat any information you provide in strict confidence, handling this information in a safe and secure manner. However, there may be times when we need to share information without your consent, for example to protect children and vulnerable adults. You can withdraw your complaint at any stage of the process.
Depending on the nature of your complaint, we may also need to share your information with other NHS providers of care. Your consent will be sought if that is the case.
NHS Kent and Medway ICB will retain personal information for the purpose of this complaint investigation only. In order for the ICB to make improvements to the services you receive, anonymous information about your complaint may be shared as part of our reporting process.

Comments or Complaints about Hospitals, Mental Health, Community and other services

Whilst a complaint about a provider service can be raised with the ICB, it is recommended that you should make your complaint to the provider of the service you are complaining about. Should you wish the ICB to be aware of your complaint please send a copy of your complaint to the ICB’s PALS and Complaints Team; however, the responsibility for investigating and responding to the issues remains with the service complained about. If you do raise your complaint about a provider service with the ICB we will provide the contact details for you to contact the provider and/or seek your consent to share the complaint with the provider. In some instances, the ICB might be best placed to handle your complaint about the provider service. If that is the case, we will let you know and seek consent to liaise with the provider.

Complaints about Primary Care Services - General Practitioner (GP), Dentist, Pharmacist or Optometrist

From 1 July 2023 the way members of the public make a complaint about primary care services to the commissioner changed.  

There are two ways you can make a complaint: 

• You can complain to the healthcare provider: this is the organisation where you received the NHS service, for example a GP surgery or dental surgery.   
• You can complain to the commissioner of the service: this is the organisation that paid for the service or care you received. NHS Kent and Medway ICB will signpost you to the provider of the service or can redirect to that service with your consent. We will let you know if we consider the ICB is best placed to handle the complaint and seek consent to liaise with the provider.

After 1 July 2023 if you want to make a complaint about primary care services to the commissioner you will now contact the relevant Integrated Care Board (ICB) instead of NHS England. 

It has been agreed that NHS Frimley ICB will host the South East Complaints Hub to  manage complaints on behalf of the six ICBs within the Southeast Region. Therefore, for NHS Kent and Medway ICB, you can raise Primary Care Complaints by: 

Email:                          Frimleyicb.southeastcomplaints@nhs.net

Telephone:                  03005610290

Writing to us at:          

South East Complaints Hub

NHS Frimley ICB

King Edward VII Hospital
St Leonards Road
Windsor
SL4 3DP

If you want to make a complaint directly to the provider of the primary care service, you still can – that did not change on 1 July 2023. 

Members of the public with ongoing complaints received on/after 1 July 2022 will receive a letter from NHS England informing them that the ICB is now handling their complaint with confirmation of their case handler. For Kent and Medway, this will be handled by the South East Complaint Hub on behalf of NHS Kent and Medway ICB.

Members of the public with any ongoing complaints received before 1 July 2022 will receive a letter from NHS England informing them that their complaint is being retained by NHS England with confirmation of their case handler. 

If you have any queries, please contact the South East Complaints Hub via the contact details above.

For information and comments about retained services commissioned directly by NHS England, please visit their website.

Whilst not exhaustive, the following is a list of services that NHS England central complaints team will retain the handling of after 1 July 2023. 

• Specialised Commissioning 
• Health and Justice – for health services for people in prisons and other custodial settings
• Armed Forces Health 

• Section 7a (Public Health Immunisations and Vaccinations) 
• PCSE 
• Services delivered nationally by NHSE to patients/public (such as Screening Call and Recall, NHS App etc) 

Yes. If you would like some independent help or support with your NHS related complaint, The Advocacy People are a free complaints advocacy service available for you to use.  The Advocacy People can represent your views when you are making a complaint about the ICB.  They can help you write your complaint letter or write it on your behalf.  They can accompany you to any meetings to discuss your complaint and provide support or provide an interpreter.  The Advocacy People can help if you have difficulties with reading or writing.  The Advocacy People can be contacted via:

The Advocacy People

PO Box 375

Hastings

East Sussex

TN34 9HU

Tel:             0330 440 9000

Email:         info@theadvocacypeople.org.uk

Website:     www.theadvocacypeople.org.uk.       

Using The Advocacy People will not affect or change the way in which the ICB will respond or deal with your complaint.