NHS complaints procedure

you can make comments, give feedback, raise concerns and make complaints using the NHS complaints procedure
NHS complaints staff have a duty to investigate the complaints that are made to them
the NHS encourage you to complain in person, to a staff member involved in your care or a senior member of their team
you can enter the complaints procedure at Stage 1 or Stage 2

Stage 1: NHS early resolution

if you are fully satisfied with the response, the complaint is closed
if you are not fully satisfied with the response, you can make a Stage 2 complaint

you are not satisfied with the investigation or result from your complaint at Stage 1
you feel that what happened raises serious questions about standards of care or requires a detailed investigation

make the complaint
you will receive an acknowledgement of your complaint within 3 working days
you will receive a response about their decision within 20 days, or an explanation of the delay and a revised timeframe
if you don’t receive a response within 20 days, follow this up with the person you made the complaint with
you will be given the opportunity to ask for clarification on anything you are unsure about or that you feel isn’t covered appropriately
if you are not satisfied, you will receive a final response and information on how to take your complaint to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO)

if you are fully satisfied with the response, the complaint is closed
if you are not fully satisfied with the response, you can submit your complaint to the SPSO

make the complaint
the SPSO will decide whether investigate further or not
if they don’t feel it is appropriate to investigate further, the case will be closed
if they do take it on, it will be assigned to a complaints handler, who will make a full investigation
the complaints handler will respond to you
the case will be closed

This is the final stage of the NHS complaints procedure, so the decision made by the SPSO is final.